September 11, 2001
Does an ostrich really hide its head in the sand at the first sign of trouble? If it did, these long-legged birds have an excuse: their eyes are bigger than their brains. If they can see trouble coming, they probably don’t know what to do with it. It could be worse. A starfish, which does hide in the sand, has no brain at all! How do they know what to do to survive?
The amazing animal world sometimes stumps me. How do geese know when or even why they fly south for the winter? At spawning time, how do salmon find their way out of a vast ocean to the very fresh water stream or river where they were born?
Animal instinct might explain geese and salmon but not a particular mother duck. A few weeks ago, a policeman reported that a female duck hurried up beside him and began pulling on his pant cuff. He tried to shoo her away but she persisted. Then she ran to a storm drain, looked down it, and came back to yank on his pants again. He followed her to the drain and found several ducklings had fallen through the grate. Of course they were rescued.
Any attempt to explain it might produce a certain remark from an elderly Christian gentlemen we once knew. With a twinkle in his eye, he’d say, “Isn’t evolution wonderful?”
Evolution says that all creatures are products of a primordial soup plus time plus chance. If that were true, then all geese would have shivered to death unless one of them happened to stumble across a route south, then happened to return for the rest of the flock, and then happened to return the next year.
If salmon spawned by the time-chance theory, they would likely be extinct because their eggs do not survive salt water. One salmon had to have first found fresh water. No, actually two would have to take the trip. Then they had to be both in the same place in the same stream so one could fertilize the eggs of the other.
God as a powerful Creator is more believable. While the story is in Genesis, there is a verse in the New Testament that helps me, but it is often overlooked. Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
I once thought evolution was a good theory until I understood the power of God. He can do anything. He does not need a pollywog to make a frog or an embryo to make a person. He can do or create whatever pleases Him. If He could not, then He would be limited and I could not call Him ‘God’ nor believe that He is Creator.
The other part of that verse from Hebrews says that what we see did not come from visible matter. In other words, God created ex nihilo or from nothing. While He did make the first man from the ‘dust of the ground’ and breathed life into him, He spoke the universe and our world into existence.
We talk about the power of the printed or spoken word but the power of that ‘word’ is astounding. Here is how the Apostle John describes what God did with His word: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John is talking about Jesus Christ, the Word of God in a human body. He came to earth to reveal God to us. While “the heavens declare the glory of God,” the Lord Jesus Christ makes Him known far more clearly than even His amazing creation.
Showing posts with label evolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evolution. Show all posts
Friday, April 20, 2018
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Darwin and Evolution .......... Parables 646
June 29, 1999
During a recent writer’s meeting, one author read her well-researched article about Charles Darwin. She told how this man set down his theory of evolution without a thought that it would become today’s “fact.” At the end of his life, he lamented what he had done and turned to God for forgiveness. He spent his last years praising the Lord for His marvelous creation. (This is considered an urban myth by many historians. Only God knows for sure.)
The story brought out that Darwin had a fine mind. It is doubtful he would argue with logic because, if challenged, he seemed willing to rethink his ideas. Today’s evolutionists are not so open, but then, I also once believed in their theories. After becoming a Christian, my heart, and the Bible, told me evolution was not the way things came to be. After thinking about it, I could see a few basic flaws.
For one, the theory of evolution postulates that order comes from chaos. That is, the primaeval “soup” or disordered mixture of various basic ingredients, eventually fell into order and this hodgepodge slowly (or with a bang) made a world. This basic flaw is challenged by a basic law. The second law of thermodynamics states all things tend toward deterioration. Even my desk proves it. No matter how hard I try, it slides again and again into a mess. Actually, this law does not require much proof. All things do tend toward deterioration. Homemade or crafted by nature, if left alone, rust or weeds eventually win.
A second flaw in evolution is the idea that time and chance produce progress. That is, given enough years and enough accidents, the ingredients in the primaeval soup crashed together in just the right combination to produce life. Another law challenges this flaw. It is best illustrated by the fact that you cannot shake a bag of watch parts and expect them to make a watch. Whatever accidently comes together comes apart with the next shake. While an evolutionist might claim that millions of years give time for the accidents to occur and the “shaking” to stop at the right moment, life is simply too complex for that option.
