THE
ABSOLUTE IMPERATIVE OF TEACHING A GENESIS VIEW OF ORIGINS
By Dennis Petersen
Contents:
What is the most important precept or doctrine in the Bible?
What is God's will for those in ignorance?
Why are people ignorant of God and His power?
Does that mean they have an excuse?
Does that mean we must tell every hardened fool all we know?
Can you answer your own child's innocent questions?
How could they do such a thing?
Why should we gently correct those opposing themselves?
And just how do people get taken captive by the enemy?
- Jesus taught that we reap what we sow.
- David observed: "What can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed?"
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
PRECEPT OR
DOCTRINE IN THE BIBLE?
Who is God?
Think of some of the results of leaving God out of life: political corruption, personal crime, marital trauma, child stealing, satanic sacrifices, teenage suicide, militant perverts with the AIDS epidemic, not to mention the blights of our society like abortion, euthanasia, rape, child abuse and irresponsible spending, leading to rampant bankruptcy.
What's the ultimate root cause of all this?
Read Proverbs 1:29
"Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
They would not accept my counsel, they spurned all my reproof. So, they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them."
And Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord (not reverence to men far from God)... The fear of the Lord... is the beginning of knowledge."
And Who is the Lord? Read Isaiah 40:28
"Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? That the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary?
There is no searching of His understanding (He is wise beyond all thinking - Knox)."
Many people today seem to relax in the excuse that they can't ever be sure of who God is or even if He exists. It's not uncommon to hear many people smugly trying to sidestep a confrontation with God and you Christians by saying, "I'm an agnostic!" Help them know what they mean. The word "agnostic" comes from the Greek word "AGNOEO" which simply means to be ignorant; in other words, to be uninformed, unlearned, unaware, or lacking knowledge.
What is God's will for those in ignorance?
Several times Paul writes to Christians: "I would not have you to be ignorant!" (Ro. 1:13, 11:25, 1 Co. 10:1, 12:1, 2 Co. 1:8, 1 Th. 4:13) In the Old Testament Hosea the prophet grieved over the fact of God's stark revelation: "MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE." Is it any less true TODAY?
Who does Paul write about in Ephesians 4:18?
"..being darkened in their understanding, (they are) excluded from the life of God,
BECAUSE OF THE IGNORANCE that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.."
Do you suppose that the ignorance of many people is tied together with an inner man that
is HARD and resistant to God? In Ephesians 4:19 Paul goes on saying:
"and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the
practice of every kind of impurity with greediness "
Why are people ignorant of God and His power?
Second Corinthians 4:4 says, "..the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, (WHY?) that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
Does that mean they have an excuse?
Hardly! Romans 1:18 says,
"..the wrath of God is revealed...against all ungodliness..of men, who SUPPRESS the
truth IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS"
WHY? Verse 19 says: "because that which is known about God is evident
within them; for God made it evident to them." HOW? See verse 20: "For since
the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine
nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, SO THAT THEY
ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE." THE CREATION ITSELF STANDS AS A CONSTANT TESTIMONY TO GOD'S VERY
IDENTITY!
* THAT'S WHY THE PREMIER TRUTHS OF ORIGINS IN GENESIS ARE
ABSOLUTELY
INDESTRUCTIBLE AND DEFENSIBLE!
* THAT'S WHY JESUS SAID IN JOHN 5:47, "If ye believe not
(Moses') writings, how shall
ye believe my words?" And in Luke 16:31, "If they
hear not Moses...neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
* THAT'S WHY KING DAVID SAYS IN PSALM 11:3, "If the foundations
be destroyed,
what can the righteous do?"
* THAT'S WHY THE DECEIVER IS DESTROYING PEOPLE THROUGH SO-CALLED
SCIENCE (1 Ti. 6:20) BY UNDERMINING THEIR CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S CREATION
ACCOUNT.
How are we to deal with blinded and ignorant people? (even though they may be highly educated)
1 Peter 2:15 "..by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men"
2 Timothy 2:25 "with GENTLENESS correct those who oppose themselves"
1 Peter 3:15 "Always BE READY to give an answer (make a defense) to everyone who asks you to give a REASON for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness (meekness) and reverence (fear)."
Does that mean we must tell every hardened fool all we know?
Consider the wisdom of Prov. 26:4-5 "Do not answer a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Answer a [self-confident] fool as his folly deserves lest he be wise in his own eyes [and conceit]."
