25 - The Creation of Man, Part 2 - Origins of Men and Abortion

The False View of Theistic Evolution

Well, welcome to the striving for eternity academies school of systematic theology. We are glad to have you with us this week. We are glad to be able to get together and continue in our Discussions and lessons as we look into the creation of man again this week.

We want to encourage you if you have your syllabus to take it out. It is book number two of the syllabus. Yeah, that means that we already finished book number one, yeah, you always have to have a student that has the wise answer, okay.

Yes, we finished book. Number one. We're on book. Number two one usually is followed by two and That means that book number three will be next. Okay. All right, so we're in book number two of our systematic theology, so grab your syllabus and We're gonna look book number two is gonna deal with the issue of God's Gift to man now if we're gonna start by looking at God's gift to man Then what we need to do is start with looking at the doctrine of man.

And when we look at the doctrine of man, we want to get a good understanding first. And this is the first lesson that we have lesson number one is the creation of Man the creation of man now last week.

We were looking specifically at the origin at the original creation of man is where we started and The the origins of man and as we did so we decided we'd first define what? What is What the origins the false views and so we started with one false view of There you have it evolution.

Evolution was the first false view that we had looked at. And you know, it's amazing that you all you have to do is put something up on YouTube that refutes Evolution and atheists come out of the woodworks trying to convince themselves that they really That's right have nothing.

They really don't because they rely on God to Deny that evolution is true because that denies God and therefore, you know. Yeah, but they will come out because they have to convince themselves. They have to try to thoroughly Teach themselves and suppress the truth that they know is true.

And that's what they do. And so it's interesting how many people watched Last class that were not Christian all of a sudden they all wanted to know but this week we're gonna continue if you have your syllabus, I encourage you to open it up and we are now going to start with this week with another false view of the creation of man that many many people in many Churches hold to now when we look at evolution, which we looked at last class we can look at that and see that we really don't have anything to fear from the the Evolution believing world because they think they're so smart and they think they have so much but when we really look at it, we end up seeing they have nothing and There's nothing for us to be worried about.

However What has happened and this really happened I'd say back in really after the the what made it popular was the the scopes monkey trial if you're familiar with that and you can go look that up the scopes trial and What happened there was that the the attorney was actually put on the stand and made popular something that he tried Along with others that were believing it at the time.

They were trying to Say that we want to believe that the Bible is true, but we want to believe that what Science is telling us because these scientists say it in an arrogance and an absolute way. They say they know they have the truth now.

Remember something when they say they know they have the truth from science and they haven't observed it. It's not of science. It's of philosophy. Okay, and there's nothing that makes their philosophy better than our truth.

Okay, so we're gonna stick on the truth. There is one person who actually observed what happened at the creation of man and that's God. And therefore he's the only one since he's the only Scientific person to have observed it.

He's the only one we can trust. Anyone else puts poor theories only God is the one that observed it. Come think of it. God could recreate it if you wanted to and he's actually gonna because in the book of Revelation He says that he's gonna create a new heaven in a new earth.

God can not only create the universe. He could destroy it and create it again if he wants to. So he can recreate it. That's the scientific method the things that they trust on but they want to ignore the only person who actually witnessed it.

So here's the problem though because so many people buy in To the belief that science must have it right because they use really big words and they not only have really big words. They sound really really authoritative when they do it so a bunch of people have tried to say how can we take the science that is being used specifically to undermine the Bible and to try to make a way to Excuse the human mind into thinking that there really is no God and marry that with the Bible.

You'd sit there and say well, that'd be crazy. Well, yeah, I would think so too. But many people do it one of the biggest theories of the creation of man within the churches is called Theistic evolution.

Theistic evolution if you look in your syllabus, let's we're gonna explain it this way. Theistic evolution is defined or explained there as God as The ultimate creator used natural processes in the work of creation.

So your first blank there is God as the ultimate creator used your second blank there natural processes in the work of creation. Now, what does this mean? It basically is that what they will argue is that?

God used Evolution used natural processes over a period of millions of years to create Everything that we see today. In other words. Yes. God started it off. He created the Big Bang and then let the natural processes go and he he worked in those natural processes so that they would make sure that the natural processes came to fruition and This way God was directing it and some would say he wasn't directing it so there are some differing views within that but those that would say he's directing it so that The things that we see that we would realize are impossible to have happen within evolution.