A third flaw is that the so-called evidence for evolution is questionable. Some of it falls into the same category as statistics. That is, you can make of it whatever you want to make of it. If you want to prove Darwin’s theory, some of the evidence will seem to support it. The challenging law is common sense, both from Scripture and experience. Not everything is what it appears. We can assume explanations but that does not make them valid. For instance, a universal flood could have done what has been attributed to an ice age.
Another flaw is the way this topic is approached. Science tipped off its moorings when it followed Darwin’s supposition because origins are not strictly a science. The scientific method opens with theories but never allows theories to prove anything. Instead, experiments are done to affirm them. Evolution assumes the theory is right then only allows evidence that supports it.
Since no one can duplicate how the world began, what we believe about it is a matter of faith. We either believe in the evidence or in the source of it. We can look at the stacks of bones and listen to those who stacked them, or we can check out the Word of Someone who was there.
The Bible says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” What we see was not created the way we think it was. God says so and unless we believe Him, the best we can do is speculate.
The Bible is more up-to-date than most people think!
During a recent writer’s meeting, one author read her well-researched article about Charles Darwin. She told how this man set down his theory of evolution without a thought that it would become today’s “fact.” At the end of his life, he lamented what he had done and turned to God for forgiveness. He spent his last years praising the Lord for His marvelous creation. (This is considered an urban myth by many historians. Only God knows for sure.)
The story brought out that Darwin had a fine mind. It is doubtful he would argue with logic because, if challenged, he seemed willing to rethink his ideas. Today’s evolutionists are not so open, but then, I also once believed in their theories. After becoming a Christian, my heart, and the Bible, told me evolution was not the way things came to be. After thinking about it, I could see a few basic flaws.
For one, the theory of evolution postulates that order comes from chaos. That is, the primaeval “soup” or disordered mixture of various basic ingredients, eventually fell into order and this hodgepodge slowly (or with a bang) made a world. This basic flaw is challenged by a basic law. The second law of thermodynamics states all things tend toward deterioration. Even my desk proves it. No matter how hard I try, it slides again and again into a mess. Actually, this law does not require much proof. All things do tend toward deterioration. Homemade or crafted by nature, if left alone, rust or weeds eventually win.
A second flaw in evolution is the idea that time and chance produce progress. That is, given enough years and enough accidents, the ingredients in the primaeval soup crashed together in just the right combination to produce life. Another law challenges this flaw. It is best illustrated by the fact that you cannot shake a bag of watch parts and expect them to make a watch. Whatever accidently comes together comes apart with the next shake. While an evolutionist might claim that millions of years give time for the accidents to occur and the “shaking” to stop at the right moment, life is simply too complex for that option.
A third flaw is that the so-called evidence for evolution is questionable. Some of it falls into the same category as statistics. That is, you can make of it whatever you want to make of it. If you want to prove Darwin’s theory, some of the evidence will seem to support it. The challenging law is common sense, both from Scripture and experience. Not everything is what it appears. We can assume explanations but that does not make them valid. For instance, a universal flood could have done what has been attributed to an ice age.
Another flaw is the way this topic is approached. Science tipped off its moorings when it followed Darwin’s supposition because origins are not strictly a science. The scientific method opens with theories but never allows theories to prove anything. Instead, experiments are done to affirm them. Evolution assumes the theory is right then only allows evidence that supports it.
Since no one can duplicate how the world began, what we believe about it is a matter of faith. We either believe in the evidence or in the source of it. We can look at the stacks of bones and listen to those who stacked them, or we can check out the Word of Someone who was there.
The Bible says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” What we see was not created the way we think it was. God says so and unless we believe Him, the best we can do is speculate.
The Bible is more up-to-date than most people think!
