A brief rationale for believing traditional Christian Creationism

1. Scientific Naturalism (SN), which is the prevailing modern scientific and mainstream worldview, by definition cannot account for the supernatural (i.e., immaterial and transcendent from nature) and its explanatory power is limited to natural and implicitly non-intelligent sources.

2. The natural universe is clearly governed by intelligible complex code - code that implies an Intelligent Developer (I.e., God) above/outside of nature (I.e., supernatural)

3. God can manipulate and accelerate His code in ways that would not match an internal observer’s natural perceptions/measurements (e.g., adult humans fully formed, 6 day creation, water into aged wine, etc.).

4. SN cannot naturally and scientifically account for the origin of the code (inherent order), origin of the universe (ultimate causality), origin of the mind (consciousness and purposefulness from chaos), or the origin of life (abiogenesis) and rely on their faith in “Scientific Naturalism of the Gaps” (SNG) which presupposes sufficient progressive knowledge about time, matter, energy, space, and happenstance = everything.

• Nothing + Happenstance -> Everything
• Matter and energy + Happenstance  -> Life
• Chaos + Happenstance -> Order
• Chemical reactions + Happenstance -> Consciousness
• Inorganic goo + Happenstance -> Humans

5. Given the limitations of SN and the evidence above, it is reasonable to presuppose a supernatural Intelligent Developer (I.e., God) that has complete control over Creation’s program source code and is not beholden to its rule sets. He has revealed His Creation timeline in Scripture and any attempts to reconcile it to SN is presuppositional capitulation.

6. The Biblical Christian God supplies the framework for the most intelligible and cohesive understanding of God, creation, and the place of humans within it. I.e., A loving Creator-Father purposed to glorify His Son as the Savior and Judge of a creature to whom He has imparted an eternal spirit and individual sentience and made the object of divine Justice and Mercy. Those that are saved by Grace will be glorified through Christ in eternal communion and those that are condemned will receive the consequences of eternity separated from God’s Mercy. He revealed and curated this truth over time by the Holy Spirit via the Bible; the Biblical Christian’s primary material authoritative source of truth.

Exodus 20:11
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Colossians 1:16

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Hebrews 2:10

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Romans 9:22-23

What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory

John 16:13

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 17:17

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

John 10:35b

…and Scripture cannot be broken

The Problem of Evil

Why would an all-good and all-powerful God allow the existence of evil?

The Biblical Christian answer to the PoE is simple: “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” Rom 8:28

Simply, what we perceive as evil is ultimately part of a good purpose.

The good purpose is that God (particularly Jesus Christ) is glorified and shares that glory with His people.

We know the reason. We know the objective. You may not agree with or accept it, but we have the answer to the PoE. For the Biblical Christian, it’s not a problem at all.

The foundation for my rationality is rock solid based on my authoritative source of truth. The atheist has much more of a “problem” in that they have no objective moral standard from which to judge what is “evil” or “good”. The torture of a 3 year old holds as much moral and rational weight as buying them an ice cream. It is a precarious basis for morality - rationally more akin to psychopathy than altruism.

Thank God that the foundations of modern social morality is built upon a Judeo-Christian framework and not atheistic rationalism.

There are no children in hell

Deuteronomy 1:39

And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

Matthew 19:14

but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:2-4

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus, who exemplifies the character of God, loves little children, in and out of the womb.

It is good and necessary consequence that little children who die in their infancy are Elect.

What if the state of Israel fell and Christ did not return?

Practically, nothing in terms of God’s plan. The physical kingdom of Israel fell long ago and was supplanted by the spiritual kingdom of Israel we call the church of Christ. This kingdom has the law of God written on their hearts by the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who previously only acted internally as He would in certain individuals in certain circumstances. 

This kingdom does not have physical boundaries and holy places. We are the temple that God inhabits and we carry the kingdom of Heaven with us wherever we go.

This kingdom has an eternal king that set aside His glory for a time, joined us here in the material plane, and revealed the character of God as loving, forgiving, and sacrificial for His children.

Do not lose hope if the state of Israel falls and Christ does not return. He will come when and as the Father intended. His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen.

John 18:36

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Biblical inerrancy and infallibility with textual variances

In the modern era, much ado has been made in the field of Biblical criticism concerning textual variances in the many historical copies we have that comprise our current set of Bible translations. Without a proper understanding and context, it can cause doubt about the fidelity of God’s Word in otherwise staunch Christians and cause weaker believers to stray from the faith.

First - No informed person denies that there are minor variations in the manuscript texts. That being said, none of these variations have any impact on historic and traditional core Biblical doctrines. The cohesive narrative of Scripture remains over and above the translations and refinements over the centuries.

Second - we do not have the original documents, but Biblical Christians believe that they were originally textually inerrant. There is no surprise minor variations happened over time. We accept some variation now,  in the sense that the documents in their original languages are translated into the vernacular. That being said, working to refine the text so that it is as close to the original is a good work, if not critical to preserve God’s message to us.