Note Jesus' wisdom in answering the foolish hardened Pharisees in Matthew 16:1-4 ("show us a sign") and Matt. 21:23-27 ("by what power/authority do you do these things?").
LET HIM WHO HAS EARS TO HEAR, HEAR THIS:
THERE IS NO TRUTH MORE FOUNDATIONAL TO ALL SCIENCE AND FAITH THAN THE REALITY THAT GOD IS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE! BUT THERE IS NO DECEPTION MORE PROFOUNDLY AFFECTING OUR GENERATION THAN THE HUMANISTIC FAIRY TALE OF EVOLUTION!
IN A SOCIETY RULED BY SECULARIZED THINKING, THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CREATION/EVOLUTION CONTROVERSY MAKE IT THE BASELINE ISSUE UNDER ALL OTHER MAJOR ISSUES! IF CHRISTIANS ARE NOT PREPARED TO GIVE SOUND REASONS WHY THEY BELIEVE GOD CREATED, THEY ENDANGER THEIR YOUNG WITH INEVITABLE SLAVERY TO THE DECEPTION OF EVOLUTIONISTIC HUMANISM.
BUT MANY SAY "SO WHAT, I ALREADY BELIEVE GOD CREATED."
Can you answer your own child's innocent questions?
- Daddy, how come dinosaurs aren't in the Bible?
- Are you sure man didn't evolve from cave men?
- Is the earth really billions of years old?
- Couldn't God have started the universe with a big bang?
- Where did the different races of people come from?
- How could Noah get all the animals in the ark?
- Don't fossils prove evolution is true?
and on, and on, and on, and on........
Keep in mind: The meaning of "Creation" Biblically
1. Without God (Jesus) nothing was made (John 1:3).
2. A definite beginning point (Genesis 1:1)
3. Origin of all natural and supernatural phenomena
4. Six literal terrestrial/solar days (Exodus 20:9-11)
5. Began only about 6,000 years ago (Genesis 5 and 10).
6. Earth is central in importance in the cosmos.
7. Man is pre-eminent over all the terrestrial creation.
8. God is personally involved in man's existence.
9. Genesis provides reason for origin of: seven day week as a basis for time uniqueness
of
humans among all creatures dominance of humans over animals male and female
completeness prayer and providence marriage and children sin and death man's
depravity and
God's remedy in redemption moral shame
and the reason for clothing
family unit cosmic objects diversity of life global
flood nations, languages, Israel, etc.,
top
HOW COULD THEY DO SUCH A THING?
A passage in Psalm 106 really used to trouble me. It says: (vs. 36) "they served their idols which were a snare (a trap) to them. Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood."
In the light of eternity, are we allowing our culture to sacrifice the sons and daughters of our generation on the altar of secular education and a mind set that ignores the mind of Christ?
WHY SHOULD WE GENTLY CORRECT THOSE OPPOSING THEMSELVES?
In 2 Tim. 2:25 we read: "..perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and ESCAPE FROM THE SNARE of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."
AND JUST HOW DO PEOPLE GET TAKEN CAPTIVE BY THE ENEMY?
Paul tells us. In Colossians 2:8 he warns: "Beware lest any man SPOIL (or make you a captive) through philosophy and EMPTY DECEPTION after the traditions of men and not after Christ."
Isaiah gives us further insight in 5:13. "Therefore my people are gone into CAPTIVITY, because they have no KNOWLEDGE." And why could this be happening "therefore?"
Read the preceding statement in the 12th verse: "..They regard not the WORK OF THE LORD, neither consider THE OPERATION OF HIS HANDS.... THEREFORE..." WHAT ARE "THE WORKS OF THE LORD?"
Psalms 104:24, "O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."
** "BECAUSE THEY REGARD NOT THE WORK OF THE LORD..THEREFORE" **
Hebrews 1:10, "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.."
** "BECAUSE THEY REGARD NOT THE WORK OF THE LORD.. THEREFORE" **
Psalms 46:8, "Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth."
** "BECAUSE THEY REGARD NOT THE WORK OF THE LORD.. THEREFORE" **
Psalms 40:4, "Blessed [is] that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (verse 5) Many, O LORD my God, [are] thy wonderful works [which] thou hast done, and thy thoughts [which are] to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: [if] I would declare and speak [of them], they are more than can be numbered."
** "BECAUSE THEY REGARD NOT THE WORK OF THE LORD.. THEREFORE" **
Psalms 111:2, "The works of the LORD [are] great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."
