The God of Creation
In my previous Blog I noted that I was asked to read the book “Thank God for Evolution” by Michael Dowd. I am sure that the man who suggested it me thought it would open my eyes to a new world of science.
If he didn’t Michael Dowd sure thought it would. He opens his book with more than 3 pages of quotes of famous scientists and clergymen offering great acclaim for his book and right off the back jumps right off to tell you exactly how life changing an experience it will be for you.
Long story short, this guy is a former pastor who became convinced that he could meld the idea of evolution and religion together because he didn’t have the faith to believe that God could do miracles. (He also doesn’t believe in the virgin birth and many other things the bible talks about) For many years there have been people who have attempted to fit this square peg in the round hole and he did it just as unsuccessfully as ever.
The concern? His book is a best seller and his talks are a hit across the nation.
Dowd efforts along with another man, Hugh Ross and his heretical organization “Reasons to Believe” are propagating the view that you can meld these two views together. They are telling people “You do not have to believe in the God of the Bible, you can simply come to the church with the beliefs you feel comfortable with without having to lay aside your old life.” Or quite literally, “Without accepting the God who created you.”
In almost every attempt to resolve evolution together with scripture people almost exclusively take a look at the genesis account of creation and try to dismantle that in some manner. Dowd has his own way, Ross another, and so on. But I submit to you that if you tore the book of Genesis out of your Bible you would find the exact same message. In-fact, I can prove it to you! Below I have included a few (10 pages worth – and it’s incomplete) verses that stretch across the entirety of scripture that not only talk of what God created, but how he created it, that he sustains it, and how long he specifically took to make it.
The fact of the matter is that you cannot resolve evolution with the Bible. You have a choice to say “The God of the bible created the world in six days, and he personally sustains it and works in and through it”, or “I don’t believe in the God of the Bible”
It’s ok if you don’t believe in the God of the Bible. That’s fine. And God would actually prefer that honesty. In Revelation 3 he said that he would prefer you be Hot or Cold but those who are luke warm he will spit out. In trying to propagate this “half-way” view of God, the direct creator of all things, they are no longer speaking of the God of the bible but are in-fact spreading a faith in a God that can be no more found in the Bible than he can be found in a text book.
If you don’t believe me, read below and find out for yourself, the Genesis is not included until the very end.
God Created the World in Six Days
Exodus 20:11
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 31:17
It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work
and rested.’ “
God Made the Whole Universe – Including the Stars
Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
Psalm 8:3
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
Psalm 33:6
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Psalm 147:4
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Isaiah 40:26
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Isaiah 45:12
It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.
Job 9:9
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
Jeremiah 31:35
This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name:
Hebrews 1:2
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Ecclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Jeremiah 10:16
He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance— the LORD Almighty is his name.
Jeremiah 51:19
He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the tribe of his inheritance— the LORD Almighty is his name.
“The Heavens” As they are referenced in the verses below are not a reference to heaven as we describe the spiritual place where we will go to live an eternal life. It is a word used to describe where the sun, moon, stars, and “heavenly bodies” – (planets etc…) reside. Essentially – outer space. I sectioned off the verses that stated God’s creation of stars and the universe explicitly for those who might need to see that stated bluntly. But these verse say exactly that same thing – “God created the heavens” means “God created all that is in the universe – the sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies, the whole universe.” (Many of these verse mention both God’s creation of the Earth and the Heavens, please take note of that as well.)
Job 9:8
He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 89:11
The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.
Psalm 96:5
For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
Psalm 102:25
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Psalm 136:5
who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
Isaiah 44:24
“This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,
Isaiah 45:18
For this is what the LORD says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Isaiah 48:13
My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.
Isaiah 65:17
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
Jeremiah 10:12
But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Jeremiah 32:17
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
Jeremiah 51:15
“He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Zechariah 12:1
This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares:
Hebrews 1:10
He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
2 Peter 3:5
But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
Revelation 10:6
And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay!
Revelation 14:7
He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Genesis 14:19
and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
Genesis 14:22
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath
God Created Man/Formed Him
Deuteronomy 32:6
Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
Deuteronomy 4:32
Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?
Psalm 94:9
Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?
Psalm 103:14
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
Isaiah 43:7
everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Isaiah 43:21
the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
Isaiah 44:2
This is what the LORD says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
Isaiah 49:5
And now the LORD says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength-
Romans 9:20
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ “
Matthew 19:4
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”-
1 Peter 4:19
So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Job 4:17
‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
Job 35:10
But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,
Psalm 95:6
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
Psalm 149:2
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
Proverbs 22:2
Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
Isaiah 17:7
In that day men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
Creator of the Earth
Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
Romans 1:25
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Psalm 115:15
May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 89:12
You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
Psalm 121:2
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8
Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 134:3
May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion
Psalm 146:6
the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
Psalm 95:5
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Jeremiah 33:2
“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name:
Isaiah 45:11
“This is what the LORD says— the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?
Isaiah 54:5
For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.
He is actively involved in sustaining every creature and the land.
Psalm 136:25
and who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.
Psalm 104:24
How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Job 38:41
Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? [A reference to God’s Provision of food for the raven]
Psalm 65:9
You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.
Deuteronomy 11:15
I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
Psalm 36:6
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
It happened in Six Literal Days – If only there was some way they could describe the day as a literal day… like the sun going up or down, a counting of 24 hour period, or man, at the very least they could say that the morning and the evening passed each day and we would know exactly what they were talking about.
Gen 1:5
5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Gen 1:8
8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
Gen 1:13
13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
Gen 1:19
19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
Gen 1:23
23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
Gen 1:31
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Genesis Account of creation
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:21
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 2:4
[ Adam and Eve ] This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-
Genesis 5:1
[ From Adam to Noah ] This is the written account of Adam’s line. When Godcreated man, he made him in the likeness of God.