Friday, June 16, 2017
Faith is about who God is .......... Parables 602
July 7, 1998
I used to argue with my mother about evolution. She believed in a six-day creation by God and I thought horses used to be the size of small dogs.
One day, after a few major failures, I invited Jesus Christ into my life. I wanted His forgiveness and help with what I had ruined. At that point, the creation/evolution conflict was not an issue. Sometime later, I realized that I no longer believed the horse thing. I had much the same belief in creation as my mother. My mind had somehow changed although no one had tried to convince me with various points from either theory. I had read the Bible, trusted God, and despite so-called scientific evidence to the contrary, my position changed without any effort on my part.
Descriptions of experiences like this cause some people to think Christians “park their brains” when they embrace faith. They wonder how a thinking person could possibly believe that there is a God or that He created the world. This especially includes the scientific community.
Several years ago, someone researched this issue. They discovered that many founding fathers of modern science were Bible-believing Christians. This includes names like Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Louis Pasteur, Francis Bacon and German astronomer, Johannes Kepler.
For instance, Kepler reasoned that since the universe was designed by an intelligent Creator, it should function according to some logical pattern. In his day, other non-believing scientists thought the universe was a product of chaos, therefore had no order. Kepler countered that a chaotic universe was inconsistent with God’s wisdom. Because of his faith and thinking, we now have a better and more accurate understanding of the consistency in planetary motion.
In more recent research, it has been noted that 40% of the scientific community professes a belief in God. The writer who reported this number seemed surprised. The percentage turned out to be the same as statistics before this century. He thought that since more “scientific evidence” had been discovered, more scientists would dismiss God and embrace evolution.
In my experience, faith seemed to sidestep the creation/evolution debate, yet I realize that faith is not about believing something without evidence. Nor is it believing in spite of evidence to the contrary. Instead, faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” based on a deep trust in God and in what He says. If it opposes other theories, who is right?
In relation to how the world was formed, God says “what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Believing that God created all things is not based on what I can see or not see or figure out by my own reasoning. My faith is based on what God has revealed about Himself and my trust is in Him. When I ask “Is God telling the truth?” — faith says, “Yes, He is.”
Faith is reasonable. If God is the God described in the Bible, God can make a universe out of nothing. He can do whatever He wants, even form a spiritual dimension or reality that is totally unlike those things we can see, yet exists parallel to them.
The Bible says sin has flawed human reasoning. We cannot always depend even on our own common sense. Gideon is one example. He went into a battle against a Midianite army of more than 100,000 but God told him his army of 32,000 men was too big. God thinned it to only 300, then instructed Gideon to use a battle tactic that was absurd.
Gideon’s faith saw both visible and invisible realities. He knew he was hopelessly outnumbered. However, he did not allow what he could see to detract from what God said. His faith went beyond what his common sense told him. He believed in the unseen God — and won the battle.
Faith is not blind but accompanied by inner vision. Faith sees past theories and suppositions because it is focused on God and His Word.
I used to argue with my mother about evolution. She believed in a six-day creation by God and I thought horses used to be the size of small dogs.
One day, after a few major failures, I invited Jesus Christ into my life. I wanted His forgiveness and help with what I had ruined. At that point, the creation/evolution conflict was not an issue. Sometime later, I realized that I no longer believed the horse thing. I had much the same belief in creation as my mother. My mind had somehow changed although no one had tried to convince me with various points from either theory. I had read the Bible, trusted God, and despite so-called scientific evidence to the contrary, my position changed without any effort on my part.
Descriptions of experiences like this cause some people to think Christians “park their brains” when they embrace faith. They wonder how a thinking person could possibly believe that there is a God or that He created the world. This especially includes the scientific community.
Several years ago, someone researched this issue. They discovered that many founding fathers of modern science were Bible-believing Christians. This includes names like Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Louis Pasteur, Francis Bacon and German astronomer, Johannes Kepler.
