The Theory of Evolution has become ubiquitous in our world today. It is taught in schools and discussed in labs and universities. Even many Christians have come to believe that evolution is a viable answer to how the world has gotten to where it is today. If you have been paying attention and reading the devotional post over the last month or two, you can probably guess that I am not among that group. Not only am I not among that group, but I think believing in the theory of evolution is a rejection of God's revelation of himself in scripture. It causes fundamental problems with who we are, why we have value, and most importantly, it takes away the Apostle's foundational arguments for how Jesus saves us. That is why we have been looking at the importance of the first several chapters of Genesis. Today, I want to talk about another issue with evolution that comes up when we look at scripture.
The Flood
Our focus today will be on the flood. The flood is interesting in its ability to cause division in people. Even brothers in Christ who claim to believe in the authority of scripture can end up arguing about the nature of the flood. Most often, this happens because we have a tendency and temptation to take things we learn outside of scripture and try to make them fit into the text. This is often how people come to believe that the flood described in Genesis 6-7 could not been a global flood. They look at the number of people that are spread all over the earth and say oh, the flood must not have killed everyone because if it did, there would have been no one in the Americas when the first European explorers came. There is other evidence that is often cited to support this, such as the supposed lack of global evidence for a flood, or, again, people will point to the age of the earth and the gradual evolution of human beings. The problem for Christians is that this is doing things backward. We are supposed to start with the text and then go from there. If you read through the story of the flood without trying to make evolution fit into its pages, the global nature of it stands out strongly.
Scriptural Evidence
In Genesis 7:19, we read, “And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.” (ESV) Not sure about you, but all the mountains being covered seems impossible if we are talking about a local flood. The rest of the passage continues in this theme. Verse 20 says the water was fifteen cubits (about 22.5 feet) above the tops of the mountains. Verses 21-23 say that all living things that breathed except Noah and those who were in the ark died. This certainly is not how someone would describe a local flood.
Understanding Other Evidence
Since we are talking about the flood in light of evolution, it is worth looking at some other pieces of evidence. One that advocates for the theory of evolution commonly point to would be the layers in the Grand Canyon. They argue that it would have taken millions of years to erode all those layers and that the way that fossils are found in the different layers points further to this idea of millions of years. But is this the best answer to the evidence? Certainly not. You can only get that answer if you start with millions of years as a presupposition. A global flood would certainly account for the layers and the rapid erosion. You have to look no further than your own fields and driveways in heavy rain to witness what a large amount of water can do. You could also look at the mudslides that followed the Mt. Saint Hellens eruption in 1980 for evidence of rapid erosion.
The Heart of the Issue
The heart of the issue is the question of biblical accountability. Are we going to trust the Word of God or trust a system that starts with the assumption that God does not exist or work in history? The flood is an integral part of the redemption story in scripture. Noah, in effect, functions as a second Adam, a restart, if you will. It answers the question of what the world would be like if all the sin and sinners were removed and everything restarted with a basically good man. The externals are dealt with, but not the internal issue of a heart of sin. Even in our own lives, we can see that the issue was not resolved with Noah. We needed and need a savior who would deal with the internal issue of sin. So Jesus is the true and better Adam. The true and better Noah. The one who takes away sin, which is the real issue.
Summing It Up
All of Scripture is important. It is the very word of God, breathed out for our good and his glory. We do not have the right to pick and choose the parts that we like and leave out the rest. Indeed, we should not accept the beliefs of someone who rejects God as more authoritative than Scripture. We can trust the history that is recorded in Genesis. We can trust that the flood happened just as the Bible records it. All of humanity is descended from Adam and Noah. We inherit their sinful nature and need a savior just as much as they did. Jesus is the ark that carries us through the waters.
Soli Deo Gloria
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