Built Upon the Rock
By E.H. “Jack” Sequeira





Chapter 3:  Creation

Fundamental Belief #6 God is Creator of all things, and has revealed in Scripture the authentic account of His creative activity.  In six days the Lord made “the heaven and the earth” and all living things upon the earth, and rested on the seventh day of that first week.  Thus He established the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of His completed creative work.  The first man and woman were made in the image of God as the crowning work of Creation, given dominion over the world, and charged with responsibility to care for it.  When the world was finished it was “very good,” declaring the glory of God.
[Genesis 1:2; Exodus 20:8-11; Psalm 19:1-6; 33:6, 9; 104; Hebrews 11:3]

The account in Genesis of a literal six-day creation is a major emphasis of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.  In the name of science, this fundamental belief is being challenged today by certain liberal scholars within the Adventist Church, and not only undermines the cardinal doctrine of the seventh-day Sabbath, but presents a subtle attack on the everlasting gospel.  In this context, the counsel Paul gives to young Timothy is especially applicable today:

1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care.  Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.

Creation Versus Evolution

The widely-held Theory of Evolution is the modern version of what Paul described as “falsely called knowledge.”  It is one of Satan’s great inventions to undermine the truth about the Sabbath, which will become God’s seal of righteousness by faith in the last days of earth’s history (see Chapter 17 for a detailed study of the Sabbath).  It also discredits the wonderful truth of the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  As we will see later in this chapter, the Theory of Evolution destroys the Biblical definition of the sin problem, thus indirectly attacking God’s solution to that problem, the everlasting gospel.

The moment one no longer accepts a literal, six-day creation, belief in the seventh-day Sabbath, as a memorial of that creation, goes out the window.  But any configuration of the evolution theory destroys more than the Sabbath truth, for any attack on the Genesis account of creation in six days is also a subtle attack on the everlasting gospel.  Thus this issue takes on even greater importance.

As the title of this book indicates, its objective is to evaluate the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Adventist Church in light of the everlasting gospel.  So this chapter will attempt to demonstrate why it is impossible to believe in any form of the evolutionary theory and still uphold the fundamental truth of the everlasting gospel.  I am convinced that the Theory of Evolution, including theistic evolution, is one of Satan’s schemes in these last days to destroy the good news of salvation in Christ. 

Evolution Defined

Before we examine its impact on the gospel, it will be helpful to consider briefly how the modern Theory of Evolution began and exactly what it teaches.  It began when a sea captain invited a brilliant young Cambridge University student to sail with him on a voyage.  The student was Charles Darwin, at the time a third-year theology student noted for his powers of observation.  What he observed on this voyage left such a deep impression on his mind that he gave up his theological studies and devoted his energies to proclaiming what he felt was one of the greatest discoveries of his time.

He presented these discoveries in his famous book, The Origin of Species, first published in 1859 — significantly, at the very time God was raising up the Advent Movement to proclaim the everlasting gospel.  Could this timing be one of Satan’s attempts to undermine the global mission of the Adventist Church?

Darwin believed he had solved the great mystery thinking individuals had been wrestling with since the dawn of civilization — namely, how human life began.  Since then, modern science has developed what is popularly known as the Theory of Evolution.  This concept has captured the imagination of millions and is taught worldwide as fact in most educational institutions.

In its purest form, it proposes that God and heaven do not exist, but were invented to help believers escape the harsh realities of life.  Marxism adopted the teachings of evolutionary theory and, in turn, gave birth to Communism, which dominated Eastern Europe for decades.

Students of evolution are told that human beings have developed to such an advanced stage that they can, and must, assume responsibility for solving the sin problem (selfishness) themselves — the same ideas taught by secular humanism, which have now reached virtually every developed nation in the world.

Evolution Contradicts the Gospel

In complete contrast, the Bible teaches that human beings are sold as slaves to sin and that their only hope of salvation lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ:

Romans 3:9-12
What shall we conclude then?  Do we have any advantage?  Not at all!  For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.  As it is written:  “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Romans 7:14
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Notice the clarity here:

Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

The Theory of Evolution is incompatible with the teachings of Scripture.  If evolution is not included in what Paul called “falsely called knowledge,” (1 Timothy 6:21, above), then the Bible is simply a huge hoax.

No one can accept the Theory of Evolution without distorting or perverting the gospel of Jesus Christ.  One cannot believe in both, for they are diametrically opposed to each other.  Any attempt to harmonize the Theory of Evolution with the Biblical account of Creation, in the manner of some liberal theologians, seriously understates the sin problem, for which the gospel is the only answer.

