Is Evolution in the Bible? -- Lesson 3 (Earth's Age Mini-course)

So for our last lesson in this mini-course, let's ask the most provocative question: Is evolution in the Bible?

Some give a decided yes. They see theistic evolution as a probable theory that allows evolution to exist beside the creation story in Genesis 1.

Is this true? Can the Genesis story be explained from an evolutionary perspective? Is evolution in the Bible?

Let's find out in Lesson 3 of our When Was the Earth Created Mini-course.

But first, remember to take the quiz at the end of this lesson. The quiz is what makes this lesson make sense. It will help you digest the content and make it your own.

And now, let's answer the question.

Is Evolution in the Bible?

1. What Is Theistic Evolution (TE)?

As outlined in Lesson 1, theistic evolution (TE) is the attempt to explain the Genesis narrative from an evolutionary standpoint. It does this on three assumptions.

1. The biblical narrative shouldn't be taken literally.
2. There's a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.
3. The days of Genesis aren't actual 24 hour days.

2. Do the Facts Support the Idea?

The question is this: Are these assumptions supported by facts, both in Scripture and logically?

If we answer these adequately, we can answer our overarching question "Is evolution in the Bible?"

The first two assumptions are just that. They are unsupported statements that really have little biblical proof behind them. We'll ignore them for the time being.

We may tackle the other two in full later. If you want a full lesson, contact us and tell us!

We'll focus mainly on the third idea: The days of creation aren't literal days. This one has teeth because the argument is said to take place throughout the biblical narrative. The others will fall into place in our study.

What are these supposed facts?

1. Genesis doesn't play out as a tightly wound narrative, so it must be figurative. 
2. Scripture supports the idea that a day doesn't have to be a literal 24 hour day.
3. Scripture should follow science, not the other way around.

Since this is a Bible study, we'll focus on the principle #2. Principle #1 will fall into place depending on the result of #2. We'll just say #3 is a whole subject by itself.

Let's find out if the facts support the principle.

3. The Biblical Proof for Theistic Evolution

We've already covered the young Earth side of this in Lesson 1. We showed there's little hope for TE because the Bible shouts for a young Earth.

But, hey! Let's give theistic evolution a fair shake. After all, we want to test all sides to see if they're true (1 John 4:1). Let's do that now.

How Long Is a Day Really?

Some see a day as more than just 24 hours. The passages usually cited to support this are Psalm 90:1 and 2 Peter 3:8.

As the argument goes, if a day is undefined here, then it could be an indefinite amount of time elsewhere. We just can't know, so why pin it down to a specific 24 hour period

Others shy away from this view. They opt for the theory that, despite what other texts say, we simply can't know for sure if Moses meant Genesis 1 as a literal retelling of the story of creation. He may have used poetry or analogy to explain creation.

If true, these days may not be literal days. They may be longer than hours.

Still others claim that we shouldn't assume God's work days are the same as ours. He may just take a little bit longer to get His days completed.

Once again, if this is true, those days aren't 24 hours. They may be a lot longer.

Beyond the Genesis narrative, some cite Hebrews 4:1-11. Proponents of TE claim that this text states that the Sabbath is God's ongoing day of rest.

Since it doesn't contain the same formula as the other days (no "evening and morning"), it opens the door for a fuller understanding of other days. I mean, if the Sabbath day isn't complete, maybe the others aren't either!

TE supporters also mention God's providence in a similar way. God's providence is ongoing. He keeps everything running. Maybe He's also constantly creating through evolution. It could be, right?

Those who support theistic evolution in this way claim Romans 1:20 as their proof text for this idea.

Debunking the Debunkers

Here's are the issues with these theories about God using evolution to create.

• "Maybe."
• "Possibly."
• "It could."
• "If this is true."

Theistic evolution supporters hold a theory in their hands that they claim is true. They have supposed facts for those theories. Yet they can't find anything beyond speculative evidence to support their cause. They really can't answer the question "Is evolution in the Bible?"

Let's look a little closer before we examine the evidence.

1. No texts support theistic evolution directly. They have to be manipulated and interpreted a certain way to allow for TE.
2. Supporters of TE can't prove conclusively that Genesis 1 is simply poetry or an analogy.
3. The burden of proof seems to work against those who support this view.

What is that evidence? Let's look.

