The relevance of Creation to Biblical Authority and Church strength in Gospel preaching
Dr. Andy McIntosh

1. In order to make advance in the Creation ministry, we should not see the Creation issue in isolation. It is all part of the attack today on the sufficiency of Scripture. The book 'Are we fundamentalists?' by Masters makes this point very ably.

2. In our public speaking,to Christians, it is the Authority of Scripture which we should most seek to emphasise, and the relevance of the Creation issue to this most vital doctrine.

3. Coupled with this we should emphasise that power in preaching the Gospel is linked with belief in the Authority of ALL the Word of God.

4. Science has its place, particularly (a) when dealing with a non-Christian audience and (b) when the meeting is specifically geared to informing Christians who are bothered by the big media push on evolution in the U.K.

5. However there is a GREAT need to win over the mainstream evangelical church leaders to realise the centrality of the issue to the preaching of the Gospel itself.

6. Thus it is important that we make clear that

Example

Below is an EXAMPLE of how in one of his talks, ACM brings the major truths into focus with their relevance to the straightforward teaching of Creation and the Flood:

Death and the Fall There was no animal death before the Fall
Ground cursed at the Fall and Creation put out of joint. Rom. 8:22 "... the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now..." Implies the animal kingdom affected also.
Gen. 1:30 "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life ['nephesh'], I have given every green herb for meat : and it was so". This clearly implies that the animals and humans were vegetarians and death by predators was not known.
God sheds the first blood (Gen 3:21) at the Fall. Implies theologically that animals were first killed after the Fall.

Death and the Fall Adam died spiritually and physically as a result of Fall
The origin of death is spiritual: Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death... " also Heb. 2:14"... that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil."
Gen. 2:17 "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." Literally "dying, thou shalt die"

This means dying [spiritually - immediately when Adam and Eve took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - separation and loss of fellowship with God], thou shalt die [physically - ultimate death of the body 930 years later].

If there was death before the Fall [hominids etc.], then what was the effect of the Fall described in Genesis?

Death and the Fall There was no death before the Fall - Summary
All was good at Creation (Gen 1:31)
Death came because of the Fall. Rom. 5:12 "...by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men..."
Ground cursed at the Fall and Creation put out of joint. Rom. 8:22 "... the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now..."
The origin of death is spiritual: Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death... "also Heb. 2:14" ... that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil."
This clearly shows that the origin of death is due to SIN and THE DEVIL - exactly as in Gen. 3.
God sheds the first blood (Gen 3:21) at the Fall.

Redemption and The Gospel
Christ the Redeemer. Ps 103:4 " ... who redeemeth thy life from destruction..." (see also Gal 3:13).
Christ has broken the power of death : Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Cor 15:21..... since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead..."

First Adam - Death Last Adam - Life (1 Cor 15:47).

The Gospel is only consistent with a straight forward belief in Genesis.

Christ Himself- His Teaching
Christ referred to key people and events as real
Adam & Eve (Mt. 19:4)
Abel (Mt. 23:35)
Noah (Mt. 24:37)
The Flood (Mt. 24:38)

Christ Himself- His Incarnation
Christ is the Creator. He sustains all things.

Descendant of Adam (Lk 3:23-38), the first Man through Mary.
Scripture teaches that not all flesh is the same (1 Cor 15:39)
Fully Man & Fully God (Rom. 1:3,4 and Col 2:9)
Christ made all things (Col 1:16)
By Christ all things consist (Col 1:17)
Christ was made "a little lower than the angels" (Heb. 2:7). It is blasphemy to imply that his earthly nature descended from apes.
Christ is the Only Begotten Son (3n 1:18, 3:16) - The Word made flesh (Jn 1:14).

The Flood & The Return of Christ
The return of Christ is linked to the Flood and a literal Genesis

Creation - Fall - Flood - Christ - Gospel - Return

2Peter 3:4-10 "... Where is the promise of His coming?... For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old But the heavens and the earth, 'which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men... but the day of the Lord will come..."

The Old Testament
Gen 1 history not poetry (cf. Ps 33:6)
Exodus 20 - 4th Commandment
Genesis 5 and 11 have tight chronologies Genealogies repeated - 4 times in all: Gen 5, Gen 11, 1 Chron 1, Lk 3.

The New Testament
Creation, the Fall and the Flood vital to Apostolic writing:
Paul : Adam & Eve (Rom 5:14, 1Cor 15:22,45; 2Cor 11:3 & 1Tim 2:13,14)
Peter: Noah (1 Pet 3:20, 2Pet 2:5)

The serious implications in belief and practice A belief in the straightforward Creation account in Genesis implies:
There is a fundamental difference between men and the animals
Man is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26,27)
All flesh not the same: 1 Cor 15:39 / Gen 1:24,25
Male & Female at the beginning Mk 10:6
Eve the mother of all living Gen 3:20
Thus laws concerning clothing, marriage, standards all have their origin in Genesis.

The serious implications in belief and practice A non-literal belief in Genesis implies:
No difference between men and the animals
Conflict in many OT & NT passages.
No absolutes in Marriage.
No absolutes on clothing.
No absolutes on the individual before his Maker.
Evolution - the endless discarding of the individual, whereas Creation implies the individual is important and responsible to God his Creator.

All the material is subject to copyright restrictions. You may make COMPLETE copies for yourself, but you may not alter the material, publish it in whole or in part or use it for any commercial purpose without our written permission.
© Andy McIntoch, 1998.

Contact email address: earthhist@aol.com
This page updated 1 March 2000

2nd Creation Activists Conference 1998
Amen Website Home Page