For instance, Kepler reasoned that since the universe was designed by an intelligent Creator, it should function according to some logical pattern. In his day, other non-believing scientists thought the universe was a product of chaos, therefore had no order. Kepler countered that a chaotic universe was inconsistent with God’s wisdom. Because of his faith and thinking, we now have a better and more accurate understanding of the consistency in planetary motion.
In more recent research, it has been noted that 40% of the scientific community professes a belief in God. The writer who reported this number seemed surprised. The percentage turned out to be the same as statistics before this century. He thought that since more “scientific evidence” had been discovered, more scientists would dismiss God and embrace evolution.
In my experience, faith seemed to sidestep the creation/evolution debate, yet I realize that faith is not about believing something without evidence. Nor is it believing in spite of evidence to the contrary. Instead, faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” based on a deep trust in God and in what He says. If it opposes other theories, who is right?
In relation to how the world was formed, God says “what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Believing that God created all things is not based on what I can see or not see or figure out by my own reasoning. My faith is based on what God has revealed about Himself and my trust is in Him. When I ask “Is God telling the truth?” — faith says, “Yes, He is.”
Faith is reasonable. If God is the God described in the Bible, God can make a universe out of nothing. He can do whatever He wants, even form a spiritual dimension or reality that is totally unlike those things we can see, yet exists parallel to them.
The Bible says sin has flawed human reasoning. We cannot always depend even on our own common sense. Gideon is one example. He went into a battle against a Midianite army of more than 100,000 but God told him his army of 32,000 men was too big. God thinned it to only 300, then instructed Gideon to use a battle tactic that was absurd.
Gideon’s faith saw both visible and invisible realities. He knew he was hopelessly outnumbered. However, he did not allow what he could see to detract from what God said. His faith went beyond what his common sense told him. He believed in the unseen God — and won the battle.
Faith is not blind but accompanied by inner vision. Faith sees past theories and suppositions because it is focused on God and His Word.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Where do we come from? .................. Parables 418
April 26, 1994
I remember the first time I talked about creation with one of my grandchildren. She was an easy-going five-year old. First I pointed to the trees and flowers and said God created them. She smiled her approval of that idea. Someone once said you seldom find five-year old atheists. However, when I told her God also made her, she surprised me. She stamped her foot and declared, “Nobody made me!”
My intention was to show her the wonderful design in nature and let her know she was well-designed too, but her response reminded me that independence and a desire to be self-reliant starts in the crib. She was not about to give anyone any control over who she was, at least not that day.
Intent on building her sense of worth, I tried again a few days later. This time she grinned at me and expressed pleasure. For reasons only known to her, she decided it was okay to be created by God.
When I challenged the creation story, my mother strongly defended it. I was much older than my granddaughter. I did not mind the idea of being created by God but at that time the theory of evolution sounded reasonable. Not wanting to give up God, I tried to separate the issue into two camps: science and religion. God was someone to worship and hear my prayers but since science seemed to have proven otherwise, He must have created everything by some sort of evolutionary method.
What I didn’t know is that all scientific data is not in yet. Even since then, research has uncovered evidence of an instantaneous creation. Igneous rocks and coal have “radio halos” which indicated a very young earth. The familiar process of erosion also shows that the earth cannot be as old as once thought.
As far as where life came from, in the middle ages, people saw mold grow, insects come out of morning dew, and maggots appear in rotting material. To them, it was reasonable to believe life was spontaneously generated. It was only after Pasteur proved otherwise that this medieval alternative to Creation became obsolete.
However, there were some scientists that did not want to let go of that idea. They determined Pasteur proved very little. They said life may be able to occur spontaneously in other conditions. To them, scientific proof was not enough and life must somehow just happen. Author J. H. Rush says, “It illustrates beautifully the tendency to believe what we want to believe.”
Genesis 1:26-27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
It seems that people have said, “Let us decide that humans are creatures evolved from a primate, evolved from a one-celled whatever, and that this one celled creature came from... we are not sure. In any case, we intend to rule everything, including our creation history.” So men and women created gods in their own imagination and made them creatures that vaguely resemble themselves.
