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Acts 25:13-27

The most powerful men of all Judea have assembled by order of the King. A tuxedo affair. The theater room has had its royal cleaning the day before. All the fanfare deserved for a King erupts with absolute perfection. The trumpets sound and the doors open as King Agrippa with his wife in hand enter the room. They are escorted to the best seats in the house.

Who will be entertaining this elite audience? Acrobats from Spain? An Italian Singer? An introduction is made and the entertainer makes an entrance.

1 Peter 1:3-5

Is there such a thing as a grumpy believer? According to the Scriptures, it's a contradiction in terms.

Sophocles, a Greek philosopher and playwright in 496 to 406BC wrote, “Not to be born at all – that is by far the best fortune; the second best is as soon as one is born with all speed to return thither whence one has come”.

To the gentiles, the world was a place where everything decayed and faded away. There could be moments of pleasure but in the end there was nothing.

What Should a Christian Think About Evolution?

I have every sympathy with those who find this question difficult to answer. In my teens I believed that creation was true, but during my University years and afterwards I began to compromise. I became a theoretical creationist on Sundays, and a practical evolutionist for the rest of the week. In practice I thought little about the matter, although it remained a mild irritant in the background. Later I worked out a fairly comfortable position as a theistic evolutionist—that is, I accepted the evolutionary theory as true, but wherever an atheist would write “chance,” I would substitute “God” or “Providence.” How man and animals evolved, I did not know, but I was certain that whatever means had been used, God was in control. Recently, however, the evidence has compelled me to become a creationist. I say compelled because my whole medical training and indeed all that I hear from day to day in books and the media, shouts evolution at me. It is hard to abandon the thought processes of a lifetime.

This recent change of opinion has not occurred because I discovered creation to be more scientifically credible than evolution. Even convinced evolutionists find it difficult to account for the origin of the worlds from nothing and of life from primordial slime; they wonder at the complexity and beauty of design in nature, as they often acknowledge by giving the word a capital “N”—Nature. I am a creationist because I believe that Creation alone conforms to the total thrust of Scripture as it is unfolded from Genesis to Revelation, and particularly as the Gospel is revealed in the New Testament.

Most devout Christians ask, “But does it matter? Why rock the boat? The battle, creation versus evolution, was fought (and lost) by previous generations of Christians. Why bring it up now?” But it does matter, for the following reasons:

(If you are a Christian please ponder this deeply with an open Bible and prayer.)

Genesis 1-9 purports to be history rather than poetry or mythology. Writers throughout Scripture, particularly in the Psalms and the New Testament, treat it as history, as did our Lord. Genesis is more quoted in the rest of the Bible than any other book. If the early chapters of Genesis are allegory, what about the walls of Jericho, Jonah and the great fish, the virgin birth, and the resurrection of Christ? At what point do you say, “But that I can’t believe?”

Unless the world was originally created “good” it is difficult to see how man could “fall” From what state did he fall? If Adam was derived from some pre-existing hominoid what is the significance of sin? If there was no historic fall, why is there need of a Saviour?
Adam was told that the penalty for sin would be death, but what thrust had that if millions of animals, including hominoids, had died over thousands of years? In both Old and New Testaments sin is repeatedly coupled with death: “The wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23. Adam’s sin is specifically linked with death in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. In the latter passage it is certain that physical death is intended. If death occurred before Adam sinned the total Gospel is negated, including our hope of the resurrection.

The evolutionary method involving violence, pain and death is totally out of keeping with the character of God as revealed in Scripture. Our God is a God of joy, peace and love. He destroyed the Earth at the time of Noah because it was filled with violence. The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them” (Genesis 6:7). It is noteworthy that it was the violence of animals as well as man that God deplored.

Atheistic evolutionists have difficulty accounting for altruism. Where do love and philanthropy come from in a world evolving by chance mutation and natural selection? Theistic evolutionists have a problem too. If God used the evolutionary method, then He is the author of pain and suffering and evil. God becomes a devil. Only an initially perfect world, created by a loving God but ruined by the entrance of sin can account for both the good and evil which we find around us.

The origin of many basic doctrines can be traced to the first chapters of Genesis. For example, it is impossible for the narrative of the creation of Eve and out of Adam—woman out of man—to be anything other than fanciful mythology or historic truth. At least seven fundamental Biblical doctrines are linked with the last three verses of Genesis 2, the passage which recounts the creation of Eve:

1. If Eve was born per via naturalis, from some pre-existing animal, then all these doctrines are based on a misleading myth.
2. The Judeo-Christian pattern of one day’s rest in seven follows directly on the fact that the world was created in six days and God rested on the seventh (Genesis 2:2, Exodus 20:11).
3. Evolution (including presumably theistic evolution) is a continuing process. Darwin’s book, The Origin of Species, was subtitled, The preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. Evolution provides the scientific orthodoxy for the philosophies of Marxism, fascism, racism, apartheid and unbridled capitalism.
4. Evolution lowers man from the “image of God” to the level of an animal. Why then should he not behave as one, in his own life and towards others?
5. The longevity of Adam, Seth and others (Genesis 5) can be nothing but mythology if evolution is true. Primitive man rarely lived much beyond forty years.