LET'S EXAMINE JUST ONE OF THE AMAZING WORKS OF GOD [see a Moody Science video or share an insight on one of the marvels of creation]
Why Should You Teach A Genesis View Of Origins?
1. It is the primary truth targeted by the enemy to undermine confidence in God's nature and His Word (2 Corinthians 10:5).
2. Jesus recognized the singular essential for belief to be absolute confidence in the foundational writings of Moses (Luke 16:31).
3. A study of created things in an atmosphere of reverence for God is essential to avoid ultimate condemnation at the judgment (Romans 1:20).
4. We are assigned the responsibility to train our children to know about and praise the works of God (Psalm 145:4; 66:3, 5).
5. An abundance of public information is either subtly or blatantly salted with atheistic, anti-creation approaches that deserve explanation and exposure.
6. Since one important activity of believers is to guard against deception, we must be specially diligent to teach regarding known popularly circulating lies (Colossians 2:8).
Note this well! Evolution is not only the most widely spread deception the world has ever known, it is also the MOST DAMAGING deception the modern world has ever encountered.!!
Evolution is the foundational secular world view for every subject of study!
It is the atheistic religion of modern scholarship!
It is the supposedly scientific justification for the widespread, gross immorality of our age, including permissiveness, drug abuse, abortion, pornography, and all the other deviant behavior going on today.
It is the philosophical base of every cultic religion AND every tyrannical system.
It is generally accepted by most of the educated leadership of the recognized so-called Christian churches of the world!
It is the foundational belief of humanism and the springboard of new age philosophy!
But most of all.... IT IS WRONG!! It's wrong because the facts of TRUE SCIENCE DISPROVE IT, but, more importantly, it's wrong because it is DISPROVED BY THE UNCHANGING, LIVING WORD OF ALMIGHTY GOD!!!
Jesus said: "If they do not believe Moses and the prophets, neither shall they believe though one rise from the dead (Luke 16:31)." In a generation, trained from Kindergarten through 12th grade to spurn Moses' writings, should we be so surprised to see so little effect from the gospel?
Moses quoted God, saying: "Six days you shall labor and do all your work...for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them..." (Exodus 20:9, 11).
The extensive material which I've presented in hundreds of places for twenty years in the seminars called Unlocking The Mysteries of Creation changes many lives for good. They are shocked by the facts of God concealed by those "who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:19).
But a weekend seminar is not enough. With the constant deluge of blatant and subtle evolution propaganda, the families and children of our communities need much more. What is needed is nothing less than local teams of Christian citizens, strategically devoted to the mission of using every available means to get the knowledge to the people. To do it effectively will require God's anointing and the most up-to-date communication skills available.
There's a war on! The camp of the enemy is fully arrayed to continue past deceptive maneuvers and even upscale their offensive through the media and educational system. The army of God is challenged to train, to equip, to occupy, to destroy the works of the devil, and bear fruit that expands the kingdom of Jesus Christ. How sad it is that many soldiers don't seem to act as if there's even an enemy. Yet the devil keeps building intellectual and spiritual fortresses to guard his subjects from the liberation of truth.
If we are ever going to see a change in our society for the good, we have to be prepared to think in terms of the "long haul." We must train people to train others; serve people to serve others; and lead people to lead others! Without strategy for long-term victory, it is vain to think we can achieve any substantial fruitfulness. The only reason evolutionism has such a strangle-hold on a supposedly objective academic world is because the people of God have been asleep for so many decades. However, because God's truth is a sharp two-edged sword, the reclaiming of young inquisitive and creative minds need not take so very long. With determination, humility, preparation, and a game plan, a major turn-around could happen within a decade. Will you be part of the answer?
MAYBE WE UNDERSTAND A LITTLE MORE CLEARLY NOW WHY DAVID'S PSALM (145:4-12)
SAYS:
"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, and on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate. And men shall speak of the power of Thine AWESOME ACTS; and I will tell of Thy greatness... The Lord is good to all and His mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O Lord, and Thy godly ones shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power; to MAKE KNOWN to the sons of men THY MIGHTY ACTS, and the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endures throughout all generations."
AS THE PSALMIST INVITES US:
SAY TO GOD, "HOW AWESOME ARE THY WORKS!" (Psalm 66:3) "COME AND SEE THE WORKS OF GOD, WHO IS AWESOME IN HIS DEEDS TOWARD THE SONS OF MEN." (Psalm 66:5)
An encouraging prophetic word:
"Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in."
Isaiah 58:12.
Dennis Petersen, Creation Resource Foundation