I remember the first time I talked about creation with one of my grandchildren. She was an easy-going five-year old. First I pointed to the trees and flowers and said God created them. She smiled her approval of that idea. Someone once said you seldom find five-year old atheists. However, when I told her God also made her, she surprised me. She stamped her foot and declared, “Nobody made me!”
My intention was to show her the wonderful design in nature and let her know she was well-designed too, but her response reminded me that independence and a desire to be self-reliant starts in the crib. She was not about to give anyone any control over who she was, at least not that day.
Intent on building her sense of worth, I tried again a few days later. This time she grinned at me and expressed pleasure. For reasons only known to her, she decided it was okay to be created by God.
When I challenged the creation story, my mother strongly defended it. I was much older than my granddaughter. I did not mind the idea of being created by God but at that time the theory of evolution sounded reasonable. Not wanting to give up God, I tried to separate the issue into two camps: science and religion. God was someone to worship and hear my prayers but since science seemed to have proven otherwise, He must have created everything by some sort of evolutionary method.
What I didn’t know is that all scientific data is not in yet. Even since then, research has uncovered evidence of an instantaneous creation. Igneous rocks and coal have “radio halos” which indicated a very young earth. The familiar process of erosion also shows that the earth cannot be as old as once thought.
As far as where life came from, in the middle ages, people saw mold grow, insects come out of morning dew, and maggots appear in rotting material. To them, it was reasonable to believe life was spontaneously generated. It was only after Pasteur proved otherwise that this medieval alternative to Creation became obsolete.
However, there were some scientists that did not want to let go of that idea. They determined Pasteur proved very little. They said life may be able to occur spontaneously in other conditions. To them, scientific proof was not enough and life must somehow just happen. Author J. H. Rush says, “It illustrates beautifully the tendency to believe what we want to believe.”
Genesis 1:26-27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
It seems that people have said, “Let us decide that humans are creatures evolved from a primate, evolved from a one-celled whatever, and that this one celled creature came from... we are not sure. In any case, we intend to rule everything, including our creation history.” So men and women created gods in their own imagination and made them creatures that vaguely resemble themselves.
Friday, September 4, 2015
And where did you come from? ................ Parables 322
June 16, 1992
When our children were in elementary school, one of their playmates had rather unusual mannerisms and speech patterns. We often wondered the source since his accent was not recognizable. It was not French or a Texas drawl. His movements, while not comical or weird, were also distinctive.
His mother usually picked him up when he finished playing at our house, but one day his dad dropped by to take him home. Within moments of answering the doorbell, I understood why this boy talked and moved the way he did — he was a carbon copy, a smaller version, of his father.
I think of that boy nearly every time I hear something to do with the long-standing debate about the origins of man. Of course the debate basically offers two choices. One is that we evolved from primates, which evolved from who knows what, which originally was some sort of cosmic soup. The other is that we were created by a supernatural being — namely God.
Without apology, I believe the second option. Logically, it seems all things require a cause or a designer. Also, the greater and more intricate never seems to come from the less complex. How then could man come from animals?
Furthermore, evolution offers no source for ethics. Where do our ideas of right and wrong come from? Related to ethics is faith — and I think I would need far more of it to believe that “Time + Chance + Energy (where did that come from?) = Humanity,” than I need to believe the Biblical record of creation.
After giving a general account, there is a description of the pattern God used in Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Since the record does not explain what it means to be made in the image of God, people speculate. Some think since we reason, have a will, and experience emotions... that must be what God is like. Others include creative ability, appreciation for beauty, and the ability to enter into relationships. Whatever it actually does mean, and even though there is not a whole lot of “goodness” in most of us, mankind somehow reflects “God-ness” — we resemble our “Father.”
This debate is not settled by opinion though. What happened happened, outside of what any of us choose to believe. However, science has yet to answer why people, with our deep capacity for selfishness and evil, can also have a deep sense of what is good. It points to a “godlikeness” and a higher “goodness” that apes and animals do not share.