Conclusion

A Christian has the following options:

1. To assume that Genesis 1-9 is allegory, myth or poetry not to be taken literally. But if so, what do we do with the rest of the Bible? Why stop there?
2. To hold on to both creation and evolution and try to reconcile the two. This state is unstable and readily leads to liberalism.
3. To ignore the Old Testament and make an existential leap to a shallow believism.
4. To accept that “by faith we understand that the worlds were made by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). Only in this, the Scriptural way, do we find release from the tensions of the conflict.

THEMES AND OUTLINES OF OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS

Genesis—”How it all Began”
1-11 Early History of Human Race
12-50 Early History of Jewish Race

Exodus—”Redemption Makes a Difference”
1-17 God’s power
18-24 God’s perfection
25-40 God’s provision

Leviticus—”Redemption Has a Price”
1-10 Price of Redemption-Sacrifice
11-24 Practice of Redeemed-Separation
24-27 Promises to Redeemed-Success

Numbers—”Advancing for God”
1-14 Old Generation
15-20 Wilderness Wandering
21-36 New Generation

Deuteronomy—”Truth is Worth Repeating”
1-3 Review of Journey
4-11 Review of Commandments
12-30 Review of Judgements
31-34 Moses’ Final Moment
Joshua—”Claiming Your Inheritance”
1-4 Entering the Land
5-12 Conquering the Enemy
13-24 Dividing the Inheritance
Judges—”Faith through Compromise”
1-2 Apathy
3-16 Apostasy
17-21 Anarchy

Ruth—”Redemption Satisfies”
1 Ruth’s Salvation
2 Ruth’s Service
3 Ruth’s Love
4 Ruth’s Marriage

1 Samuel—”Leading God’s People”
1-7 Samuel
8-15 Saul
16-31 David

2 Samuel—”Turning Victory into Defeat”
1-12 David’s Victory
13-24 David’s Defeat

1 Kings—”Morals of Nation Determined by Character of Leaders”
1-11 Solomon’s Reign
12-24 Divided Kingdom

2 Kings—”Morals of Nation Determined by Character of Leaders”
1-10 History of Israel
11-17 History of Israel and Judah
18-25 History of Judah

1 Chronicles—”Making a Place for God”
1-10 History of David’s Family
11-23 David’s Reign
24-27 Preparation for Temple

2 Chronicles—”Making a Place for God”
1-9 Solomon’s 40 Year Reign
10-36 Judah’s History Until the Exile

Ezra—”Building for God”
1-6 Zerubbabel—Return to City
7-10 Ezra—Rebuilds Temple

Nehemiah—”Rebuilding for God”

Esther—”Providence of God in the Lives of His People”
1-2 Preparation
3-5 Opposition
6-10 Vindication

Job—”Patience in Testing”
1-2 Job’s Circumstances
3-37 Job’s Critics
38-42 Job’s Correction


Psalms—”Singing to God”

Proverbs—”Living with Wisdom”

Ecclesiastes—”Selfish Living Never Satisfies”

Song of Solomon—”Love Makes a Song out of Life”

Isaiah—”Surrender Brings Blessing, Rebellion Brings Judgment”
1-35 God’s Judgement of Nations
36-39 God’s Dealing with Individuals
40-66 God’s Promise of Peace

Jeremiah—”No Pleasure Sin Can Offer is Worth One Moment out of Fellowship with God”
1-25 God Teaches Jeremiah
26-51 Jeremiah Preaches to the People

Lamentations—”Eulogy”-A Funeral Sermon of Jerusalem

Ezekiel—”Glory to the Lord”
1-3 God Calls a Man
4-24 God Judges His People
25-48 God Restores His People to Their Land

Daniel—”Sovereignty of God in Government of Men”
1-6 Daniel’s Personal Victories
7-12 Daniel’s Prophetic Visions

Hosea—”Breaking God’s Heart”
1-3 Israel’s Unfaithfulness Pictured
4-7 Israel’s Sin Proclaimed
8-10 Israel’s Judgement Pronounced
11-14 Israel’s Restoration Promised

Joel—”National Sin Results in National Judgment”
1-2:27 Day of Lord Pictured
2:28-3 Day of Lord Described

Amos—”National Sin Results in National Judgment”
1-2:3 Heathen Nations
2:4-9 Hebrew Nations

Obadiah—”Opposing God’s People Brings God’s Wrath”
1-16 Judgment of Edom
17-21 Blessing on Judah

Jonah—”The Backslidden Propeht”
1 Resignation-Lesson on God’s Patience
2 Repentance-Lesson on God’s Pardon
3 Revival-Lesson on God’s Power
4 Rebellion-Lesson on God’s Pity

Micah—”Hearing the Word”
1-2 Judgment is Coming
3-5 The Deliverer is Coming
6-7 Trust God Today

Nahum—”Judgment of God”
1 God is Jealous
2 God is Judge
3 God is Just

Habakkuk—”Doubting God”
1-2 Burden of Habakkuk
3 Prayer of Habakkuk

Zephaniah—”God Pours Out Wrath on Sin”
1-2:3 Judgment on Judah
2:4-3:8 Judgment on Nations
3:9-3:20 Salvation for the People

Haggai—”Consider Your Ways”
1 Selfishness-Lived for Self
2:1-2:9 Sinfulness-Lived in Past
2:10 Lived Unclean

Zechariah—”Lord of Hosts”
1-6 Israel’s Future
7-8 Israel’s Fasts
9-14 Israel’s Folly

Malachi—”God has No Pleasure in Believers Who Justify Sins”
1-2 Israel’s Sin
3-4 Prophesy of Lord’s Return