They'd say well God made those things happen. So that that's how it ended up working. There's some major issues with that. Let's take a look with this first is the primary problem with this view is that it's subscribers claim to believe in God while rejecting the biblical account of creation in six literal days.

They make human reasoning Superior to the authority of Scripture. Okay what they're doing when they do this is they're saying that there are Things in science that no one observed. No one can recreate and That they're gonna trust that over the one who actually did see it and created it.

So this is an issue that really is very popular now. I do want to make a point not every Christian that holds to an old earth believes in theistic evolution. Okay, there's there is this distinction there are those who refute evolution.

Yet they still believe in an old earth. So they are believing some of the things that they get in the geology and things like that. I Still think that that is arguing in a way that undermines for the most part at least a literal reading of Genesis Chapter 1 Specifically and we're gonna look at this in a moment.

But this is the issue that we have they they don't Take that as their ultimate authority typically. Okay. Now there are some old earthers That they believe in an old earth. But they still hold to the authority of Scripture and they will put that as their ultimate authority.

They just take a different reading. They will some argue that Genesis 1 and 2 are more poetic and they try to do different things like that. All right, we're gonna put that issue aside and deal with the theistic evolution to say this.

Those that end up holding to the theistic evolution that God used Evolution he used natural processes to create the very things that we end up seeing in Nature, okay that he tried to use those things with if you're gonna argue for that.

Well, then we're gonna argue against the scriptures period because when you look at the six day Six days of creation they're out of order with the ways that evolution says it that things have happened.

Okay. So right off the bat, we would see that there's something that just doesn't seem to work. Well, all right, and that's something being that when we look at what they're Saying in science it doesn't line up with what God says and now really what it comes down to is what is your ultimate authority.

If you're gonna say your ultimate authority is God. Well, then you better believe in the what God's Word says if you say your ultimate authority is not God. You're just not a Christian period. Yeah, I liked what a You know our friend here site M Brunon Kate had done in his latest film if you haven't seen it on How to answer the fool and one of the things he did was with a professing Christian.

He just asked the gentleman Do you believe or actually I think he said what is your ultimate authority and the guy wouldn't wasn't sure and he said is God your ultimate authority is the scripture your ultimate authority and he said no.

And so what's I do. Started treating him like the unbeliever that he just admitted he was and started to share the gospel with him. That's what we do with people that don't believe in the authority of the Word of God.

If you don't believe God's Word is your ultimate authority. How could you possibly be a genuine Christian because you're basically setting your own reasoning up as deciding what's gonna be the authority if?

It's not God. You've set yourself up as the authority. I wouldn't want to be you on judgment day when you stand before God and you try to argue. Why you think you're a better authority than him? Yeah.

The Meaning of Yom in Genesis 1

All right. So theistic evolution. Let's take a look at the significance of this in Genesis 1. There is the word day now the word day. Yom is the Hebrew word Yom. Could mean a period of time like an age a longer age.

In other words if we say the the the day of the Lord. Okay, that is speaking of a time period not necessarily a single day. Okay. So when it says, you know in there Yom is the word for day of the Lord.

Okay, we see that it could mean an age a period of time however there's some indicators that we see where as we look through the Hebrew and that we see that give us an indication in the context of when Yom a Day means a literal 24-hour day and when it could mean a period of time the day of the Lord.

There one of the things you'll see with that is that there is no no indicators with it that indicate it's a 24-hour day. What are those indicators? Well the the creation when we look at the the creation order Day has these indicators the the creation of man occurred on the sixth day of creation and the word day Has a couple of indicators those being one that it'll have a number associated with it like sixth day another indicator of whenever you see this it is means a 24-hour day is when day is preceded or followed by something like morning or Evening or morning and evening now, it's actually more often evening and morning.

I should do it properly in in in America. We say morning and evening because we start the day with the morning going to the evening. But in in a Jewish context actually the day starts in the evening. It's sundown that starts the day and it runs through to the following, you know.

