4 Reasons to Believe in Creation

Those that believe in creation believe that the universe and all human life is the result of divine creation. For creationists, God is responsible for the creation of the entire cosmos.

While there are differing opinions among Christians regarding creation (e.g. young earth creationism, gap creationism, theistic evolution), almost half of Americans now consider themselves to be creation believers, with almost all of those acknowledging that God created the universe, as described in the Biblical accounts. A recent article in the Daily Mail states that:

“Nearly half of Americans believe God created mankind in a single day about 10,000 years ago, a literal interpretation of the Bible, according to a new survey that shows the view toward evolution in the United States hasn’t changed in 30 years.

About 46 percent of people say creationism explains the origin of humans. Just 15 percent say humans evolved without the assistance of God.” (Read the article)

With so many now believing in the creative work of God, it’s important to look at why creation continues to stand up, in spite of modern scientific theories which appear to contradict the Biblical accounts. We hope this list of four reasons to believe in Biblical Creationism will inspire your faith in God’s creative work, and strengthen it.

The Bible Reveals Creation

The Bible states over 30 times that God created all life including plant, animal and human.

The first two books of the Bible are even specifically devoted to the accounts of God’s creative activity and our origins. Genesis functions as the foundational book of the Bible and tells the story of the beginnings of the universe, the earth and humanity. The accounts of God’s creation serve to help us understand the book we are about to read, and to grasp God’s redemptive plan for the world.

As a complete work, the Bible reveals the nature of God through his creation, and through his relationship to creation – from Genesis to Revelation. The Primeval History laid out in Genesis 1-11 is referred to over 100 times throughout the New Testament alone, and is referred to by every New Testament author. The importance of the Genesis accounts of creation cannot be overstated.

A belief in evolution is a misreading of scripture as it cannot be reconciled with passages such as Genesis 1 or Exodus 20:11 which states:

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Beliefs in anything other than God’s creation of the universe are inconsistent with the omnipotent, omniscient and redemptive picture of God that the Bible paints.

Jesus Confirmed Creation

Jesus referred to Genesis himself, on several occasions – always affirming his belief in the accounts as historical realities.

In Mark he states that:

“But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.” (10:6)

And in Matthew Jesus responds to the Pharisees questions on divorce:

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (19:3-6)

Jesus confirmed the accounts of Genesis: Adam and Eve were real people, as were Cain and Abel. Jesus also affirms the historical validity of Noah and the flood later on in Matthew.

For Jesus, the events described in Genesis were real events with real people. The historicity of The Primeval History is bound up with much of Christ’s teaching on theological matters. Understanding Jesus relies on our understanding of, and belief in, the creation narrative.

The Authority of Scripture Relies On It

If we deny creation, or allege that some passages should be understood as mere myth or allegory, then we are putting the authority of the canon at risk for two reasons:

Firstly, if these stories do not describe events as they state, then what other parts of the Bible might be misleading? Deciding not to believe in the creation accounts of Genesis will inevitably lead to questions about the reliability of other parts of the Bible, and the Bible as a complete work.

Secondly, if the Bible is in fact unreliable, then we undermine our own belief in God’s inerrant word. If we do not subscribe to the creation accounts which appear throughout the Bible, then we open the Bible up to be considered full of errors and not divinely inspired – as Christians usually understand it.

God’s Character is Grounded in Creation

The Bible reveals God’s nature through his creation. In the beginning we are created in his image. Throughout the Old Testament the people are called to be the people of a creative God and in the New Testament we see God revealed through Jesus, who was with the father at the creation:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

The New Testament even closes with the promise of a new creation, in which God will carry out his redemptive plans and see his kingdom reign on earth. In order to understand God, we must believe and recognise him as the creator of the entire cosmos. The Psalmist wrote that:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (19:1)

To exist within creation is to exist within the presence of God. God is deeply embedded into his creation.

To celebrate God’s creation, sign our petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday

Big Bang Theory as Explained in the Bible

The Big Bang Theory has never been matched by any other scientific theory about how everything began. While the theory itself has been modified several times due to new scientific findings, two ideas remain constant: first, that the entire universe came from a single mass of energy that continuously expanded until it formed different galaxies, planets, and stars; second, that the universe is continually expanding everyday.

This article will focus on these concepts and how it corroborates the Biblical account of creation.

The Concept of Singularity

The Big Bang theory stipulates that around 13.8 billion years ago, the universe started out as a small mass with high density which expanded, and the collision and fusion of several substances paved the way for the creation of the galaxies, planets and stars. While this timeline does not provide an exact match for the biblical account of God’s creation in just six days, the Hebrew word used for creation is “bara,” which means to bring to existence something that has never existed before. Big Bang has not been able to deal with how that single dense mass that expanded to become the universe, came into existence. This can only mean that an eternal being, such as God, who exists outside our concept of space and time, is responsible for creating the dense mass that expanded. While the Big Bang theory provides an explanation for how everything came to being after the Big Bang, it still doesn’t explain how the big bang came about – someone had to push the button.

