Creation: It Really Matters

                                                                  By Richard B. Hall

 Does it really matter whether the universe evolved or God created it himself? Does it make a difference in our personal lives as believers in Jesus Christ?  Let’s see why it  really does make a difference. 

There are several reasons why it really makes a difference how the universe came into being. One of the reasons has to do with meaning and purpose in life. For example, if the universe happened all by itself, otherwise known as the evolution of the universe, then everything in the universe, inlcuding life, happened by itself. From this point of view, everything in the universe, including life, came about by accident, and there is therefore no meaning or purpose to the universe, life, or existence. If there is no meaning or purpose to life, then I don’t know why am I here, and I have to create a meaning or purpose for my life. I may want my life to count for something, so I may become a very helpful person to others, but I may also be very angry because I see no meaning or purpose for my life, and therefore I may decide to lash out at the world, trying to do as much damage as I can. But no matter what I decide to do, if I believe that I got here entirely by accident, then it can easily go either way for me. 

Another reason has to do with who makes the rules in my life. Do I make the rules that I live by, or am I responsible to someone else who has made those rules? Well, if the universe came into being by evolution, then there is no one there to make the rules, so I can make my own rules. This means that I can decide what is right and what is wrong to do in my life. If I am a good-natured person, as mentioned earlier, then I may come up with some rules that are very close to God’s rules in the Bible, but if I am not a good-natured person, I may do the opposite and decide that it is ok to hurt people. As mentioned previously, I can decide to go in either direction. It is all up to me. 

Does any of this ring a bell or sound familiar? Well, in Judges 17:6, we read as follows: “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This verse describes the mindset in Israel when they did not have a king. People decided to do whatever they felt like doing, whether it was helpful to others, or hurtful. This is a pretty good description of what happens to people when they believe that they evolved, instead of being created by God. They do whatever they feel like doing, and that can be either good or bad. This creates a mindset for things like abortion, euthanasia, crime, selfishness, etc. Anything can happen when the people in a society think like this. 

On the other hand, when people realize that they have been created by a God who loves them and cares about their lives, the results can be dramatically different. Suddenly, there is meaning and purpose in their life. And they have someone to look to for telling them what is good or bad. And when they realize that the same God who loves them also sent Jesus to the cross of Calvary to die in their place and pay for all their sins, they have a real reason for trusting that God with their salvation from sin and their daily lives. After all, if this God loved them enough to send His only Son to die in their place, then obviously He cares enough about them to want only what is best for them. And since He created the entire universe, obviously He has the power to provide for their needs. 

So, it really does make a difference what you believe about how the universe came into being. It forms the basis for your worldview, and this affects how you think about yourself and the rest of the world. As Christians, we can rejoice in the fact that God loved us enough to create the universe as His place for us to dwell in, worship Him, and have fellowship with Him. 

 Books

            “the LIE: EVOLUTION” by Ken Ham; Master Books - talks about why Creation really matters; can be ordered from the Answers in Genesis website or by calling 800-778-3390. 

            Ken is the founder of “Answers in Genesis”, a ministry dedicated to teaching the importance of Creation as a belief and worldview. 

Websites

            Answers in Genesis:  http://www.answersingenesis.org/ 

*Title inspired by “Creation Matters”, a Creation Research Society newsletter