There is a non-profit organization that, as said in its mission statement, is dedicated to bringing the world liberty, free thinking, open expression of ideas, and peace to the world—certainly a lofty goal, but it sounds admirable, right?
If you want to pitch in and help their cause, they encourage you to volunteer and join them in their endeavors of altruism. If you want to support them financially, then they strongly encourage you to do so. Changing the world takes a lot of resources!
Can you guess what this organization is? It’s not Feeding America. It’s not Compassion International, The Humane Society of the United States, or even your local public library. It is the Atheist Republic organization, who say they are intent on removing the stigma around critical thinking and promoting scientific reasoning.
On their website, there is a section dedicated to quotes from influential atheist thinkers. One of those quotes is from Richard Dawkins, who states the following:
The Genesis story is just one that happened to have been adopted by one particular tribe of Middle Eastern herders. It has no more special status than the belief of a particular West African tribe that the world was created from the excrement of ants.
Richard Dawkins
Many others share Dawkins’ sentiment; look no further than the website on which I found this quote, and you will see this is true. There are others who will not take such a hard stance as that, but they still may find the creation account found in Genesis to be a tough pill to swallow.
It is even common for Christians to experience doubt on whether Genesis’ creation story is a historically reliable narrative on the origins of everything. In reality, though, we can be confident that the creation story in Genesis is a historically and scientifically reliable account on the beginning of creation. Let’s explore why.
1. It Is in a Divinely Inspired Book
In today’s culture, some people mistakenly believe the creation story is an ancient relic of the past—it’s useful for giving us insight into an old culture, but in terms of accuracy it is not trustworthy because the Bible as a whole is not trustworthy. Such thinking discounts the Bible’s miraculous nature.
Set aside the fact that the Bible is the best selling, most widely translated, most produced book in world history. You can even forget the immense impact the Bible has had in countless countries (no other writing has shaped so many societies more). Simply consider the unity of the Bible’s message, despite it being written over a period of 1600 years by forty different authors with a variety of different backgrounds, such as fishermen, tax collectors, heads of state, and philosophers.
These authors wrote from three distinct continents in wildly differing cultures. Yet, the message of the Bible remains the same throughout each of its books. It has a clearly unified message from start to finish. Every book centers around God’s masterful plan to redeem a broken humanity through the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Such amazing unity in the midst of such extreme diversity is unheard of. For lack of a better word, it is miraculous, showing that the Bible’s writers received divine inspiration from the creator and sustainer of the universe himself. If we receive the story of creation from the Bible, then we know we can believe it, as it comes from the inspired word of God.
2. It Is in a Scientifically Credible Book
To discuss the Bible as evidence for creation a little further, the idea that the former is a scientifically shaky document has become a prevalent one in our society. Although this perspective is popular, it is patently false.
The Bible is not a science book, but when it touches on the subject, it does so with remarkable accuracy. Its writers made many scientific claims that were ahead of their time, impossible to know without divine inspiration.
Take the shape of the earth, for instance. 500 years ago, intellectuals believed it to be flat. However, 2700 years ago, the book of Isaiah was already saying this:
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
Isaiah 40:22
On top of that, if you study the second sentence of that passage, you’ll notice it reveals that God stretches the heavens out. In a relatively recent discovery, scientists have learned our universe is expanding—the heavenly bodies above continue to move away from each other!
Next, the Bible told us the earth is suspended in outer space long before science did!
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.
Job 26:7
While the contemporaries of its time believed the earth rested upon Atlas’ shoulders, or perhaps on the back of a giant space-elephant (the latter would make for a great Star Trek episode), the Bible was the one making the correct assertion all along.
In short, the Bible is spot-on in any of the scientific commentary it happens to make, which greatly strengthens the case for creation as found in Genesis.
3. Genesis Provides an Orderly Creation Account
Other creation stories within mythology and legend assume the universe has always existed. In other words, they assume it is eternal. The book of Genesis, in contrast, informs us the universe had a beginning. It had a starting point (that’s what the scientific data of today tells us too, by the way).
Not only does Genesis tell us creation had an intentional beginning instead of a randomly induced birth via a cosmic explosion; it also tells us the universe was intentionally designed as well. That is why it is the perfect setting in which life can thrive and sustain itself.
Take a look at the days of creation and the orderly and intentional manner in which God spoke the world into being.
Day 1: light
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:3
Day 2: atmosphere
And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”
Genesis 1:6
Day 3: continents formed
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:9
Day 4: sun, moon, and planets
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:14-15
Day 5: birds and fish
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”
Genesis 1:20
Day 6: animals and humans
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:24
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26
In these passages, we see the creation process separated into two orderly halves. There were the days of forming, which consisted of light, water/atmosphere, and the ground/vegetation; and there were the days of filling, which consisted of the sun/moon, fish/birds, and animals/humans.
These elements of creation work together in beautiful harmony in order to keep life going, and for the world to have simply happened that way without rhyme or reason is an absurd notion. What if the sun had been just a little closer to earth? What if our atmosphere wasn’t just right for us to thrive in? The list of questions goes on and on.
4. Jesus Affirmed the Creation Story
Finally, for the believers who passionately love God but still retain some doubts about the validity of the creation story, know that the cornerstone of your faith—your redeemer, Messiah, and friend who lowered himself from glory in order to die for you a torturous death so your sins would be forgiven—taught it as truth. Jesus Christ affirms the Genesis creation account because he uses it in his teaching. He quotes from it.
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female?’
Matthew 19:4
If Jesus has been real to you, if you have been in a relationship of love with him, if you have experienced the peace passing understanding that comes from his salvation, if he has transformed your mind and brought purpose to your life…then you can also know the creation story is real. He said it was. He was there when it happened!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
John 8:58
So…
This world will throw everything it has at you to shake your faith. Pop culture scoffs at the idea of a creator. Widely celebrated professors routinely present Genesis 1 and 2 as a lie. Our friends and family often fall away, citing the biblical story as something too far-fetched to be correct. So fortify your faith. Always know why you believe what you believe. Chances are, someone is eventually going to ask you. Don’t you want to be prepared instead of stumbling around for an answer?
Don’t you want to build a stronger foundation of knowledge on which to rest your faith? That is the purpose for today’s exploration. Reflect on this passage as you go about your day, and see what conclusions it brings you to.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
1 Peter 3:15
Story of Grace 