Third - The reason we believe that the Scriptures are inerrant is because the Holy Spirit is the originator and curator of God’s written Word.

Finally and most importantly, Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken” - John 10:35. Our faith in God’s Word is sealed in the testimony of Christ. Don’t let false prophets lead you from the truth. “Test everything, keep what is good” - 1 Thess 5:21.

On Scripture Alone (sola scriptura):

The Bible is true, trustworthy, authoritative, and infallible in all matters of the Christian faith because it is totally inspired, stewarded, and externally verified by the Spirit of truth.

John 17:17

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

John 16:13-14

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

2 Peter 1:21

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Cherry picking what is inspired and not inspired concerning the living Word is not a mark of the indwelling Spirit.

Biblical Christians trust that the Spirit has delivered God’s infallible Word through time and flawed vessels. If you don’t, you should take a step back with a cold hard look at yourself.

Philippians 2:12

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

“When there’s something in the Word of God that I don’t like, the problem is not with the Word of God, it’s with me.”

— R.C. Sproul

Scripture is our highest earthly authority

 “…Scripture cannot be broken…”

By definition, God is the highest authority possible (Heb. 6:13), so what He says is the final arbiter of truth. And if the only place we have His words is Scripture, then Scripture is the highest court of authority to which we can appeal. Nothing else is on the same level, for only Scripture is “God-breathed”, or theopneustos (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

From The Heart of the Reformation Devotional

No one has seen God

God is spirit (John 4:24), which means He is imperceptible to natural senses, such as the eye. The only way humans can physically “see” God is to see Jesus, the incarnate God-Man, (John 14:9) which is why I believe it was Christ walking in the Garden, judging Man, and prophesying of Himself. (John 1:18)

God and evil

I think of God’s complete sovereignty over human and natural evil in this way:

God is weaving a tapestry of events. This tapestry is complex, with light and dark threads. The dark threads (evil) are the absence of the light (good) of God, but still essential to the overarching goal/theme, which is to maximize the glory of the Son as Judge and Savior-Redeemer of Man. 

Gen 50:20, Isaiah 45:7, 2 Tim 4:1, Rom 8:28, Rom 9:22-23, Heb 1:3 (to name but a few)

The Ultimate Question

 I’m sitting in a lounge in the airport on my way to LA for business. I had about an hour and a half ride to get here and, as I have a tendency to do, was thinking about ways to get people to think about how their fundamental perspectives color the way they think about everything else.

One of the things that made me think of this particular topic was a couple of news articles that indicates a significant drop in the certainty of God’s existence among the general populace.

I believe that this is due in part to the vast amount of media available that presumes the universe is solely governed by natural law. The prevailing idea is that the universe and all the contents within it, including you and me, basically evolved from one state to another by a gradual process over vast amounts of time.

You may not even think about it anymore. In fact, you may even hold diametrically opposing positions, such as a general acceptance of this autonomous evolutionary viewpoint while holding to some idea that there is a personal divine being or force engaged in aspects of your life.

To really get to the heart of the matter, one has to consider what I believe is the ultimate question:

Is the universe purposeful or accidental?

I think it is safe to say the vast majority of humanity believes that we live in a purposeful universe. It’s very likely that you do, too. If you do, then there are implications you need to consider:

If it is purposeful, who or what gives it purpose?

Now, my answer to this question is the Christian Creator God. I have believed this since I was a little child, but as I got older, I was challenged to reconsider my belief. Before, I had a basic faith, but as I grew, I wanted more substantiation for what I believed. This became an exercise in deconstructing everything I thought was true and exploring what other options had to offer.

To make a long story a little less, I came to the following summary realizations:

1. Without a supernatural Creator God as the cause, there is no logical purpose for the universe and my existence.
2. Without a caring God, I have no hope.
3. Without a God that reached out to me, I would never be able to reach Him.
4. A supernatural Creator God is not bound by the natural laws He put in place.
5. Without an external authoritative source of truth, I cannot truly know Him.

These realizations are fundamental to why I identify as a Biblical Christian. With Scripture as my prime source material, I am able to evaluate and contextualize all truth claims. Having a reliable external source helps me avoid self-deception and selfish rationalization. It also makes me very skeptical of alternative truth claims.

Thus, my worldview is odd compared to the prevailing cultural, social and “scientific” framework. My ultimate trust is in the Biblically narrated character of Christ as the revealed nature of God. Jesus is the means by which this universe was created and it exists to glorify Him and bring us into communion with Him. Every other consideration is meaningless in comparison.

Therefore, I have no practical or compelling reason to believe that we live in a universe that’s vast millions of years old. Or that all the “evidence” points to it. Or that random processes over these millennia could lead to humanity. I view it all in the context of Christ. We are here for His purpose and all reality bends to His will as revealed in His Word.