Our young friend imaged his dad. We, somehow, image our Father. We do not usually do it with words and actions as he did, but when we do talk and behave in a godly way, there are no explanations other than love and good deeds come from a supreme Love and Author of all that is good.
When our children were in elementary school, one of their playmates had rather unusual mannerisms and speech patterns. We often wondered the source since his accent was not recognizable. It was not French or a Texas drawl. His movements, while not comical or weird, were also distinctive.
His mother usually picked him up when he finished playing at our house, but one day his dad dropped by to take him home. Within moments of answering the doorbell, I understood why this boy talked and moved the way he did — he was a carbon copy, a smaller version, of his father.
I think of that boy nearly every time I hear something to do with the long-standing debate about the origins of man. Of course the debate basically offers two choices. One is that we evolved from primates, which evolved from who knows what, which originally was some sort of cosmic soup. The other is that we were created by a supernatural being — namely God.
Without apology, I believe the second option. Logically, it seems all things require a cause or a designer. Also, the greater and more intricate never seems to come from the less complex. How then could man come from animals?
Furthermore, evolution offers no source for ethics. Where do our ideas of right and wrong come from? Related to ethics is faith — and I think I would need far more of it to believe that “Time + Chance + Energy (where did that come from?) = Humanity,” than I need to believe the Biblical record of creation.
After giving a general account, there is a description of the pattern God used in Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Since the record does not explain what it means to be made in the image of God, people speculate. Some think since we reason, have a will, and experience emotions... that must be what God is like. Others include creative ability, appreciation for beauty, and the ability to enter into relationships. Whatever it actually does mean, and even though there is not a whole lot of “goodness” in most of us, mankind somehow reflects “God-ness” — we resemble our “Father.”
This debate is not settled by opinion though. What happened happened, outside of what any of us choose to believe. However, science has yet to answer why people, with our deep capacity for selfishness and evil, can also have a deep sense of what is good. It points to a “godlikeness” and a higher “goodness” that apes and animals do not share.
Our young friend imaged his dad. We, somehow, image our Father. We do not usually do it with words and actions as he did, but when we do talk and behave in a godly way, there are no explanations other than love and good deeds come from a supreme Love and Author of all that is good.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Evolution? ................. Parables 229
(August 8, 1990)
How does evolution explain a skunk?
The theory says: simple, one-celled organisms developed into complex creatures. Therefore, this defenseless little critter must have “evolved” its complex spray gun; yet in the battle of survival, what kept larger, “more evolved” creatures from killing it? Was It coincidence? Did wolves and coyotes just fail to notice this harmless black and white kitty? How did the skunk survive several eons without odor until its glands could develop this distinctive form of protection...?
I used to believe evolution was a valid theory. I remember arguing with my mother about it. She had all the biblical answers but nothing she could say convinced me. Finally, it was science that ran out of answers.
I was in my early 20's when a scientific statement caught my attention. It was: “energy is neither created or destroyed, only changed to a different form.” I wondered about a particular from of energy -- my life. If that scientific statement was true, then where did my life come from before I had it, and where would it go when I died? Heavy questions, but I only could conclude that, scientifically, my life would never end. I wasn’t sure if it began somewhere else or, if it did, where that might have been, but I knew the energy of my life must go somewhere after my body was done with it.
While trying to find answers to my questions, I read a book about reincarnation. Oddly, there was a verse of Scripture in that book, used out of context to support what I now know is an unbiblical belief. God had a purpose in it being there though. Psalms 119:130 says: “The entrance of thy words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
Ever walk out of darkness into a brightly lit room? You can’t see anything but light for quite a while. That is what happened to me. As I read that verse of Scripture with an open and questioning mind, the room seemed filled with the light of what God revealed to me.
The first truth He gave me was not about evolution or about where the energy of my life came from before I was born. I didn’t find out then where life would go after I died either. Instead, God showed me something far more important; He revealed the mystery of the identity of Jesus Christ. I suddenly knew, beyond any doubt, that He is God Almighty who came in human flesh.