The Evidence of a Young Earth

We've already seen ample biblical evidence to prove a young Earth in Lesson 1. Let's review just in case.

• Jesus said it was history.
• Paul presumed it was history.
• We can assume that Moses thought what he was writing history too since he put it right at the beginning of a set of books filled with history!

Pretty simple, right? TE argues for an old Earth. The mounting evidence says otherwise. Let's look.

1. The Logic of the Six‑day Week

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

The first argument in favor of a young Earth is pretty simple. The word “day” (yom) in Genesis 1 describes a literal 24-hour day in other places in Scripture.

There are too many references to put them all here. But just read the Bible. The word "day" most often refers to a literal 24-hour period.

What does this prove? The more likely meaning of the word "day" in Genesis 1 is a literal 24 hour period.

Numbers Are Our Friends

The second proof isn't quite as obvious. if we don't know ancient Hebrew. Imagine that! You don't know ancient Hebrew!

That's okay. Here's the synopsis.

The text literally reads "day one," "day two," "day three," and so on in the text. Anytime the word "day" is coupled with a number like this, it most-likely means it's a literal 24-hour period.

What does this tell us? It's clear that God meant literal 24 hour periods when He had Moses write Genesis 1. From this fact alone, there's no reason to believe otherwise.

The Obvious Truth of Day and Night

The third proof pretty much explains itself. It refers to "evening and morning" after every day is complete.

I don't know about you, but it seems obvious that this is talking about the normal cycle of a typical 24-hour day. This pattern follows suit in other places in Scripture as well (Leviticus 23:32; Daniel 8:14; Daniel 8:26).

What have we learned? God is a Master Communicator. He isn't going to confuse us with contradictory language. This is the language of a literal 24 hour day.

The Longest Week Ever

And we already studied the fourth command in Lesson 1. But let's review.

God told Israel to work six days and rest on the seventh. The seventh day was called the Sabbath. Nothing was to be done on that day.

What was God telling Israel in this case?

He wasn't telling Israel to work for thousands or millions of years and then take off thousands or millions of years. Israel worked for six days and rested one. They understood them as literal 24-hour days.

This is important because the text clearly anchors the idea in the creation week (Exodus 20:8-11). There's no other way to see this. These are literal 24 hour days!

Once more, all of this evidence indicates a young Earth.

Key references: Genesis 1:3–5; Exodus 20:8–11.

2. The Problem of Death Before Sin

So here's another good question. If evolution exists in the biblical narrative, what do we do with sin?

As we already discussed in Lesson 1, Paul made it clear that Adam was right there at the beginning (Romans 5:12). He was the one who brought sin into the world. That seems pretty clear that evolution, which requires death to work, doesn't work with the biblical narrative.

This alone gives a resounding answer to the question "Is evolution in the Bible?" It can't be. Evolution doesn't know what to do with sin.

On this basis alone, death couldn't exist before the Fall ( See also Romans 5:12–21; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22, 45–49).

If we accept an old Earth theory like theistic evolution, we have to wonder what Paul was talking about when he said that sin entered the world through Adam. How could death enter through Adam before he had evolved?

And why would God find fault with Adam if God was the one that began the death-riddled process of Evolution? It just doesn't fit.

Why is this important? It seems the answer is clear. Our salvation is too dependent on a literal understanding of Genesis 1 to assume an evolutionary process

Clearly, the Earth's age is quite young.

Key references: Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22; Romans 8:18–23.

3. The Goodness and Recentness of Creation

Then there's God's own testimony. Each day He said that everything was "good." We've already determined this means everything was perfect. God doesn't make junk! If it was really that "good," how could death and evolution do their dirty work?

Death certainly isn't good. And death is a result of sin, which is definitely not good (cf. Romans 5:12)!

At the end of all the evidence, it goes without saying that evolution of any kind has no place in the biblical record. The Earth can't be very old. It must be very young. The evidence clearly supports that idea.

Key references: Genesis 1:31; Luke 3:23–38.

So Is Evolution in the Bible?

The obvious answer is no. The biblical evidence points to a young Earth. There is no better answer that fits the biblical facts. Any other foundation faulters.

And this brings us to a caution. Some would frame this discussion as a "science vs. the Bible" debate. It's not. This is a "man's wisdom vs. God's wisdom" debate.

As Christians, our choice is clear. God triumphs every time.

God bless.

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