But exactly why should I believe in a six-day creation? The answer goes back to my articles last year. It is hinged on the idea that Jesus is who he said he is, based on his historical resurrection. If Jesus is raised from the dead (and there is plenty of evidence to show that he is), then everything he said and did is the truth. He said that he was God in the flesh come to save human beings from their sin. His life, death, and resurrection are the answer to the greatest human problem, death. Jesus could have used any miracle to prove himself, he could have grown hair on a billiard ball, but that would only be meaningful to bald guys like me. The resurrection miracle is universal. Everyone dies, black, white, red and yellow, male and female, rich and poor. Jesus promises, that believing what he did, makes the resurrection promise true for you.
So, what does this have to do with the creation/ evolution debate? It is quite simple. God says (in the first chapter of Genesis) that he created the world in six days. If the world is indeed billions of years old and natural selection has been in operation since the beginning. Natural selection is based on weeding out undesirable traits through death. This means that death must have been a part of the world before Adam and Eve. This is directly the opposite of what St. Paul says in Romans 5:12.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12, ESV)
He says that human beings were in the world before sin, and that sin is the cause of death. Evolution theory states that death has always been around and will always be around. These two claims cannot both be true.
St. Paul is not talking about human vs. animal death either. He is talking about the arrival of death. Human beings are so tied to creation (see the creation account) that when death enters the world, it enters for every living thing. He is clear that the problem of death for all is here because of human sin.
So, sin is the cause of death. If not, then there is no sin (that accountability thing I talked about last week). If there is no sin, there is no need for Jesus. Then everything he did and said is a lie, a fabrication, or a myth. Christianity agrees with this:
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:14–17, ESV)
So, you see, everything the Christian faith believes, teaches, and confesses is hinged on Jesus and his resurrection. There is ample proof of Jesus’ existence. There is ample proof that he did die. There is also ample proof that he was raised from death to life. This is great news for human beings (and the whole earth for that matter). Death is temporary. It is not a part of the natural scheme of things. Sin is real. Jesus is the answer. He is the answer for you.
Oh, and it also means that God created the world in six days.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month our contributor is Pastor Jonathan Watt of Life in Christ Lutheran Church in Grand Marais. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions. Pastor@ WattsWhat.net
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