So it goes evening to morning. All right, so let's take a look at Genesis chapter 1. Shall we and you tell me? Whether we see any of those indicators a numeric Before or after the word Yom or day or if we see morning or evening preceding or Postceding that alright, so let's just take a look and see what we see ready.

Here we go Genesis Chapter 1 now I made it a little bit easier for you because what I did was I actually highlighted it for you in red. So, let's see what it says Genesis 1 5 then God called the the light day and the darkness was called night.

And there was evening notice that evening and there was morning the first day. Look at that. Then we see Verse 8 and it was evening and there was morning the second day. Oh verse 13 Evening and there was morning the third day.

Hmm. I think I see a pattern here verse 19 Evening and there was morning the fourth day evening and there was morning the fifth day and God saw everything that he made and behold It was very good and it was evening and morning the sixth day.

Look at that Evening morning first day evening morning second day evening morning Third day evening morning fourth day evening morning fifth day evening morning sixth day. Hmm. Think I could be wrong.

But I think God is trying to make something pretty clear. Don't you think he's trying to say? It's a 24 hour day. That's the point the point is that he's Emphasizing it does it's not like day of the Lord where it's a period of time.

He's trying to say that it is a 24 hour day man was created on the sixth day of creation. Finally another argument would be the the Sabbath observance wouldn't make much sense because it's based in Exodus 20 verse 11.

It's based on a literal six days. It's not take millions of years. You know work for six million years and take a million years off the argument people try to argue for the long earth is they'll argue that this day could be a Thousand years and they do something that if you're a good student of our school of systematic of biblical hermeneutics.

You know, this is wrong. But they take a passage out of Peter first Peter where it says that the Lord Lord is long Suffering not wishing that any should perish but that to him a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day.

That's referring to his long suffering. That isn't a literal thing that gets applied to these days in Genesis 1. Okay that's a mistake when you take some that is being used to explain an Attribute of God and take it in a literal sense to try to explain away what we see in Genesis Chapter 1.

All right, and so and and those that try to argue for the old earth view Ignore all what we just looked at in Genesis 1 with evening morning and the numeric. And we'll say that that doesn't have to apply.

Although they will take it to mean a literal 24-hour day everywhere else, but Genesis chapter 1 Just saying think God's making it clear. Let's move on because enough with these false views let's take a look at the biblical view.

I always like to go there. So let us look at the biblical view of The creation of man now what we want to do here is take a look at first a Statement concerning man and that is that the first man was created supernaturally and Directly that is your two blanks there in your syllabus.

The first man Adam was created super created supernaturally and directly in other words God Created the first man out of nothing. Okay. The word bara which is the word used there is the word for creating from nothing and that's what we have.

He created him supernaturally not using natural processes, but super Naturally, and he did it directly. It was God who did it not natural processes. Okay, so we want to be clear with that. So We see that in a couple of passages, let us begin in Genesis chapter 1 good place to start.

Then God said let us make man in our image after our likeness and let Them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and everything that creeps Creeping thing that creeps on the earth and Creeping on the earth and everything that creeps on the earth and everything that creeps on the earth and everything that creeps on the earth.

So God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him. Male and female he created them. What do you have you have there both? You see that he created and he did it directly and he did it supernaturally.

Okay. So we could also look in Genesis 2 and now an argument that often comes up Genesis 1 people argue they contradict Genesis 2 contradicts it. There's no contradiction. Genesis 1 is covering all six actually seven days of creation.

Okay, well it covers the six days of creation. Okay. And then Genesis 2 goes in and focuses in on just one of those days day number six. So the fact is is that everything that we have in Genesis 1 is an overview.

Genesis 2 focuses in just on a single day and zones in on that and Decides it's going to deal just with that. All right, and so that's what we end up seeing so when we look at that we have Genesis 2 verse 7 and This is what it says there.

Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils of the breath of life and the man create man became a living creature now. The fact that it says that God created man from the dust of the earth does not.

Did I say that clear enough does not mean that he used natural processes. It means That he created from the dust of the little how do you how do you get that? I don't know. But he did it in a single day and he he created man.

So it is supernatural. It is direct. We can also take a look at Matthew 19 and verse 4 where Matthew writes this. He answered have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female.