The modern Theory of Evolution teaches that, billions of years ago, gaseous matter combined, by chance, to form compounds conducive to single-celled life.  These cells possessed what scientists call an evolutive urge — that is, the desire and ability to adapt to their environments.  This adaptive process continued for eons, gradually producing what we know today as complex living plants and animals, of which man is the highest form.

This is tantamount to believing that placing pieces of scrap metal in a bag and shaking them for millions of years will result in the creation of a modern automobile!  Indeed, if the evolutionary urge is responsible for primitive forms of life becoming highly organized creatures and plants, why has this process ceased?  Why is the process of evolution now on hold?  If the Theory of Evolution is scientific, surely we would see vivid examples of the process in action, now and today.  But evidence seems lacking.

In its wider aspects, the Theory of Evolution also attempts to explain the development of the entire universe, without the need for any divine intervention.

Theistic Evolution

Many Christians, however, today accept a modified form of the evolutionary theory.  This modified version is known as “theistic evolution,” and in it God is seen as having created all living things on earth today, including man, through the process of evolution.

Those who accept theistic evolution fall into two categories:  (1) those who deny the divine inspiration of the Genesis record, and (2) those who deny the literal interpretation of the Genesis account of creation.  This second group believes that each day of creation mentioned in Genesis represents a long period of time, not a literal 24-hour day.

Yet, they find that it is impossible to believe in the authenticity of the Bible as God’s revealed Word, while at the same time accommodating the Theory of Evolution in any form.  For example, those who believe in theistic evolution have to deny the Biblical record that all humanity shares a common origin, through Adam and Eve — which, in turn, leads to denial of the concept of human solidarity in which God made from one man all nations that dwell on earth:

Acts 17:26
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

And once they deny this truth, they must also deny the “in Adam” and the “in Christ” concept that Paul presents in Romans 5 and elsewhere:

Romans 5:12-21
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.  To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

But the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin:  The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.  The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.  But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In fact, the “in Christ” concept is the central truth of Paul’s theology and the Biblical explanation of the everlasting gospel:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Belief in evolution plays to Satan’s advantage, as he undermines the truth of the gospel.

Theistic evolutionists attempt to harmonize the Bible with the Theory of Evolution, but in the process find themselves explaining away many Biblical truths as myths, fiction, or mere human stories intended to reveal a spiritual truth.  Sin is defined as remnants of our animal natures, weaknesses we have not yet eliminated through evolutionary progress.  In this view, redemption occurs by dint of mankind’s higher nature (his mind or will) as they exert an ever-increasing control over his flesh, or animal nature.

During this process, we may turn to God, or some higher being, for help (such as the “Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous”), but ultimately it is up to human nature to improve its own situation and the conditions of the world.  Thus, theistic evolution eventually produces a sophisticated form of legalism, which in any form is the enemy of the gospel:

Galatians 3:10-11
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written:  “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”  Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”

The Universal Sin Problem

This brings us to the universal sin problem, especially as taught by the apostle Paul in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans.  According to the Romans 1:18, Paul teaches that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven because fallen humanity refuses to accept the reality of a God on whom they must depend for life and salvation:

Romans 1:18
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness....

Notice how Paul expresses it:

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Paul is saying here that our highly organized and complex world could not have come about by mere chance.  It is the work of an intelligent being, whose attributes we can discern through the things He made.  So anyone who denies the existence of God must do so deliberately, in spite of the evidence of creation.  This has actually happened, Paul says:

Romans 1:21-23
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

God’s response to this deliberate unbelief, Paul says, is that He gives men up to their own foolish ways of thinking and acting, and things became even worse in the human condition:

Romans 1:24, 26, 28
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  ...Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.  ...Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

This was happening in Paul’s day, and it is being repeated in our time.  Such unbelief will continue until humanity realizes that it does not have the solution to the sin problem.

News media tell us that what Paul describes in Romans 1:20-28 is happening today.

Romans 1:20-28
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised.  Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Men and women profess to be wise, but are foolishly denying God’s role in human affairs, looking instead to mankind’s achievements for solutions.  In spite of great technological advances, humanity has failed to solve the social and moral dilemmas created by the sin problem.

The inadequacy of human solutions to the sin problem is by no means going unnoticed, and I pray that this 21st Century will force mankind to realize that their only hope is the everlasting gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The very foundation of the Theory of Evolution is a denial of the Biblical truth of Creation.  The Scriptures clearly teach that God created this world, not with existing matter, but by the word of His mouth.  He spoke, and it happened.  Nowhere does the Bible suggest that God combined pre-existing matter to create life.  Such ideas are mere speculation.

