Creation Family Ministries

The Question of Design

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

As was referenced in an earlier article ("Declare His Glory"), mankind knows intuitively that a creation points to its creator. If one observes a painting, it is normal to ask, "Who painted this?" or if one sees a building, a natural question is, "Who built this?" One's initial thought is not, "This is the result of an explosion." It is natural, logical, and scientific to observe design and assume that there was a designer. The marvelous design of the universe points to a marvelous Designer Who has a wonderful plan for mankind from the beginning of creation. Design demands a designer.

A Catastrophic Concept

Man was created with an intrinsic knowledge that a Creator exists, but Satan, the Deceiver from the beginning (John 8:44), is the great antithesis to all that is good. Take, for instance, his lie to Eve in the Garden of Eden, "Ye shall be as gods." The term for "gods" is the Hebrew word elohim, a term also used for the Creator. By using this term, Satan introduced two new concepts: (1) "You will be equal to the one true God," and (2) "There will be more than one god." These concepts are employed by present-day false religions such as Mormonism and Catholicism. Mormonism teaches that "as man is, god once was; as god is, man can become," while Catholicism seeks to elevate people to high positions of spirituality. These positions may include becoming mediator between man and God or receiving "sainthood," which is an endowment that enables the person to receive worship and to answer prayer. These religions are but two modern examples of how Satan still uses his lie of, "ye shall be as gods."

In addition to a false idea taught by organized religion, a religious idea called macro evolution promotes this same lie from a different perspective. Macro evolution, a philosophy allegedly based upon "scientific" data, attacks the very foundation of religious thought. It does this by starting with a premise that there is no Creator or that "science" cannot say whether or not a Creator exists. This anti-God, anti-religious philosophy seeks to eliminate from the mind of man the concept of an omnipotent Being Who sets the "rules" of morality. Without a Creator, mankind becomes the "highest evolved" of all creatures, a "god" free to make up his own "rules." A quote from Jeremy Rifkin, an evolutionist, reveals this religious aspect of evolution:

"We no longer feel ourselves to be guests in someone else's home and therefore obliged to make our behavior conform with a set of pre-existing cosmic rules. It is our creation now. We make the rules. We establish the parameters of reality. We create the world, and because we do, we no longer feel beholden to outside forces. We no longer have to justify our behavior, for we are now the architects of the universe. We are responsible to nothing outside ourselves, for we are the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever." (Algeny, p. 244; Viking Press, New York, 1983)

The widespread teaching and worldwide acceptance of evolution has resulted in much evil. Not only is evolutionary thought responsible for catastrophic evils such as the Holocaust of Adolph Hitler, but it is also responsible for rape, homosexuality, animal rights, and judicial activism. It provides justification for abortion and motivation for removing Ten Commandments monuments. Evolution chafes against In God We Trust or one nation under God. It is responsible for humanistic thought that leads to the breakdown of the family through divorce, remarriage, polygamy, polyamory, or celibacy. Ultimately, when one views himself as the result of natural processes and as the highest evolved "animal" in the universe, the idea of a Creator is pushed from his mind. As a result, men establish their own design for morality and view themselves as the ultimate authority. This is called humanism. A humanistic view of God as the Creator Who is in charge of every area of life leads to a humanistic view of His design for the universe and for every area of life. In effect, all of life is affected by the teaching of evolution.

An Answer

Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Evolutionary "science" is the dominant view of origins today. This view espouses a hypothetical time frame of "millions of years" in which humans evolved from ape-like ancestors, whales developed from wolf-like creatures, and the earth formed from a hot molten mass. This view is in direct contrast to the Biblical account of origins.

If one seeks to turn people away from evolutionary presupposition, he or she must begin with Genesis, the beginning of God's record to mankind and of His revealed design for mankind. Since God began His record with "In the beginning…," should not those who seek to reach a society that has rejected the Bible begin likewise? This approach is not an easy one, for it requires believers to know and to be able to explain reasons why they believe this record.

I Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The word "answer" comes from a Greek word that brought to us "apology" or "apologetics." It combines "from" and "logic" to indicate a reasonable, logical answer a lawyer might use in court. In effect, at a moment's notice, believers must be ready to give a logical answer as to why God's Word is absolutely true from the very first verse. As God Himself chose to include proofs in His Word concerning Christ's resurrection from the dead, believers likewise must "be ready always" to share similar proofs as to why someone should accept the Bible as the Word of God.

Are there proofs for the existence of God? It is noteworthy that God's Word does not begin with proofs of His existence. Rather, it begins with God already existing. Why should one begin an answer with proofs for a Creator? God Himself moved John to begin his Gospel with the aspect of His pre-existence as Creator:

John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…And the Word was made flesh….

It is clear that John knew to begin his Gospel with an establishment of Who Jesus is as the Creator. This is the foundation for the Gospel message:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Essentially, with a presupposition that a Creator is not "scientific," evolutionary teaching strikes at the heart of an individual prior to hearing the Gospel! It negatively impacts a potential hearer's thinking to the point that he or she is unwilling to receive the Bible as authoritative truth from the Creator-God.

In order to bolster their beliefs, evolutionists give false interpretations to scientific subjects. Rather than simply applying observation and logic to such subjects, they nearly always interpret fossils, dinosaurs, canyons, or rock layers with a "millions of years" time frame. This hypothetical time frame is based upon blind faith and is contrary to the time frame of human history that is found in God's Word. Therefore, if one seeks to build in others a confidence in the Bible as the Word of God, he or she must be ready to give answers against the lies of evolution and for the truth of God's Word.

Two Kinds of Faith

When one comes to the God of salvation, he must "believe that he is…" (Heb. 11:6). But what kind of faith is this? Is this a belief without a basis, i.e., a "pie in the sky" wishful thinking concocted by weak-minded people? Or, is a belief in the Creator truly scientific?

God Himself included "many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3) for Christ as the Creator. Jesus turned water into wine, walked on water, raised the dead, and healed the blind. These events were observed by many witnesses and proved that Jesus, as Creator, could exercise authority over His creation. The Designer of water could walk on it, the Maker of fruit could re-form it, the Great Physician could heal an eye that He had made, and the Creator of life could lay His life down and take it up again. Faith in God, the Master and Maker of science, is true faith that rests upon evidence. It is faith that has a basis.

Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence {i.e. substance, ground, confidence} of things not seen…Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear…. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

In contrast, faith that has no basis or reason is foolish faith. Evolution is an example of this kind of faith, as it has absolutely nothing to substantiate "millions of years" of time, man evolving from an ape-like creature, or a long ago, far away relationship between whales and land animals. Evolutionary faith begins with nothing that "exploded," a "Big Bang" from whence everything came into being. Rather, faith with a basis is scientific, a forensic science that examines evidences from the past. The study of creation science involves a design-demands-a-designer logic as referred to earlier. Ultimately, evolution versus creation is a contest between foolish faith and factual faith.

Restoring The Foundation

Psalm 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Nehemiah 2:17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

In order for Bible believers to begin changing a culture that has accepted a foolish faith, they must start from the beginning by establishing in others an implicit trust in the Word of God. By using fossils, dinosaurs, geology, volcanoes and a myriad of other topics to teach about the Flood of Noah's day or to point to the Designer, Bible believers can share those "answers" (I Peter 3:15) from observable science, answers which show evolution to be false and which prove the Word of God to be trustworthy. This is the way believers in the 21st century can truly make a difference in lives, by re-building the foundation of confidence in God's Word that has been destroyed by evolutionary, humanistic teaching.