Topic: EVOLUTION
PRAYER: OH LORD RENEW ME
EVOLUTION
The evolution of living organism is known as organic evolution. It is broadly the sum total of adaptive changes that has taken place over a long period of time. It leads to the development of new species. Evolution is change in heritable traits of biological populations over successive generations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organization, including the level of species, individual organisms, and at the level of molecular evolution.
DARWIN CHARLES THEORIES OF EVOLUTION
PRAYER: OH LORD RENEW ME
In 1858, Charles Darwin proposed a new theory that replaced Lamarck’s theory. This theory is based on four observations;
- Most organisms produce large number offspring more than it can be expected to survive and reproduce.
- The sizes of a given population remain fairly constant although there may be fluctuation.
- Individuals within a species always show variation.
- Same variations are more favorable to existence in a given environment than other.
From these observations, he made the following deductions;
All living organisms are constantly involved in a struggle for existence.
In a population, those that tend to survive and reproduce are the individuals whose variation gives them competitive advantage over the rest. These are the fittest in that they are best adapted to their environment. The favorable variation they posses are passed on to their offsprings.
THE BIBLE AND EVOLUTION
Thus, evolution is a complete world-view, an explanation of origins and meanings without the necessity of a personal God who created and upholds all things. Since this philosophy is so widely and persuasively taught in our schools, Christians are often tempted to accept the compromise position of “theistic evolution”, according to which evolution is viewed as God’s method of creation. However, this is basically an inconsistent and contradictory position. A few of its fallacies are as follows:
( 1) It contradicts the Bible record of creation. Ten times in the first chapter of Genesis, it is said that God created plants and animals to reproduce “after their kinds”. The Biblical “kind” may be broader than our modern “species” concept, but at least it implies definite limits to variation. The New Testament writers accepted the full historicity of the Genesis account of creation. Even Christ Himself quoted from it as historically accurate and authoritative (Matthew 19:4-6).
(2) It is inconsistent with God’s methods. The standard concept of evolution involves the development of innumerable misfits and extinctions, useless and even harmful organisms. If this is God’s “method of creation”, it is strange that He would use such cruel, haphazard, inefficient, wasteful processes. Furthermore, the idea of the “survival of the fittest”, whereby the stronger animals eliminate the weaker in the “struggle for existence” is the essence of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, and this whole scheme is flatly contradicted by the Biblical doctrine of love, of unselfish sacrifice, and of Christian charity. The God of the Bible is a God of order and of grace, not a God of confusion and cruelty.
(3) The evolutionary philosophy is the intellectual basis of all anti-theistic systems. It served Hitler as the rationale for Nazism and Marx as the supposed, scientific basis for communism. It is the basis of the various modern methods of psychology and sociology that treat man merely as a higher animal and which have led to the misnamed “new morality” and ethical relativism. It has provided the pseudo-scientific rationale for racism and military aggression. Its whole effect on the world and mankind has been harmful and degrading. Jesus said: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit” (Matthew 7:18). The evil fruit of the evolutionary philosophy is evidence enough of its evil roots.
MORAL LESSON
Words of Authority: God created the entire world in six days and rested on the seventh day. The world was created based on words of Authority, “let there be light and there was light”. As Christians, we should exercise this same authority.
God’s Image: Man didn’t arise from ape like evolution said, we were created in God’s image and likeness according to Gen 1:26-27. Let us behave like God and follow his will.
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