Who did the creating there? Well, it was God who did the creating. All right, and that's what we have. So What we see there is that both that man was created. Okay, supernaturally and directly. So what do we have concerning the woman?

Eve well, the woman was created Potentially in Adam and then brought into being through special creative act. All right. Well, let's look at where how Eve was created. Well, we saw Genesis 2 7 let's take a look at Genesis 2 22 we see the rib That the Lord God had taken from man.

He made into woman and brought her in brought her to the man. So we see there that the man was Created there. Sorry. The woman was created from the rib of the man. So the first man and woman were created directly and uniquely by God now the question now comes.

When we deal with this is about the on Going creation of man. Now. Here's where we get into some interesting theological issues when we look at the ongoing Creation of man. In other words, we saw the original man Adam and Eve and We have saw how they were created that Adam was created first then Eve.

That Eve was created potentially in Adam in other words God used part of Adam to create her and this actually is quite important when we look later when we get into the doctrine of sin because when we look at the doctrine of sin and we're gonna see some things because Notice this and a friend of mine said he had read through The Bible and he's read it dozens of times read through Genesis, but it never dawned on him.

And he contacted me about a month ago to ask me about this. It was the fact that he suddenly hit him that Eve had eaten of the fruit first. But sin was not realized. Until Adam had eaten. That's because there was this headship.

This is what we were talking about when we say the one was created potentially in man. It is because of the fact that Adam had a headship whether you and I like that or not. It's not for you and I to decide this is the way that God Created us.

This is the way that God orchestrated things. He created man first and then woman through man because there was a headship issue and that is why man is the one held accountable for the sin issue. Okay, because of what what had happened?

Okay so. Okay, we have a question that came up in the chat room that is what about creatures that are neither male nor female. Or both male and female. Well, the issue there is that neither of them that's are dealing with human beings.

Okay. Neither of them are dealing with human beings. When we look at day six and we look at the created things. What is created in the image of God is man and man alone? Okay, so when we look at that man is a unique man's not an animal.

Okay. There are animals that Are created in such a way that there's no male. There's no female or some that actually can change from male to female which is really wild. And you sit there and think about that and go.

Well, how would evolution ever explain these things? Where would that come from? Okay, I mean male and female is a huge problem for evolutionists, but I digress so Dealing with the ongoing the ongoing creation of man we first see if We look in your syllabus.

Well, actually, let me before we get to that. Sorry. Okay before we get to that Let me let me deal with son and that is this this porton or why is it important to look at the ongoing? Creation of man because I'd want to explain why is that an important issue?

It's a very important topic because this is really what's at the heart of abortion. I Really did not mean to make a pun there because it would be a really bad pun, you know. But this is really what's at the current the issue of abortion?

Okay. There is a beating heart there. That's the issue. Why it's not a funny pun. Wasn't meant to be that but didn't think about that till just now but the real issue there is When does life begin? You see if life begins at conception Then it's a human being and it is murder.

It's murder, that's what it is when you kill a human being it's murder. It doesn't matter the age of the human being that's the whole point if Life begins at conception. It's murder if life begins at some point later like birth.

Then it's not a human being that would be the way of viewing it. Okay, by the way Roe versus Wade judged it at a heartbeat. We can tell heartbeats. I think it's within like 10 days of conception just saying but concerning the the ongoing creation or Procreation that's your blank your second blank there first blank was abortion.

Second blank is the creation or procreation of mankind there are prey on predominantly three Theories, okay. So concerning the procreation of man. There's three theories. Let's take a look at these. First theory is called the Pre-existence theory that's your blank there the pre-existence theory now this theory Basically says it's defined that man's soul exists prior to Conception and is united with the baby at birth this you'd see very common in Mormonism.

Some branches of Judaism that would hold to this. Some branches even of Islam hold to this. Definitely things like Buddhism Hinduism and stuff like that. Okay. What do they teach? Is that God created?

All of the souls of people at a single time. Now, what is this? Why is this? They argue this because What we see on the seventh day of Creation is that God? Rested from all of his Barah all of his work of creation out of nothing.

So the issue that they argue is that since God Rested that means there was no more creative no more creation going on. Okay, and so he rested from all of that and now if he rested from all of that Creation activity, how do you have new?

