Counsel #1 — Creation Or Evolution

Picture: Counsel #1 — Creation Or EvolutionCSe 26.1

The Bible says that God created everything; nothing was made that was not made by Him.^{[23]John 1:3} Creation is an important theme in the Bible. God’s role as Creator is His reason why we should worship Him. The ideas we encounter from modern culture today often reject that claim. However, while many believe God is Creator, they do not accept the biblical account of His speaking all things into existence.^{[24]Genesis 1; Psalms 33:9} There are many differing ideas about God and His role (if any) in origins. Did He create life as described in Genesis? Or was creation accomplished through some kind of theistic evolution (TE) — God using a process over long ages of time as His method for creating?CSe 26.2

What are the implications of choosing to believe in creation or evolution mean to us as living, thinking human beings? How does the evidence claiming to support the account of God’s supreme role in creation as described in Genesis hold up?^{[25]https://www.adventist.org/creation/making-sense-of-creation/} As we delve further into these questions and then consider variations on these themes, we will discover why it is difficult to reconcile deviations with the Genesis account.CSe 26.3

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you created all things. It is by your will that they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11 CEBCSe 26.4

“God spoke, and His words created His works in the natural world.” Ellen White in Letters and Manuscripts, vol. 12, Letter 131, 1897, par. 5CSe 26.5

Reflect: What are your beliefs about how all things came into existence? Why?CSe 26.6