If you’re visiting with us we have been answering some of life’s biggest questions. It’s a special 40-day campaign in both Sunday school and worship where we answer certain questions. Today’s question is, “Why the Conflict…Science and the Bible?”

Is there a conflict? No. Science is man’s explanation of the “How” things work and the Bible explains the “Who” and the “Why.” Science has to do with observation, the formulation of hypotheses, experimentation, and so forth. It is man’s study of how things work. Theology has to do primarily with the “Who” and the “Why” behind those things.

Strictly speaking, the Bible is not a science textbook. In the words of Galileo—who was an ardent believer in the God of the Bible—the Bible was written “for the primary purpose of the salvation of souls and the service of God.”

Now the biggest question on peoples’ minds when it comes to the matter of science and the Bible is the whole so-called “debate between creation and evolution.” We’re going to talk about that this morning but we’re going to begin with the whole point of creation. Charles Spurgeon said, “The doctrine of creation logically demands worship” and that is what Psalm 148 is all about. So we’re going to do something a little different this morning. Normally I would have you stand for the reading of the text and then pray. I’m going to pray first and then invite you to hear and see the Word of God. Right after I pray I’m inviting you to hear Psalm 148, remembering that the Psalms are songs. You will hear the singing of this psalm in Hebrew and the words of both Hebrew and English will be on the wall.

The word “praise” in this psalm occurs over a dozen times, 9 times in the first five verses alone. Listen for it. The word “Hallelujah” means “Praise the Lord.” You’ll hear the psalmists call for all in the heavens and the earth to praise the Lord. He starts in the heavens with the angels and the moon and the stars and then sweeps down to the earth calling upon the sea creatures, the trees, the cattle, and man. Listen for this call for praise.

Pray.

**VIDEO CLIP (2:50); (Hebrew singing and visuals of Psalm 148)

Praise God! I wanted us to see that because it is a reminder to us that the whole point of creation is praise to God. The psalm has two main sections, verses 1-6 and verses 7-14. Verses 1-6 are a call for all the heavens to praise their creator and verses 7-14 are a call for all in the earth to praise their creator. So the psalm elaborates on the first verse of the entire Bible, Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” So first:

I. Let all in the Heavens Praise their Creator! [1-6]

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!

2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!

3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!

4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!

Then, we have two reasons why all the Heavens should praise their Creator. First:

(A) God speaks His creation into existence (5)

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.

The Latin ex nihilo means God created “out of nothing.” God didn’t take stuff already into existence and create. He spoke the word and it was.

Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

(B) God sustains His creation into eternity (6)

6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.

Hebrews 1:3 says that God “upholds all things by the word of His power.” If God stops speaking you into existence, you stop existing!

Now, before we go further in our study this morning, let’s take a moment to speak to some matters related to the doctrine of creation. We can hardly speak of the doctrine of creation without dealing treating the theory of evolution. And as I broach this subject, it is important that we first clarify what we mean by the term “evolution.”

Here is an excellent book I highly recommend. It is entitled Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds. It is written by Philip Johnson who is a graduate of Harvard University and has taught law for 30 years at the University of California at Berkley. He writes, “If somebody asks, ‘Do you believe in evolution?’ the right reply is not ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ It is: ‘Precisely what do you mean by evolution (44)?’”

I do believe in evolution. Yes. But the question is “precisely what kind of evolution?” There are three main concepts to which I will speak briefly. There is the matter of microevolution, macroevolution, and then what I will call evolutionism. When I say that I believe in evolution what I mean is that I believe in microevolution. Microevolution is the proposition that there are animals who undergo changes so that new kinds of the same animal are formed. For example, there is a variety of kinds of animals within the species known as dogs. There are all kinds of dogs, poodles, terriers, great Danes, but they’re all dogs and they only get so small or so big. That’s microevolution and because microevolution can be observed and tested by biologists it can be understood as factual.

Macroevolution is a theory on a bigger scale. Macroevolution is the theory set forth by Charles Darwin in his 1859 book, On the Origin of Species. As the book title suggests, Darwin theorized on the origin, or the beginning, of species. Darwin theorized that populations evolve over a period of time through a process called natural selection. Darwin also put forth what is called the theory of “universal common descent,” the belief that all living organisms descend from a common ancestor, the most widely discussed aspect of which is that man and apes share a common ancestor. It is macroevolution that I do not accept for a number of reasons, the most important reason being that it conflicts with the biblical record. Not too long ago we were reading the Apostle Paul’s sermon at the Areopagus in Acts 17 where Paul says in Acts 17:26, “God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth.” God created man and the animals on the sixth day of creation and He created them distinctly as man and animals. And while there is variety within each species of living organisms there is no record of one species turning into another species.