The Bible says, instead:

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen [this created world] was not made out of what was visible.

In other words, God did not depend on pre-existing matter when He created the world.  He spoke, and it happened.  God’s breath is energy, and He creates things out of nothing.  Only when we believe in such a God can we trust in His salvation.  Only such an all-powerful God can deal effectively with our sins and their wages:

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Arguments for the Theory of Evolution

Since the Nineteenth Century, scientists have come forward with five basic arguments to support the Theory of Evolution.  These are:  (1) comparative anatomy; (2) embryonic recapitulation; (3) the geological column; (4) vestigial organs; and (5) anthropological findings.

However, modern scientific methods have shown that some of these so-called evidences are no longer valid, underlining the fact that these “evidences” are based on human speculation rather than concrete, scientific facts.  In fact, the science of quantum physics more and more appears to support the existence of an intelligent being who created the universe.

In evaluating the Theory of Evolution, we must distinguish between observed facts and factual interpretation.  For example, suppose that when I arrive at the church on Wednesday evening for prayer meeting, I discover that a window in the youth chapel is broken.  The evidence is indisputable:  it’s broken.  But a more difficult question remains:  How was the window broken?

The answer is less obvious.  Perhaps some children were playing baseball in the field next to the church and hit the ball through the church window.  Maybe some young people were fighting in the chapel and one of them threw a chair, and it hit the window.  Or perhaps a nearby explosion broke the glass.  Clearly, many possible scenarios can explain the observable facts.

We all agree that animals and humans have many similar features.  But does this prove that the human race is descended from animals?  An equally valid possibility is that the God who created them employed the same basic pattern and building blocks for both.

When I lived in England, I owned a Vauxhall car that from time to time required repairs.  Later, when we moved to the United States, I owned a Chevrolet — and it, too, needed occasional attention.  I was amazed by the similarities between the engines in the two cars until I learned that the Vauxhall company was a joint partner with General Motors and that the same basic engine design was used for both brands.  The main difference was that the Vauxhall’s engine had less displacement than the Chevy’s.  Now, I could have concluded that the larger engine had evolved from the smaller one.  But the more logical explanation was that they were created by the same designer.

Again, consider the stratification of the earth.  Distinct layers of sediment clearly occur in approximately the same order in widely separated parts of the earth.  From this fact, scientists have developed the concept of a geological column, one of the evidences used to prove the validity of the Evolutionary Theory.  We are taught that these sediments were laid down gradually over extremely long periods of time.  But the Biblical account of a worldwide Flood is just as viable an interpretation of the facts.  As the earth settled following the Flood, it produced stratification.

So we must careful to distinguish between an observed fact and the interpretation of what caused that fact.  The observed facts may be accurate, but the interpretation of its causes may be nothing more than human opinion.  That is one reason why scientists disagree with one another and are constantly revising their theories.  History has proved that the experts are not always right.

The same may be said about the dating system used by the modern scientific method.  All such methods of establishing dates fail to take into account the possibility that conditions on this earth may have been quite different before a universal Flood took place, as described in the Bible.  In other words, all such scientific dating systems are based on an assumption which cannot be proved — that conditions on earth have been constant and consistent throughout is entire existence.

But we must keep in mind that, according to the Bible, this earth was covered by a layer of water in the atmosphere, prior to the Flood.  This layer of water would have filtered the cosmic rays bombarding the earth, thus dramatically affecting life on earth and making all the modern scientific dating systems unreliable.

The Fruit of Evolution

Another factor is the necessary distinction between evolution (one species developing into another distinct species) and adaption (creatures and plants adapting to their environment but clearly remaining the same species).  God has implanted in every living organism the ability to adapt to its environment.  That is why, since the Flood, humans living near the equator have more skin pigment that those living nearer the poles.

But whatever the arguments, the bottom line remains:  “What are the results of this theory?  Has evolution solved the sin problem?  Is the world a better place as a result of what evolution teaches?”  For Jesus says:

Matthew 7:20
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

What are the fruits of the Theory of Evolution?  Has evolution as taught in the schools as fact helped solve the social and moral problems of our day?  Are conditions in society improving?  Here are some of the results of the Theory of Evolution:

  1. Evolution has produced the ideal self-preservation — the survival of the fittest.  The result is self-glorification, the very foundation of the sin problem.  An illustration of where the survival of the fittest leads is found in the ethnic cleansing in Germany during World War II and what has happened more recently in the former Yugoslavia and tribal Rwanda.  These situations are all fruits of the idea, “others must die so that we may survive.”  In sin:

    Isaiah 53:6
    We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.