Genesis 5:2
He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they werecreated, he called them “man. “
Genesis 6:7
So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”
Genesis 2:7
the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:19
Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I plan to use it a lot in response to “Theistic Evolutionists”.
God bless.
Thanks for the mention of my book (even if disparagingly).
There is, however, a fairly serious point you are overlooking…
Whenever ANY story, culture, or scriptural passage claims “God said this” or “God did that,” what follows is necessarily what some person or group of people felt or thought or wished or wanted God to say or do, often as justification after the fact. These claims are never objective, measurable fact. They are always subjectively meaningful interpretations. In other words, had CNN or ABC News been there to record the moment of divine revelation, there would have been nothing out of the ordinary (nothing miraculous) to show on the evening news — nothing other than what was coming out of someone’s mouth, or pen, or whatever folks wrote with back then. If we don’t understand this, we mock God and will surely miss what God is revealing and doing today. And we belittle God as ‘the Great Communicator’ if we argue that He spoke more clearly to goat herders and fisherman in the distant past, through dreams and intuitions, that He does today through evidence discovered by the community of scientists worldwide.
[***Please note - I have edited this comment to remove links to his blogs in accordance with my belief against teaching false doctrine - Timbo]
…I embrace the science-based history of the universe (the evolution of everything and everyone) that 97-98% of the world’s scientists agree on, because it offers a more undeniable real God, a more this-world realistic salvation, and more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control (the fruit of the Spirit) than I had when I was a young-earth creationist.
BTW… I’m a creatheist, not a theistic evolutionist.
God bless you!
~ Michael
Mr. Dowd, I am truly grateful to be receiving a direct reply from you. I am both surprised that you were able to find my blog and also that anyone with your speaking schedule to address me. I am sure you have faced your share of questions and concerns since your book has been published and I respect you for going out of your way to address this post.
I will begin by reiterating what I stated in the post you are referring to. That if you are to believe in the God of the Bible, you are unable to compromise on the concept of evolution. But in truth, it goes further than that. If you are to believe in the God of the Bible, you must go further than that to believe in the infallibility of scripture.
One of the reasons I believe in the things I do about God is because they come directly from Him. In the Old Testament phrases such as “thus saith the Lord,” “the word of the Lord came,” and “God said” are repeated over 3800 times.
2Timothy 3:16-17 says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This means that if you are going to believe in bible at all you have to believe that all the bible is given by “inspiration of God”. Though it was written by human hands, it came from God. Or it’s a worthless book and not worth reading at all.
Even to go beyond that, scripture says clearly 2 Peter 1:20-21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (Whenever the Bible talks about a prophet it’s not just talking about someone who tells the future, it’s talking about all the preachers and writers. So even when Moses was writing history, he was a prophet.) But this is exactly what you were talking about. It’s the difference between the persons interpretation, and whether or not God said it, and it says very clearly right here in this verse that no prophecy (nothing written in the bible) came about by any man’s interpretation, but by God.
There are other verses I could draw from, just another from the New Testament, is one that Paul shared in his description of his teaching. It comes from Galatians 1:11-12 “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”
To solidify the very eternality and importance of scripture, Jesus even spoke of it in the following two passages:
Matthew 5:18-19
I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Luke 16:17
It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
There is much more that I can point to throughout scripture, but I think that very clearly cuts to the heart of the matter. That if you are going to believe in the God of the Bible, then you have no choice to believe that he is the divine author of the bible – cover to cover without interpretation on the part of the human writers.
The simple truth is to believe in the God of the Bible, is to believe that he authored the Bible, because that’s what the Bible says about the God it describes. The same way that, in order to believe in the God of the Bible you have to believe he literally created the world in six literal days and literally sustains and interacts with all that is in it, because that’s what the Bible says about the God it describes.
If, however, you do not believe those things, then you don’t believe in the God of the Bible.
If I tell you I’m eating an apple, you ask me what it looks like, and I tell you it’s straight, long, orange, with green leaves at one end, you’ll tell me I’m eating a carrot no matter what I want to call it.
What you’re describing is nothing like what the Bible talks about. You might be very well served to start there and begin a new process of discovery, or even re-evaluation.
One way or the other, you can’t have it both ways. Revelation 3:15-16 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
Again, I want to thank you a great deal for dropping me a line. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you and I look forward to any further discussion we may be able to continue in the future.
I would like to express appreciation for Mr. Dowd stopping by also. It is not easy to address those that criticize ones work. I would also ask that you do not take my criticism of your comments as a personal attack, I only wish to point out some areas of your comment that I had trouble with.
First, “Whenever ANY story, culture, or scriptural passage claims”, scripture can not be categorized with stories or cultural beliefs. Scripture is different in that it came from God. This is a basic tenant of Christianity. If you do not accept that truthfulness of scripture, where do you get your understanding of God from?
Secondly, “I embrace the science-based history of the universe”, this statement reads as though your are worshiping the works of man. If you are a Christian you should be worshiping Christ, and Christ alone. As an additional note, “97-98% of the world’s scientists agree on”, majority opinion does not make something true (this argument has been debated to death and I will not expand on it here).
Thirdly (and most importantly), “a more this-world realistic salvation”, how so?
Thank you for commenting on this post and I hope to hear more form you. Also, as I have not read your book I did not comment on it, only on your comments. I do plan on picking up your book and reading it now that I see how passionate you are for the message you give in that book. I hope that once I have finished reading it and have posted my review for it on my blog that you will do me the honer of reading my review.
God bless
Great list!
I may stop by from time-to-time for verses =D