February 10th, 2024
Dear Friend,
We are a part of a beautiful story of redemption and grace. Uncovering that story, one page at a time is where our true freedom is found. Sharing that experience with you is the adventure of a lifetime.
Last week, we looked at the Origin of the Universe and evidence for its Creator. This week, we are testing another theory about the Origin of Life.
Darwin presented his theory on the Origin of the Species in 1859. Until then, there was only one belief about the origin of life: Creation—apart from complete unbelief.
Darwin’s theory was new, but its origin lies in an ancient belief in caste.
What do ancient castes have to do with evolution?
Let’s find out.
Castes and Ladders
Our most ancient ancestors believed in a “ladder to reach God.” Based on their beliefs about creation, they invented the first “classification” system, the oldest and best-known of which is of Egyptian origin.
The Biblical stories of Joseph, Moses, and the Israelites confirm the existing levels. The lowest rung was occupied by “foreigners captured or traded and forced into hard labor.”
The idea of foreigners will prove important, so hold on to it. But let’s also get one thing straight.
Historically, every nation embraced castes, and many still do.
What we believe inspires good and bad ideas. It matters where we plant our seeds of faith. A good gardener knows that two plants can intertwine roots and affect the fruit of both.
Now, let’s go back to what caste has to do with Darwin.
Favored
The caste system promotes the idea of levels. Every individual’s deeds are “weighed” and judged. Based on that, the individual is reborn higher (closer to god status) or lower (closer to animal status).
True story.
Darwin initially began with two ideas – Natural Selection and Divergence.
- Natural Selection is the process by which organisms that select a better adaptation for their environment survive and produce more offspring.
- Divergence is when two competing groups of the same species adapt different traits to survive. Divergence is the survival of the fittest.
Nature’s Hierarchy
Similar to the social structure of his time, Darwin saw that “organisms clustered into hierarchical groups” by downward adaptation.
Downward Adaptation Is Final. An adaptation is a mutation or a genetic “typo.” A gene can be missing a letter, gain an extra letter, or have the wrong letter inserted. Mutations cause “downward” adaptation. An organism can’t regain lost information to climb back up.
Evolution is the idea that enough mutations add up to create an entirely new species, or “upward” transformation.
Upward Transformation is Impossible.
Plants can’t become animals. Animals can’t become humans. Humans can’t become superhumans.
It’s a gene compatibility issue.
The Genes Don’t Fit
Genetic compatibility works just like you think it works. The same genes are customized for each species, preventing inter-species breeding.
Darwin saw “kinds” of the same species that adapted to different environments but no “in-between” kinds emerging from two distinct species.
While Darwin didn’t prove evolution could happen, he wasn’t wrong about the evidence. Nature can’t combine two different species to create new life forms.
But God can.
Darwin Was Right
Scripture confirms Darwin’s findings, but not the way he thought.
According to Darwin, transformation (upward) is a creature evolving to survive in an otherwise deadly environment. That’s where God comes in.
- Nature can’t favor an upgrade, but an intelligent Creator can.
- Nature is affected by its environment, but an intelligent Creator controls the environment.
- Natural Selection causes mutations that lead to death, but created favor leads to life and “adds no sorrow.”
And transformation requires an intelligent Creator’s mediation.
A Mediator
Darwin needed an adaptor (mediating device). If you’ve ever traveled to a foreign country and needed an electrical adaptor, you know what I’m talking about. Two-pronged hair dryers can’t plug into three-prong outlets.
Nature has no adaptors, but for God, the Creator, the impossible doesn’t exist.
Matthew 19:26 - "Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.""
God chose His Son to be the Mediator between God and man.
I Timothy 2:3-6 – "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time."
- Jesus died as only a mortal man can,
- and He rose again as only an Immortal God can.
Why?
Acts 4:10,12 - "Let it be known to all of you... that by the name of Jesus Christ … whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is made whole!... And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among people by which we can be saved.”
Because the Creator of Life is also the Savior of Life.
God created us “in His image” so that we could adapt to the “image of His Son.”
Psalm 27:1 - "The Lord is my Light and my Salvation."
Life in the beginning, and for a new beginning, required a mediator for upward transformation.
A Graceful Transformation
Upward transformation is grace.
John 1:14 - "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Grace is Jesus making up the difference between God and Man and us and our enemies.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast."
Liberty and Justice for All
The evidence Darwin discovered was valid. He just combined it with a false belief that created a false freedom.
False freedom only works for some people and denies others. God’s favor is for all.
Look at the Egyptian caste pyramid again, then read the verse.
Ephesians 2:17-19 – "He (Jesus) came and preached peace to you who were far away (lower parts of the ladder) and peace to those who were near (upper parts of the ladder). For through Him, we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers (anywhere on the ladder), but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household (upwardly transformed into Children of God)."
There is no ladder.
There is only a mediator to bring peace between two different species.
Upward transformation without God is the greatest deception.
Because incompatibility makes all that work futile.
Through Jesus, we have the power to become “Children of God.”
That is the immediate transformation from one to another.
And it wasn’t magic.
God did the work.
The True Gospel
It is time to declare the truth that must stand alone, undefiled by false beliefs (including those based on evidence).
Salvation through Christ makes all men:
Equal – There is no ladder: “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people (Romans 5:18).”
Freed by grace – not religious law: “For God does not show favoritism. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (Romans 2:11).”
Justified freely – Salvation is gifted: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24).”
Justified by Foreknown – being created in His image: “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27).”
Predestined for His image: – “For those God foreknew He also predestined to conform to the image of His Son, that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29)
All that wonderful evidence means something incredible about who we are and why we exist.
Called and Chosen
Ephesians 2:10 – "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
And this is just skimming off the top of the evidence God provided through His Word and His creation. It is bound up in two Testimonies coming to light slowly but surely, and this is the message:
You were called from creation and chosen to be transformed.
You are God’s – both fearfully made by Him and wonderfully made for Him.
You are so loved.
Believing God,
Monisha