    Evolution only fans the fires of self-glorification in a sin-cursed world.

  2. Evolution magnifies the problems of racism.  According to the Theory of Evolution, human beings developed from lesser primates at different times and places.  So it claims that people who developed later are obviously superior to those who came earlier.  This leads to notions of inferior and superior races, and Adolf Hitler justified his idea of Aryan superiority on this basis.

    In contrast, the Bible teaches that all humanity has a common origin:

    Acts 17:26
    From one man he [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
  3. Evolution has produced modern atheism.  Those who believe that everything in the universe happened by chance have no need for a God.  As we saw earlier, such disbelief is the fruit of the sin problem, as described by the apostle Paul in Romans 1:20-28 [above].  Surely it requires more faith to believe that this highly-designed, complex world came about by chance than to believe in a God who created all things.

Paul was absolutely correct when he wrote that, although men claim to be wise, they become futile-thinking fools when they repudiate God and refuse to either glorify Him or give Him thanks for His creative power and redeeming grace:

Romans 1:20-23
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Clearly, evolution is the result of man’s inner enmity and rebellion against God:

Romans 8:7
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Evolution Perverts the Gospel

We have looked at the fruits of evolution, but the fundamental question still remains:  How does the Theory of Evolution, including theistic evolution, pervert the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ?  The Theory of Evolution denies basic teachings of Scripture and nullifies the power of the gospel in at least four ways:

  1. Evolution denies that man was created perfect in the image and likeness of God.
    1 John 4:8
    Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love [agape].

    Therefore, God created men and women with a nature that was dominated by this same kind of agape-love.  First Corinthians 13 describes agape-love as unconditional and selfless:

    1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.

    The sin problem and the downward spiral in social and moral values is the result of the Fall.  At that time, agape-love disappeared and selfishness took its place.

    Psalm 51:5
    Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
    Psalm 58:3
    Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
    Steps to Christ by Ellen G. White, pg. 17
    Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind.  He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God.  His thoughts were pure, his aims holy.  But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love.  His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil.  He was made captive by Satan, and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed.  It was the tempter’s purpose to thwart the divine plan in man’s creation, and fill the earth with woe and desolation.  And he would point to all this evil as the result of God’s work in creating man.  In his sinless state, man held joyful communion with Him “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” [Colossians 2:3].  But after his sin, he could no longer find joy in holiness, and he sought to hide from the presence of God.  Such is still the condition of the unrenewed heart.  It is not in harmony with God, and finds no joy in communion with Him.  The sinner could not be happy in God’s presence; he would shrink from the companionship of holy beings.  Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would have no joy for him.  The spirit of unselfish love that reigns there — every heart responding to the heart of Infinite Love — would touch no answering chord in his soul.  His thoughts, his interests, his motives, would be alien to those that actuate the sinless dwellers there.

    Contrary to the Theory of Evolution, the Bible teaches devolution, the idea that man was created perfect and upright, but that sin ruined our very natures.  Since that time, sin has abounded and the human moral situation has worsened.  But thank God, where sin has abounded, grace abounds all the more:

    Romans 5:19-20
    For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.  The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.  But where sin increased, grace increased all the more....

    Man’s only hope is the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.

  2. Evolution denies that irreversibility of the moral damage experienced at the Fall.  Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus:

    John 3:6
    Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

    By this He meant that, no matter how hard one may try, it is impossible for humans to change their sinful nature to something pleasing to God:

    Jeremiah 13:23
    Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots?  Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.

    James illustrates the same truth this way:

    James 3:11-12
    Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

    We need to face the reality that evolution has no solution to humanity’s sin problem, because no amount of time can change sinful natures, as history amply demonstrates.  Only the everlasting gospel can take away stony hearts and replace them with hearts of flesh:

    Ezekiel 11:19
    I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
  3. The Theory of Evolution denies the solidarity of all mankind in Adam.  The Bible says that God created all human beings in one man — Adam.  In other words, the entire human race is a multiplication of Adam’s life:

    Acts 17:26a
    From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth....

    The word Adam in Hebrew means mankind.  In Genesis 5:2, the word “mankind” in the original is actually “Adam”:

    Genesis 5:2
    He created them male and female and blessed them.  And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.

    This word is used some 510 times in the Bible and, in the majority of cases, is used in a solidarity sense, making humanity many in one.