Now there is a third concept best called “evolutionism.” Evolutionism is more a worldview than anything else. Evolutionism is a philosophy, a lifestyle, and a mindset. Evolutionism is the taking of the theory of Darwinian evolution as entirely factual and then imposing it as a system upon everything else. Evolutionism simply accepts Darwinian evolutionary theory as true and does not permit the discussion of any other view. The late scientist Carl Sagan illustrated his evolutionism by declaring at the beginning of his famous, “Cosmos” television series, “The Cosmos is all there is, or ever was, or ever will be.” Well that statement cannot be tested in a laboratory. That’s just stating a philosophical position, a worldview, but not scientific fact.

The movie I’ve encouraged you to see deals with this matter of evolutionism. I understand the movie will be out for at least one more week and I highly recommend it. It is Ben Stein’s movie: “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.” Stein deals with the worldview of evolutionism and how good scientists have been fired from universities for merely pointing-out flaws and inconsistencies with the Darwinian theory of evolution. Those who question the theory, especially those who suggest the world may have been created by an “Intelligent Designer,” are swiftly blackballed by the academic community. Stein points out that this goes against the concept of academic freedom and contradicts the whole purpose of scientific inquiry which is all about asking questions of the evidence.

William Dembski is one of the scientists interviewed in the film. Dembski who holds earned PhDs in mathematics and philosophy, says those who most need to see the movie are “parents of children in high school and college, as well as those children themselves.” He says there are many who use biological science “as an ideological weapon to destroy faith in God.” So our children must be prepared for the anti-supernaturalism prevalent in secular schools and know how to interact within that framework so as to not be hoodwinked by so-called “science” that is often nothing more than naturalistic philosophies.

Some time ago my oldest son Matthew was in a science class where the class had just watched a film on global warming. One of the main points in the film was that man is responsible for climate change by damaging the ozone layer. After the film Matthew raised his hand and asked the teacher: “Isn’t it true that more damage is done to the ozone layer by one volcanic eruption than by anything man has ever done?” The teacher had to admit that this was so and, the next day, came to Matthew after class and said, “You know, Matt, your question yesterday got me to thinking and I did some research and I’ve changed my views on global warming. I don’t think man is responsible for all the climate change.” I asked Matthew how he responded to that and he said, “Well…cool!”

Now I’ve got far more material here than I can give you in one brief sermon, so let me refer you to our website. You can click on “Bible Basics” on our home page and follow the link to a few PowerPoint presentations on creation and evolution. Also, this sermon will be available in print form along with links to recommended sites for further study.

Whatever view, know what you believe and why you believe it. Understand that Christians, in the main, believed for centuries that God created the earth in six literal 24-hour days. Those of us reading in our theological reading groups read recently that from the early church fathers such as Theophilus of Antioch, to Peter Lombard of the middle ages, to Marin Luther and John Calvin of the Reformation, the majority of theologians took the creation account of Genesis in a literal, straightforward manner. It really seems that it is not until the time of Charles Darwin in the 1800s that it became increasingly popular to question the literal creation story of Genesis 1.

Scientists, in the main, also believed that God created the heavens and the earth. Kepler was a devout Lutheran, a German astronomer who described his scientific discoveries as “thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” Galileo was a believer in the God of the Bible and while coming under fire from the Catholic church for his support of Copernicus, he remained loyal to the church. Sir Isaac Newton wrote more on theology than on science.

Darwinian evolution is a theory in crisis. Darwin believed his theory would have to be substantiated by the fossil record. The fossil record does not show that creatures evolved over a long period of time. There are no transitional forms, something showing that one species evolved into another. The fossil record does back up, however, what is called the “Cambrian explosion,” a fossil record indicating a complete and fully formed animal kingdom with no fossil ancestors preceding them.

Kurt Wise is a research professor on staff at Southern Seminary. He holds a degree in paleontology from Harvard University where he studied under the supervision of Stephen Jay Gould, a renowned proponent of Darwinian evolutionary theory. Wise has a Ph.D. in Invertebrate Paleontology from Harvard University as well as degrees in geology from Harvard and the University of Chicago. I mention Wise because he holds the view that I hold, a view that asserts that God created the earth in six, literal 24-hour days. Wise is called the “most honest” creationist by none other than Richard Dawkins, who is another renowned Darwinian evolutionist. He wrote a book titled, Faith, Form, and Time, which I loaned to one of you, but I don’t remember whom! Please return it soon!