Spirits new beings new Souls and so the argument is that God created them all at once and then he just kind of shoots them down as as Bodies as conception occurs shoots them into the body. All right. Let me give a refutation for that.

First off this view Has no support it's founded completely in philosophy. You see zero zero zero absolutely none nada. No support for it in scripture whatsoever. You don't see it ever mentioned in scripture that there is a Existence prior to conception.

It's kind of like infant baptism. Oops. Sorry slip that one in there. Um, it's just not in the scriptures, but you don't see Anywhere where the pre-existence theory exists in scripture. It only exists in Philosophy, okay, God created Adam soul and body in Genesis 2 7 we saw that already that verse and Children seem to exhibit characteristics of their parents as an argument that some would make to say that they wouldn't have Completely separate spirits somehow some argue that that's an argument.

I don't think that's a really good argument. But I think the best argument is the fact that scripture doesn't support it that we see it only taught in philosophy. And Genesis 2 that Adam was created both body and soul or body and spirit.

However, you want to go? I only believe if you get into those arguments of dichotomy trichotomy, I would be a dichotomous. I believe in a material immaterial part of man. That's that you want to argue those things have at it not with me.

Okay, I just don't like that's really it doesn't make a big deal. And so some people that argue those things I think they're just really Wasting time so if you look at it. So the refutation there is that this view has no support.

It's founded in Philosophy all right. That's your blank there for that one so a question can a person hold to this view and still support abortion. Think about this. Can a person hold to the pre-existence view and still believe in abortion being right basically is the way?

I'm wording that question. Well sure because that soul had an existence beforehand and would have been in heaven beforehand. And that's the way they argue so. Then that soul could return to heaven. Therefore if that's the case and That's what many will hold to with this then Abortion is actually doing people a favor because it's it's taking care of a child before they have a chance to sin.

Okay, I'm gonna kind of tell you why I don't believe that God tells us real specifically some of these issues because Being a person who lost a child still in the womb. It would it's would be very hard to think that my child may be eternity in a lake of fire.

Yet part of me says that's what the scripture seems to say and God will be just in doing so. So a Question in the chat room is the Latter-day Saints Church claims that Jeremiah 1 5 Supports the pre-existence and so since I don't have that verse memorized.

Let us open our Bibles which I know all of you brought to class. You better have I'll tell you I got mine right here. Jeremiah 1 5 says this. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I Consecrated you and appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Well, that's true. Why? Well, the way I would explain that is if you If you were to look at the attributes of God remember. That's why we started our systematic theology and understanding the attributes of God because that's why these things.

That's what explains the rest of our theology. God can know Jeremiah before he was in his mother's womb. While he was in his mother's womb after he was in his mother's room. Why. Because God is eternal.

He's outside of time. He's omniscient. He knows everything. Okay. So when we look at that That's rooted in a question of God's attributes, which is what he's trying to explain there he's trying to explain to Jeremiah a man.

To say I appointed you to be a prophet while you were still in your mother's room. In other words before you had anything to do with it Jeremiah. It wasn't because of the choices you made in life or choices someone else made for you.

He's basically saying that God is saying to Jeremiah he chose. That Jeremiah would be a prophet. Okay, because it was his choice to do so. All right, that's how I would explain that. Let's move on so we could time to finish all of these.

Second one that we have is called the creationist view. That's your set your blank there the creationist view so What we have in the creationist view if you look at the definition that we have for you there each soul is Individually that's your blank there individually each soul or spirit.

However, you wanted to go with it is individually created by God and Joined to the body either at conception or at birth. Okay, the argument is is that God? creates from nothing a new spirit. Okay, either at conception or birth and joins that spirit that he creates out of nothing into Into that body, okay.

So what we end up seeing. We end up seeing is that the refutation that I have for this is the primary problem with this view is that it makes God the author of Sin, that's your blank there the author of sin in creation of sinful nature in each person.

Okay when we look at this view if God is creating a spirit He's creating that spirit with a sin nature to put into the body all right, and. So that would become an issue. So what we have when we look at that is.

And this one I think is held by many Christians that would we'd have you know, they would say that God Created the spirit put it. I would think that many of them would hold to at conception. Some would argue at birth though, and if they argue at birth again, I'll ask the question Can a person hold this view and still support abortion?

