Genesis 1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3 NKJV
Where did God come from? He is infinite. He has always existed, and always will exist. Our finite minds have a hard time comprehending this. Is the creation story true? The Bible is very direct and clear that the earth and all it contains, along with the entire universe, were created by God. Does the Bible contradict science? The Bible does not go against scientific fact. Actually, some of the most brilliant scientists firmly believed in creation (Sir Isaac Newton and Einstein, for example). It is now held as fact that the universe was created suddenly 12-15 billion years ago. It is constantly expanding, which means that it did, in fact, have a beginning. That beginning of the universe is described in Genesis chapter 1. Along those same lines there are numerous natural laws (gravity, behavior of atomic particles, etc.) that govern the way that the universe operates. If any one of these laws were to be altered, even in the slightest, then life would cease to exist. Thinking about it logically, it is harder to believe that the universe just happened to fall into place so perfectly after a big explosion than to believe that God created everything and put each and every thing exactly where He wanted it to be.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing 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. Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV
What should we think about evolution? The Bible does not discuss evolution as the origin of the human race. It clearly states that God created humans in His image. When you look at the “evidence” that there were ape-like creatures that existed before humans, and that they are supposedly the missing link between apes and humans, you will find this “evidence” to be very shaky. For example, the Neanderthal was thought to be this missing link, walking with slouched posture and a bent-kneed gait. Encyclopedia Britannica (15th edition) explains that this was due to faulty reconstruction of the skull base and to misinterpretation of the limb bones of one of the Neanderthal skeletons discovered in the early 20th century. Today all paleontologists agree that Neanderthals were true human beings and not a missing link at all. Species can evolve over time, selecting for characteristics that make life easier for them (think of Darwin’s finches that developed different types of beaks to make it easier for them to eat various diets), but one species evolving into a completely different one just doesn’t happen. So… we absolutely did not evolve from apes. Human beings are different from every other living creature on earth. We can appreciate beauty, create new things, use reason, have complex conversations and thoughts, and have a capacity for love and moral values. God sees us and knows us, and is pleased with how He made each and every one of us. This should give us confidence and a sense of worth. And remember that God has given us each unique strengths and abilities, so we should not compare ourselves to others.