My prayer is that you can answer the ultimate question through faith in Christ and come to trust in Him and His Word for your hope and framework for evaluating everything. Be a Biblical Christian skeptic.

Young vs Old Earth/Universe Christians

Old Earth/Universe Christian adherents are guilty, intentionally or not, of attempting to reconcile the Bible with material naturalism instead of taking Scripture as the prime authority. Young Earth/Universe adherents subjugate man’s wisdom and knowledge to God’s Word. (I confess to being deliberately provocative.)

The naturalistic presupposition is uniformitarianism (I.e., natural laws are equally applicable across all places and times) and it is flawed on a cosmological scale. All naturalistic “empirical evidence” is based on it. It is an article of faith. 

I have no problem accepting the laws of physics as a general operating rule but I presuppose the laws have not always been uniform in the past, nor will they necessarily be for all times and places. A simple google search can confirm my presupposition. As an example, the naturalistic proposition that “energy is *always* conserved” is neither rational nor scientific as it applies cosmologically. 

Naturalists have faith that science will somehow develop a naturalistic explanation given enough time and information and grasp onto every fuzzy theoretical construct (e.g., dark matter and energy, multiverses, string theory, etc.) that supports it - “naturalism of the gaps”.

Here is a great article that illustrates this approach: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-multiverse-may-be-the-most-dangerous-idea-in-physics/

I love this quote, in particular:

“we need an open mind, though not too open” - certainly not open enough to consider a Creator God!

My perspective as a Biblical Christian is to question the validity of concepts based on my authoritative source of truth. From that perspective, it is easy to see the chain of consequences naturalistic “deep time” leads to - a rejection of the special supernatural creation of the universe and Man in favor of a purely material naturalistic paradigm.

My own worldview accounts for deep time and the “appearance of age” as a byproduct of a meticulous Master Programmer aligning His program to the laws He developed and complete control over the speed at which that program processes, as well as the authority to supersede those natural processes, at will.

It doesn’t take a degree in physics to figure out that naturalism is not a trustworthy source on which to base a disregard of the plain reading of Scripture. There is too much fuzziness. The more science digs into cosmological scales, the more mysterious the universe becomes. 

Now, let’s make sure and be clear - “naturalism” does not equal “science”, although for most practical purposes, they have become close to synonymous. I am a systems engineer/architect by trade, so I leverage logic and science everyday. That being said, I trust the Word of God over all logic and science, because “the wisdom of man is foolishness to God” and there is no practical reason for me to adopt the naturalistic views of deep time and other constructs they have used to ridicule faith in God and in the plain reading of His Word.

1 Thess 5:21 says to “test everything, keep the good” - that is the question OECs have to ask themselves. Is it good to adopt scientific naturalism’s perspective when it contradicts the plain Word? Or is it better to assume that they have a flawed paradigm and work to recontextualize the “fuzzy edges” to meet a more Scriptural framework?

That’s all I’m attempting to do with the OP. Challenge the OEC’s base assumptions and hopefully cause reconsideration, because it is a path I treaded and came out with a new perspective.

Naturalism of the gaps

The naturalistic presupposition is uniformitarianism (I.e., natural laws are equally applicable across all places and times) and it is flawed on a cosmological scale. All naturalistic “empirical evidence” is based on it. It is an article of faith. 

I have no problem accepting the laws of physics as a general operating rule but I presuppose the laws have not always been uniform in the past, nor will they necessarily be for all times and places. A simple google search can confirm my presupposition. As an example, the naturalistic proposition that “energy is *always* conserved” is neither rational nor scientific as it applies cosmologically. 

Naturalists have faith that science will somehow develop a naturalistic explanation given enough time and information and they grasp onto every fuzzy theoretical construct (e.g., dark matter and energy, multiverses, string theory, etc.) that supports it - “naturalism of the gaps”.

Here is a great article that illustrates this approach: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-multiverse-may-be-the-most-dangerous-idea-in-physics/

I love this quote, in particular:

“we need an open mind, though not too open”

It doesn’t take a degree in physics to figure out that naturalism is not a trustworthy source on which to base a disregard of the plain reading of Scripture. There is too much fuzziness. The more science digs into cosmological scales, the more mysterious the universe becomes. 

Now, let’s make sure and be clear - “naturalism” does not equal “science”, although for most practical purposes, they have become close to synonymous. I am a systems engineer/architect by trade, so I leverage logic and science everyday. That being said, I trust the Word of God over all logic and science, because “the wisdom of man is foolishness to God” and there is no practical reason for me to adopt the naturalistic views of deep time and other constructs they have used to ridicule faith in God and in the plain reading of His Word.

1 Thess 5:21 says to “test everything, keep the good” - that is the question you have to ask yourself. Is it good to adopt scientific naturalism’s perspective when it contradicts the plain Word? Or is it better to assume that they have a flawed paradigm and work to recontextualize the “fuzzy edges” to meet a more Scriptural framework?