The following is an email response to an inquiry about Biblical Creation and the role of Faith. As you read you will notice that there has been previous communication. It is the second exchange.
Thank you for your kind words. My question
was an honest one to be sure. Email tends to convert some statements in
inappropriate ways. I would ask for your patience in applying the best
construction on what I write. Thank you. I am glad to learn that
you have degrees in Geology and Math. I appreciate your passion for this
subject.
In addition, I am glad to learn that your daughter has survived a struggle with cancer. Such events are life focusing and priority challenging to be sure.
I am not surprised to learn that you know Bible
passages. While I do not know your faith I do know that there are many in
the church who embrace the proposition of macro-evolution as the explanation of
all things rather than the Biblical proposition. That broader reality saddens
me because there is a larger question in play at this point concerning the
veracity of Scripture. The bottom line question is: "To what
authority does one submit?"
I do agree with you, a deep understanding of
Science does not preclude belief in a Creator. In fact I would go so far
as to say that a deep, full, and complete understanding of Science requires
such a belief. The question is then, "What kind of Creator is
He?" Is He the one characterized by the phrase, "Survival of
the fittest?" or is it the one who looked at His Creation and said,
"It is very good!" (Genesis 1:31)
I can tell you that I would hate to know of the
Creator without also knowing of the Redeemer. Knowing the first alone
would terrify me to the point where I would intentionally become an
atheist. However, because of the promise of the Word (Gen 3:15 and a
multitude of other passages) the Holy Spirit, in His mercy, has called me to
faith in Christ, addressed the fall of mankind in Genesis chapter three (before
which there was no death) and provides for me hope in this life and the
next. And since the vicarious atonement calls for God incarnate to be
born of a virgin, to live without sin, to be punished for my sin and the sin of
the world (John 3:16), to die on a cross and rise from the grave three days
later, to ascend into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father,
(all miracles greater than speaking the Universe into existence 6,000 or so
years ago simply by His word) I have to ask, which is lest tenable? Is it
Creation or Salvation? I would suggest the answer is Salvation is the
more difficult proposition to accept. How could Jesus be fully God and
Man? How could he raise the dead, heal the sick, give sight to the blind,
calm the wind, and control nature in such ways? And then I read John
1:1ff and learn that Jesus was before everything. At this point, if I am
prepared to accept such Christology and Soteriology by faith, Creation is a
piece of cake. And so I ascribe to both by faith alone. Then I go
from there looking at everything through the trustworthy eyes of Scripture.
Just a thought: The Lutheran Reformation of 1517
returned the church to the truth of the Gospel, and provided the theological
and philosophical foundation for science to thrive and move forward. The
world-view that sees God's word as non-negotiable and removes fear provides the
context for greater advancement in history more than any other
world-view. (I have found no exceptions.) In other words, the reason
mankind ended up on the moon has nothing to do with evolution. Rather it
is the freedom of the Gospel provided by Jesus' death and resurrection that
removed fear, superstition, and the obligation to please God with our actions
(Matthew 11:28).
I would like to suggest a few reading resources and a
couple of websites for you to consider:
The Ultimate Proof of Creation: resolving the origins debate, by Dr. Jason
Lisle
Refuting Compromise, by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati
Thousands Not Billions, Dr. Don DeYoung
The Greatest Hoax on Earth?, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati
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