The Concept of an Expanding Universe

According to the Big Bang theory, there are two phases of expansion: the rapid expansion which lead to the universe as we know it today and a continuous but slower expansion as evidenced by the constantly changing distances between different entities. Both types of this expanding or stretching are revealed in Isaiah, which states,

“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches (Hebrew: natah) out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads (Hebrew: mathah) them out like a tent to dwell in.” (40:22)

In the original Hebrew text, both the verbs “mathah” (meaning the action has been done) and “natah” (meaning the action is still being done in the present) were used to denote both an ongoing and a completed action.

There are still some aspects of the Big Bang Theory that do not fit with biblical truth. For instance, the world’s end and the establishment of an eternal kingdom as prophesied in Revelations is contradictory to the “Heat Death” which is how the Big Bang is assumed to end. However, we have seen God’s hand on how He enlightened scientists at the perfect time so that portions of the theory can be corrected or supported by more evidence.

As Christians, it is important that we do not let go of our biblical foundations especially regarding Creation. Even before we had the tools and the technology to observe the stars, the planets, and the entire universe, God has equipped us with the truth through His Word. As new scientific evidences come up, it means that God is revealing more of His knowledge to us and He wants to equip us with more evidence so we can be witnesses to His unmatched power and glory. Just another fantastic reason why we should celebrate Creation Day!

How Many Of Each Animal Was On The Ark?

Ask any man, woman or child who is even vaguely familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark how many of each animal was taken on board the Biblical boat and you will get the usual answer: two. This answer is usually given because of the instructions recorded in Genesis, which God gave to Noah:

You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.

– Gen 6:19-20

However, what most people don’t know is that later on in Genesis, God also gave Noah these instructions:

Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

– Gen 7:2-3

This discrepancy between texts, begs the question:

How many animals was Noah to take onto the ark? Was it two….or seven?

At a glance, these two passages appear to offer contradictory information.

The Documentary Hypothesis

One manner used by Biblical scholars to resolve this apparent issue is the documentary hypothesis. The documentary hypothesis maintains that the Old Testament was put together from multiple sources which wrote independent of each other. According to this theory, an editor – or multiple editors – came along and fitted the texts together into one narrative which could explain any contradictions or duplicate material in the Biblical text (a noticeable duplicate often cited to support the documentary hypothesis is the two human creation stories which appear in Genesis 1 and 2). Biblical scholars who subscribe to the documentary hypothesis argue that God’s command to bring seven pairs of clean animals was a later addition to the original story in order to explain how Noah was able to sacrifice animals after the flood without risking the animal population’s future.

A Close Reading

While the documentary hypothesis may provide an explanation for the discrepancy in the two passages, the inconsistency may also be able to be resolved by a careful reading of what the verse says.

The first passage states that Noah is “to bring into the ark two of all living creatures.” Here, God is instructing Noah to bring one pair of every living creature with him – every kind of animal on earth. This instruction is delivered with the specification that each pair be made up of one male and one female in order for each pair to repopulate the earth after the flood. The command here is universal: it concerns all animal life.

The second passage states that Noah is to bring “seven pairs of every kind of clean animal.” The distinction between the two passages is clear – the second instruction is bound up with the idea of ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ animals. In this passage God instructs Noah to bring extra pairs of ‘clean’ animals. The command here is specific, referring only to ‘clean’ animals. This passage also confirms the instructions given in the first passage, stating that seven pairs of clean animals need to come aboard the ark, in addition to the one pair of unclean animals that has already been commanded.

The two passages differ because the second one is a command given in addition to the first passage – while the first instruction concerns all animals, ensuring that the pairs taken on board will repopulate the earth, the second instruction concerns only clean animals and is probably referring to animals for sacrificial purposes. This is indicated by the sacrifice Noah makes immediately after the flood:

“ So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives…Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”

– Gen 8:18-20

If Noah took only the reproductive pairs then he would not have had any available animals to sacrifice. God knew this, and so gave a further instruction to ensure that all needs would be met.

Conclusion

What we have here is not a contradiction – it is two different instructions given by God, to Noah, regarding the animals that needed to survive the flood.

Each instruction has its own purpose – one reproductive, one sacrificial – and is given for its own reasons. God supplemented his original instructions to ensure that clean animals were brought onto the ark for the purpose of sacrifice.

