Featured Is the Bible compatible with the theory of evolution?

Did anyone address that fact that the bible indicates plants were consumed before the fall? Still waiting for agreement or rebuttal.

So when death entered by sin, the death in view must be spiritual, because physical death (of at least plants) existed for sinless plants.

 

Oh I completely agree Van, I am convinced that death and entropy were original properties of God's creative act. I go further and say that animal death existed prior to the fall. From a theologic perspective, for me, the presence of the Tree of Life, indicates the mortal creation of human kind, Adam and Eve.

 

Well, Adam and Eve, and the animals had to eat plants, but I don't know if the scriptures consider plants life per se.

But I agree that Adam and Eve died spiritually when they ate the forbidden fruit. God had warned them that if they ate from this forbidden tree, they would die "in the day that thou eatest thereof".

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

So, I believe Adam and Eve spiritually died that very day.

I believe that Romans 5 is speaking of spiritual death only, not physical. Look at the terms used such as sin, offense, judgment, condemnation, justification, righteousness, etc... All these words are legal terms, not speaking of the physical, but judicial.

Now, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 you see the opposite, all the terms there apply to the physical body. This chapter concerns the resurrection of our physical bodies.

So, Adam and Eve died spiritually when they ate the forbidden fruit. However, they trusted God when he called them and came to him, and they believed his promise, so God made skins (an animal had to be killed here) to cover their nakedness. This represents Christ and the righteousness imputed to those who believe. So, Adam and Eve were saved.

 

No...plants aren't "alive"...not in any Biblical sense.

Study the verbiage.

Look into the Hebrew a little..

Plants aren't living things. God does not breathe life into them.

They do not posses the "nephesh"<---(soul or life)...


Plants are simply not "living" organisms in the Scripture, Van. They do not "die". They never "lived".

 

Just so you know, I think Peter Kreeft is on of the featured speakers at an apologetics conference coming soon in Charleston SC. Anglicanism I think is the "title". Sponsored by the Anglican Church in the US. I believe, but may be mistaken that WLC will also be there. Registration is a measly $100.

 

Scratch the last post, WLC is not on the docket.

http://www.mereanglicanism.com/

 

Heh heh...

Gimme the Hundy, and I'll be there! :thumbsup:

 

Most Christians who believe evolution also believe that Adam was the first human being and that all the human race came from his loins.

That takes care of MOST of those verses.

Making animals after their kind does not in any way negate evolution- so, at least so far as the verses you provide go- yes- the Bible is compatible with science and evolution.

 

No evolution is not compatible with the Bible. Evolution teaches:

1. that the universe came into existence by the big bang, the laws of physics, or some other natural means,

2. that life came from non life,

3. that all living things including man evolved from that initial life form, and,

4. therefore, that death existed prior to the fall of Adam and Eve,

5. among other errors.

The Bible teaches that death entered because of the transgression of Adam and Eve. Christians may convince themselves that there is truth in evolution but they cannot show they evolution is compatible with the Bible.

 

1. The concept of the "big bang" in no way undermines scripture or in any way impugns the sovereignty of God. There is exceptionally compelling
evidence of its accuracy
2. Actually, evolution demonstrates that life began from elements of the earth, which might very well be what Genesis 1 also indicates.
3. Yes evolution does "teach" common descent
4. Yes, OE and evolution teach that death occured before the fall, this too does not violate scripture.

 

Lets study a little!

Look at John 12:24, which says a grain of wheat dies before it bears fruit. How can something that is not alive in some sense die. But if Adam and Eve ate grains of vegetation, those grains "died" according to Jesus.

Look at 1 Corinthians 15:36, where unless what we sow does not come to life unless it dies.

I agree that you are correct, plants are not thought to be alive in the sense that "things that move" are thought to be alive. But in another sense, plants spout grow produce food to eat, and those activities are referred to by Paul as "coming to life."

So the dispute turns on nullifying plant life, and therefore claiming no animal life died before the fall. So it is an absence of evidence provides evidence of absence proposition, no matter which side we take.

Perhaps, rather than being dogmatic on one side or the other, we should say we do not know.

 

The proponents of the big bang deny the existence of God. Scripture tells us that the first thing God spoke into existence was light, is that the big bang?

It depends on your source of information.

Evolution claims life came from non life. Now tell me how evolution has demonstrated this.

Scripture says that God created life. And God is not non life!

And Scripture does not!

The Apostle Paul would disagree with you!