The Hebrew word for “day” in Genesis 1 is the word “Yom,” a word to be interpreted as a literal, 24-hour day. That’s the way it is interpreted in the overwhelming majority of cases in the Old Testament. The context substantiates this, as well, because we read of specific days by use of a numerical adjective: the first day, the second day, the third day, etc. and the recurring phrase of “evening and morning.”

The 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 also suggest that God created the earth is six, literal 24-day periods. God uses the six days of creation to illustrate the call for resting on the Sabbath, the fourth commandment. God says in Exodus 20:9-11, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God…for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth . . . and rested on the seventh day…” Also, the chronologies in Genesis 5 and 11 suggest that the earth is somewhere between 6,000 to 10,000 years old.

Jesus believed in a real, historical Adam and Eve and Noah and the flood. Concerning Adam and Eve, Jesus says in Mark 10:6 that they were created at the “beginning of creation.” He does not say, “sometime after the beginning,” or, “after billions of years of other life forms,” etc.

No one knows exactly how old the earth is because no one was there when it was created. Just think about that. Whatever method you use to determine the age of the earth, you are working within the framework of the stuff created. You have to impose some kind of bias or make some kind of assumption with respect to dating because you don’t have something that exists as a “starting point,” a frame of reference to date succeeding things.

Terry Mortenson, who has an earned a PhD in the history of geology at Coventry University in the United Kingdom, wrote a chapter in The New Answers Book, available in our church library. Listen to one of the problems he points out concerning contemporary dating methods:

Radiometric dating methods do not prove millions of years. Radiometric dating was not developed until the early twentieth century, by which time virtually the whole world had already accepted the millions of years. For many years creation scientists have cited numerous examples in the published scientific literature of these dating methods clearly giving erroneous dates (e.g., a date of millions of years for lava flows that occurred in the past few hundred years or even decades). In recent years creationists…have done experimental, theoretical, and field research to uncover more such evidence (e.g., diamonds and coal, which the evolutionists say are millions of years old, were dated by carbon-14 to be only thousands of years old) and to show that decay rates were orders of magnitude faster in the past, which shrinks the millions of years to thousands of years, confirming the Bible.

And then we have the matter of Romans 5. We touched on this last week in our study of how sin entered the world. Referring to Adam, Paul says that death entered the world by “one man’s disobedience.” So if we allow for the passing of millions of years because we think we have fossils of animals millions of years old then we have death occurring before Adam and Eve which means death occurs before the Fall, contradicting Romans 5.

I believe God created a mature universe just as he created a mature Adam and Eve. I do not believe it is “deceptive” for God to create things with an appearance of age. God created a mature Adam and Eve. They were not babies. God created them instantaneously, much as Jesus created wine from water, in an instant, a fermented wine bearing all the marks of the passing of years.

The bottom line: know what you believe and why you believe it. Study the matter and then lovingly assert your position for the glory of God.

Remember that God speaks His creation into existence and sustains His creation into eternity so our role is to praise Him because of that. And that takes us to the second point. Let all in the heavens praise their Creator and:

II. Let all in the Earth Praise their Creator! [7-14]

7 Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;

8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl;

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;

12 Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.

Let’s see who he’s talking about here in verses 11-12. Who should praise God? “Both young men and maidens.” That’s young men and women. Let me see your hands. God commands you to praise Him because He created you. How about “Old men and children.” The psalmist mentions only “old men.” Wisely, he doesn’t mention “old women!” But raise your hand if you are middle aged or older. You’re to praise God, too. How about children? Raise your hands. You’re to praise God, too! Let all in the earth praise their creator. Two reasons:

(A) God exalts His Lordship over us (13)

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.

Isaiah 43:7, God says, I have created My people “for My glory.”

Colossians 1:16, “For by Him [God the Father through the Son] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

We must praise God because “His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.” God exalts His Lordship over us. Only He can create what He has created because He is Lord.

So we praise Him because God exalts His Lordship over us and then because:

(B) God extends His Love toward us (14)

The last verse of the psalm reminds us that this Creator God wants to have a loving relationship with us.

14 And He has exalted the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints — Of the children of Israel, A people near to Him. Praise the LORD!

God draws a people near to Him; the special objects of His affection; the children of Israel. And all peoples may share in that special relationship of the children of Israel by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God loves us and He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants you and I to be “a people near to Him.”

For that reason I conclude with the psalmist, “Hallelujah: praise the Lord!”

Stand for prayer.

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