I put the book aside and began reading God’s Book. He unfolded truth after truth. I saw my need as a sinner and asked Him to forgive me and come into my life. Only then was the whole question of my eternal destiny settled.
I saw other things in Scripture that amazed me. One was that God knew all about me before I was even born, because He made me. The Psalmist expressed the delight I felt: “I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...” (Psalm 139).
The Bible also showed me something science didn’t know back then, that each creature has it’s own kind of cell structure. A skunk could never have been a snake, they are not made of the same kind of cells. Science now says each creature has skin cells, heart tissue cells, brain cells, all interdependent but none like the other. Such design demands a Designer.
Another thing I learned was, “by faith we understand... that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Christians understand creation by faith. Faith is not a subjective wish that makes something true only in our own mind; it is a gift from God that enables us to see realities that sin otherwise blinds us to... thus I couldn’t accept my mother’s arguments until God dealt with my sin.
I don’t like the smell of a skunk, but I am glad they have their distinctive odor. It reminds me that God wisely planned every feature of every living thing. It also reminds me of His grace; He opened my eyes to spiritual realities – far more than the mystery of how a skunk got its weapon!
How does evolution explain a skunk?
The theory says: simple, one-celled organisms developed into complex creatures. Therefore, this defenseless little critter must have “evolved” its complex spray gun; yet in the battle of survival, what kept larger, “more evolved” creatures from killing it? Was It coincidence? Did wolves and coyotes just fail to notice this harmless black and white kitty? How did the skunk survive several eons without odor until its glands could develop this distinctive form of protection...?
I used to believe evolution was a valid theory. I remember arguing with my mother about it. She had all the biblical answers but nothing she could say convinced me. Finally, it was science that ran out of answers.
I was in my early 20's when a scientific statement caught my attention. It was: “energy is neither created or destroyed, only changed to a different form.” I wondered about a particular from of energy -- my life. If that scientific statement was true, then where did my life come from before I had it, and where would it go when I died? Heavy questions, but I only could conclude that, scientifically, my life would never end. I wasn’t sure if it began somewhere else or, if it did, where that might have been, but I knew the energy of my life must go somewhere after my body was done with it.
While trying to find answers to my questions, I read a book about reincarnation. Oddly, there was a verse of Scripture in that book, used out of context to support what I now know is an unbiblical belief. God had a purpose in it being there though. Psalms 119:130 says: “The entrance of thy words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
Ever walk out of darkness into a brightly lit room? You can’t see anything but light for quite a while. That is what happened to me. As I read that verse of Scripture with an open and questioning mind, the room seemed filled with the light of what God revealed to me.
The first truth He gave me was not about evolution or about where the energy of my life came from before I was born. I didn’t find out then where life would go after I died either. Instead, God showed me something far more important; He revealed the mystery of the identity of Jesus Christ. I suddenly knew, beyond any doubt, that He is God Almighty who came in human flesh.
I put the book aside and began reading God’s Book. He unfolded truth after truth. I saw my need as a sinner and asked Him to forgive me and come into my life. Only then was the whole question of my eternal destiny settled.
I saw other things in Scripture that amazed me. One was that God knew all about me before I was even born, because He made me. The Psalmist expressed the delight I felt: “I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...” (Psalm 139).
The Bible also showed me something science didn’t know back then, that each creature has it’s own kind of cell structure. A skunk could never have been a snake, they are not made of the same kind of cells. Science now says each creature has skin cells, heart tissue cells, brain cells, all interdependent but none like the other. Such design demands a Designer.
Another thing I learned was, “by faith we understand... that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Christians understand creation by faith. Faith is not a subjective wish that makes something true only in our own mind; it is a gift from God that enables us to see realities that sin otherwise blinds us to... thus I couldn’t accept my mother’s arguments until God dealt with my sin.
I don’t like the smell of a skunk, but I am glad they have their distinctive odor. It reminds me that God wisely planned every feature of every living thing. It also reminds me of His grace; He opened my eyes to spiritual realities – far more than the mystery of how a skunk got its weapon!
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