Yes, if they believe that that that life is given at birth if they believe that it's At conception then no, they would see that as murder. Now the issue I would have with this view as I said is this view.

Leaves it where God? Creates Out of nothing a soul that has a sin nature. Therefore it makes God the author of sin and I have an issue with that. And if you say that the sin nature comes from the body.

Now we have a different problem because Christ had a body. Therefore did Christ have sin. Remember those lessons we looked at when we looked at the Lessons on Christology the study of Christ. Jesus Christ could not sin because he did not have a sin nature.

You see how these things now apply you see how they interlock. You need to study all of systematic theology to have a right understanding of these things. You can't just take onesie-twosie type of things so when we look at all this we see Jesus Christ could not have had a Sin nature because he didn't or couldn't have sinned because he doesn't have a sin nature.

But he did have a body therefore our body cannot be the source of our sin nature. Okay, and if it comes from our spirit then this view I believe makes God the author of sin. So what do we have left if he didn't if our souls didn't pre-exist and God doesn't create them at conception or at birth.

What are what's left? The third view is The view called the tradition, you know. And this is your blank there the tradition tradition view or tradition in theory. They're all theories or views. Let me define this for you.

This is defined as you see in your syllabus there the entire human race was potentially Potentially that's your blank. There was potentially created an atom. All individuals are are Let me try that again all individuals are.

It procreated that's a blank they're entirely Procreated Body and spirit or soul. However, you look at this. Let me try to explain this then. So the way this works and the reason this is potentially is because this keeps the headship issue of man.

That Adam is why I said the woman was potentially made in in the Under Adam was because Adam is the one if you look at we're not gonna have time to look at this. So we'll skip this one. But when we look at Romans 5 We see the headship of Adam the headship of Christ being the second Adam all of that.

All these things play into this when we look at this. Okay, when we this is why this whole headship thing is with man and not animals. Okay, so when they try to argue for women or female Animals that seem to have headship.

Yeah. Okay. That's not the issue. Okay, it has to do with the creation order a sin order. Okay and headship okay, because of the things of who sinned and how The Savior comes into the world and how we have forgiveness.

Okay, that's how this works. So when we look at this we are all created potentially in Adam. That is why all of us have a sin nature because of the fact we inherited it through Adam okay, so the entire human race is Was potentially created in Adam.

Okay, and individuals are Entirely procreated body and spirit in other words, I And this is a view I would hold to and I believe that that when we are created when we are at conception that God created man and woman in such a way that when they procreate and a New body is being formed Within the mother that a spirit is also formed.

Okay, so you have both The body and the spirit being formed together. Okay now Let me give some explanation to this a little bit more before we get into Asking a question again and trying to refute this explanation this makes a fetus what they call a fetus a human when at Conception at conception.

Let's take a look Exodus 21. Exodus 21 verses 22 to 24. When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman so that her child comes out. But there is no harm the one who hit her shall Be fined as the woman's husband shall impose on him and shall pay as the judge determines.

But look at this, but if there is harm, then he shall pay life for life. Notice that do you see that? So what is it that God is saying? God is saying there that a Child in the womb is a life and the person Could pay with that life with his own life.

Okay, I do find it amazing how they can Or in our culture sit there as recently happened want to charge a man for causing multiple abortions on the women's that he had these women adopt they kidnapped and held and Had gotten them impregnated and then basically beat them till they aborted the child and they want to charge him with multiple Murders, but if a doctor does it it's not a murder.

Do you see the inconsistency there? What makes. There's a great illustration. I think I might have gotten this from Tony Miano. I forget where I got it. But there's a great illustration a doctor is on the way to the abortion clinic a woman is on the way to abortion clinic.

Just outside the clinic. They're both pulling into the parking lot and they smash head-on to one another and the doctor survives. The woman survives, but the child in the woman's womb dies. The doctor would be charged with murder however, if the woman makes it inside that hospital inside that clinic and the doctor then kills the child.

That's perfectly legal. Do you see an inconsistency there the issue and the only issue is is what is it? That's in the womb. Is why I love. Well, Greg Coco has a has a thing. I don't think he it started with him.