    In creating Adam, God was creating the entire human race, and even Eve herself was an extension of Adam.  Unfortunately, Adam and Eve sinned before they began multiplying and, since the corporate life of the whole human race was in Adam when he sinned, all humanity was ruined at the very source:

    Romans 5:12-14
    Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.  To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

    Evolution denies this fact, and in doing so must also deny God’s solution to humanity’s sin problem through Jesus Christ.  Scripture clearly teaches that, just as all men and women have become victims to sin and death in Adam, likewise all humanity has been redeemed from sin’s curse in Christ:

    1 Corinthians 15:21-22
    For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

    The only difference is that humanity inherits what Adam passed onto it, while redemption in Christ is God’s supreme gift to mankind.  And, like any gift, to be effective it must be accepted and enjoyed:

    Romans 5:15-18
    But the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!  Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.

    The incredibly good news of the everlasting gospel is that God united the corporate, condemned life (Greek bios) of the Adamic race with the sinless, divine, eternal life (Greek zoe) of Christ, at the incarnation.  Then, by His life, death, and resurrection, Christ fully redeemed mankind from the sin problem, reversing the damage Adam passed on to his descendants.

    Romans 5:18
    Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
    1 Corinthians 15:21-23
    For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
    2 Corinthians 5:18-19
    All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
    Galatians 3:13
    Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:  “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

    The Bible presents three vital facts about the everlasting gospel, all of which the Theory of Evolution denies:

    1. That God created all humanity in one man, Adam;
    2. That Satan ruined the entire human race in that one man’s sin; and
    3. That God has redeemed all humanity in one man, Jesus Christ.
    And because these three facts are interdependent, to deny any one of them is to deny or distort the other two.  In doing so, the Theory of Evolution perverts the good news of the everlasting gospel.

  4. Evolution denies a literal six-day creation and, thereby, does away with the hope of the resurrection.  The blessed hope of the gospel is that, when Christ comes the second time, He will speak, just as He did at creation, and those who died in Him will rise instantly from the dead, with glorified bodies.

    1 Corinthians 15:51-57
    Listen, I tell you a mystery:  We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.  When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:  “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Evolution teaches that it took billions of years to advance the human race to its present state of development.  So the idea that Jesus can instantaneously resurrect those who have died would seem to lie far outside the natural order of God’s relationship with His creation.  In effect, evolution makes the glorious hope of the resurrection null and void.

    Indeed, both evolution and the idea of a literal six-day creation by God are based on faith.  Neither can be demonstrated scientifically.  The former finds its basis in the opinions of scientific men and women; the later in the revealed Word of God.  The important question is:  Which will we choose?  If we deny the Biblical record of a divine creation in six literal days, we must also deny the resurrection hope of the gospel.  If we cannot accept the reality of an almighty God who creates matter and life simply by speaking, then we may as well bid good-bye to all for which Christianity stands and hopes.  The Theory of Evolution and the gospel are incompatible; they cannot coexist.

    Today many scientists realize that the highly complex world in which we live could not have come about by chance.  So some are pushing to include an alternative theory in science classes — that of “intelligent design.”

    While it causes great controversy among scientists and educators, we must recognize that the scientific method leaves no room for supernatural acts, such as spontaneous creation.  Second, “intelligent design” is clearly a subtle way of teaching creation.  As Shakespeare once wrote, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  The “intelligent design” theory does not belong in the science classroom since it cannot be proven scientifically.  Christians believe in creation because the Bible says so:

    Hebrews 11:3
    By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

    On the other hand, evolution remains a hypothesis as well, requiring further confirmation before it can claim to be scientific fact.  The Theory of Evolution clearly presents one of the damaging attacks on the everlasting gospel.  No matter how convincing the arguments for evolution may sound, no matter how popular it may be, to accept it is to eventually turn one’s back on the claims of the gospel.  The wise man said:

    Proverbs 14:12
    There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

    It may be unpopular today to believe in a literal six-day creation of the world.  In fact, to do so may mean being mocked or ridiculed.  But truth has never been popular at any time in history.  Accepting the Theory of Evolution is not merely a matter of opinion, it is a matter of life and death.  May God give each of us the wisdom and courage to stand for the truth, as it is in Christ Jesus, no matter what the cost.

We know beyond a doubt that there is no human solution to the sin problem.  Modern science has produced a monster in nuclear bombs that can wipe out the human race within minutes.  Our only hope is in the everlasting gospel, so let us never deny the facts of creation as recorded in the first two chapters of Genesis.  A careful reading of the gospels of the New Testament clearly indicates that Jesus Himself believed in a literal, six-day creation.

Belief in evolution will not only destroy the Sabbath truth, it will undermine the very purpose for which God raised up Adventism — to restore and proclaim the everlasting gospel with a loud cry to the entire human race before the end comes.

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