Smoke and Mirrors

This week we are beginning a new seiries called "Blueprint" and looking at how God has created us on purpose. We will explore what that purpose is and how it impacts our daily life.

Read: Romans 1:18-20; Jeremiah 1:5; 29:11; Ephesians 2:10

It’s the moment you have been dreading since you started back to school. You walk into science class and the teacher begins to start talking about origins, specifically evolution. She creates a case for the Big Bang theory of the beginning and shows an overview of foundational principles that will establish the direction of everything you will learn in science class. You dreaded this moment because what she is teaching is inconsistent with what you have learned at church and read in your Bible. It’s awkward and confusing.

You have a strong desire to believe what the Bible says, but your teacher is very persuasive. She has demonstrated scientific “fact” over and over again that “proves” the earth is 3.5 billion years old and that all of nature has evolved from one source. She uses phrases like, “all the scientists agree that evolution is fact,” and “no intelligent person disputes the claims of evolution.” It’s intimidating to admit you don’t agree with all the scientists in the world. You believe you are intelligent but her claims are that its ignorant to disagree with evolution.

One of the biggest problems you have with evolution is the very fact that life becomes meaningless and purposeless if it is only here by chance. What makes your existence significant if you are just randomly popped into existence? Yet to disagree would be committing academic and social suicide.

The danger is that confusion will lead to compromise and compromise will lead to capitulation. Now you are confused and uncertain about what to believe, but seeking to fit in will only render you to, not only tolerating it but owning it.

That’s when your teacher makes a quick condescending statement concerning a group of people called “creationists.” She takes a few jabs at anyone who believes God exists and concludes with, “is anyone in here a creationist? Does anyone in here disagree with the established views of evolution?”

What are you supposed to do? What would you say?

The problem with the above scenario is that it misrepresents the argument. Your teacher has bought into lies and continues to teach them as fact. Skewed and twisted information is wrong, even when the majority believes them. Not only that, very specific lies are being told when it tries to represent the entirety of the scientific community in favor of evolution.

The Bible describes what is happening in Romans 1:18-20 when it states that sinful humanity desires to suppress the truth. It explains that mankind wants to live their lives the way they want to and therefore will do whatever they can to replace God’s truth with their own. The teaching of evolution is just a fancy trick to distract you, it is a magician’s smoke and mirror trick. They will overwhelm you with “facts” that cause you to miss the big picture.

The Big Picture

We are no accident. The earth, nature, animals and humanity did not just randomly appear, but were intentionally created. God had a purpose in mind when He spoke the world into existence. The Bible is the book that we can turn to in order to find the truth about the origins of life. Genesis 1-2 open with the beautiful truth that God spoke the world into existence in 6 days. They tell of God forming mankind out of the dirt and breathing life into him. They tell us that creation was “very good!”

The Bible also concludes in Revelation 21-22 with the New Creation that will be perfect. In between is the story of the plight of humanity, how our parents fell into sin in the garden. How we tried to work off our sin and keep failing. How God loved us enough to send Jesus to this earth to live a perfect life, die a sinless death and conquer death by rising again from the dead. How God, through the gift offered us a free gift of salvation through Jesus so we can be reconciled with Him.

What evolution doesn’t offer you is purpose and meaning. God gave us the Bible so we would know that the goodness of the original creation will be restored one day. That everything that exists, the universe, the earth, all of creation, exists for a reason. He created on purpose.

Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that He created mankind in His image, a very special part of creation. Not only in original creation, but every human that has ever been born was known and formed by Jesus (Psalm 139) for a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5).

The Bible has the answers for where we came from and why we have meaning and purpose in our life. Evolution has nothing of substance, just a bunch of conjecture and smoke and mirrors. What they don’t tell you is that it takes faith to believe that evolution is true, that matter has come about from nothing accidentally over billions of years. The Bible says you need to believe by faith that God spoke the world into existence with meaning and purpose.

The Decision

The simple truth is that confusion does exist because we live in a broken world tainted by sin. The choice is left for you to decide. What are you going to believe? Evolution cannot be proved or repeated. It makes a conjecture and builds a theory and claims to have facts, yet it is really a belief system, a religion.

God does exist and He wants you to know Him. He has written Himself on all of creation so you would know that He exists. Look up at the stars in the night sky, consider the beauty of flowers, the immensity of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains, perfection of the sunrise, you cannot help but be caught by the resplendent genius of the Creator.

King Solomon wrote that God has set eternity in our hearts, the innate knowledge that there is something beyond us. That something is God and He is wants you to know that you are not an accident, that the laws of science do not contradict His creation, and that there is a way to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ. Evolution will leave you empty. God will give you abundant life. What will you decide?