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Microscopic Evidence of our Big God

“For the invisible things of Him 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…”

– Romans 1:20

We often look for the evidence of God’s existence in big things. We seek God’s presence by looking at the stars and the sky or by appreciating the vastness of the ocean. However, we tend to ignore the evidence of God’s presence in the small things around and within us. Did God, who is infinitely bigger than the entire universe, really leave His mark in the small things?

Seeing God’s Handiwork Under the Microscope

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who is also known as the ‘Father of Microbiology’, has always been amazed at how God’s perfection is manifested even in microscopic creatures. He believed that God is responsible for creating everything, including the microscopic creatures that he is so fond of. He wrote the following in one of his letters:

“From all these observations, we discern most plainly the incomprehensible perfection, the exact order, and the inscrutable providential care with which the Most Wise Creator and Lord of the Universe had formed the bodies of these animalcules, which are so minute as to escape our sight, to the end that different species of them may be preserved in existence. And this most wonderful disposition of nature with regard to these animalcules for the preservation of their species; which at the same time strikes us with astonishment, must surely convince all of the absurdity of those old opinions, that living creatures can be produced from corruption of putrefaction.“

– Measuring the Invisible World: The Life and Works of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek by A. Schierbeek

DNA and Single-Celled Organisms

If we are smaller than a speck of dust compared to the vast planets and multiple solar systems in the entire universe, just imagine how small a single-celled bacterium would be in the overall scheme of things. Yet God, in all His perfection and meticulous attention to detail, still took the time to embed a complex DNA structure even in these single-celled organisms. They may be invisible to the naked eye but they are a crucial part of God’s masterpiece and such complex structures cannot be a product of chance or random splicing of amino acids.

God Left Clues for Us to Discover

Genesis states that in all the six days of creation, God saw that everything He made was ‘good’. God is so satisfied with His creation that He left clues in order for us to see His workmanship.

Before the microscope was invented, we had no idea that God made each cell in our body in a very complex manner, or that its processes can be compared to that of a highly advanced city. As science and technology advances, God’s hand in the creation process is slowly unfolding right before our eyes.

Psalm states that

“…the Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (126:3)

However, let us not limit ourselves to glorifying God in the great things alone. We should be joyful for everything that God has created, even the smallest creations. By celebrating Creation Day, and signing the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday, we can glorify God by showing our appreciation and concern for all the things that He has done.

The Green Bible

For those concerned with creation care, the Green Bible couldn’t be a more fantastic idea.

Christianity has often been berated for failing to live up to the ideas of stewardship and responsibility for creation that the Bible encourages, but the Bible has now gone green – and it calls us to our responsibilities.

What is the Green Bible?

The Green Bible is an English version of the Bible, with a concern for the environmental teaching in the Old and New Testaments. Similar to the Red Letter Bible, the Green Bible highlights verses in green, which focus on the environment.

In print since 2008, The Green Bible is a comprehensive study Bible that features essays by prominent theologians and environmentalists such as N.T. Wright, Wendell Berry and Pope John Paul II. The Green Bible has also been officially endorsed by many environmental groups including the Sierra Club, The Humane Society and the Eco-Justice Program.

The Green Bible aims to encourage readers to see God’s vision for his creative work, and to help engage humanity in matters of environmentalism.

How Did it Come About?

The inspiration for the Green Bible originally came from the desire to produce a specialty Bible that centres on issues of sustainability, stewardship and creation care.

Mark Tauber, Senior Vice President of HarperOne states:

“…the Bible has a profound message of sustainability—some might argue, the original message—is not all that surprising. What is surprising is that it is not one of the first things that comes to mind when most folks think about the Bible and its message… this Bible seeks to change that fact. We believe that the unique and specially added features by some of today’s most important thinkers, writers and leaders, across the ecumenical spectrum make it a must-have for those who already find motivation, comfort and inspiration in it and for the many more who might see it freshly as a critical resource in their journey to sustain our planet.”

What’s so Special About it?

Because the Green Bible is designed to be a study Bible, it features a ‘green trail study guide’ which directs readers to verses which are germane to issues of environmentalism and creation care, as well as a topical index to help readers find verses pertaining to specific subjects.

As well as being focused on ‘green’ issues, the Green Bible is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. The cover is also designed from renewable cotton linen.

‘Green’ can be traced throughout the entire Bible – from creation to new creation. We see green in the Garden of Eden, in Noah’s olive branch, in the parting of the Red Sea, in Gethsemane, on the wooden cross and in the new heaven and new earth. The Green Bible reminds us that as Christians, and as people, we are called to care for the earth because God cares for the earth, and because God cares deeply, for all things green.

To purchase a copy of the Green Bible, go here

If you would like to celebrate God’s creation, then sign our petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday