The Savior Settles the Issue!

By Edd Sterchi

 

    When did mankind appear upon the earth? Many people disagree. Some think evolution allowed man to ascend from a lower life form. Others think that God created man instantly out of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life (based upon Gen. 1-2). Many Christians even disagree on this issue, despite what the Bible says. Some even blend the two ideas – that God created man via the evolutionary process. Still others say that Gen. 1-2 are poetical accounts of what ancient man believed, but are not fact concerning the origin of man. Sometimes the debate gets quite heated. How can we find the truth?

    What if Jesus could answer the question for us? Would we accept that? Well, He did. When He was questioned about divorce and remarriage in Matthew 19, Jesus then gave an answer that included the origin of the home and the origin of man. In part, He said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’” (Matthew 19:4).

    Note that Jesus said that God “made” that initial pair. The word Jesus used for “made” in that passage is the word “poieo” and means “to produce, to fashion, to create.” In fact, the English Standard Version has translated that word as “created.” Additionally, the Greek tense (the aorist) indicates that this was an individual specific act. If Jesus wanted to give the impression that God made mankind through a slow, developmental process, He would have used the imperfect tense, which suggests a progressive ongoing action as viewed in the past. But He didn’t, because He knew that they were made all at once.

    Note also that Jesus said that God made them “male and female.” Jesus did not subscribe to the notion that life was originally an asexual or bisexual blob of some sort that ultimately evolved into male and female. He said that they were intentionally created male and female and remained that way all along.

    Finally, note that Jesus said that God made them male and female “at the beginning.” Mark’s parallel passage in Mark 10:6 says that this was at “the beginning of the creation.” Jesus puts mankind at the creation of the world, not millions of years afterwards (cf. Exodus 20:11).

    Without a doubt, Jesus confirmed the idea of divine, intentional, instant creation of mankind as their origin – and He ought to know, for He was there (Genesis 1:26-27; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16).

    I know this: If I believe exactly what My Lord knew and spoke about the origin of man, I will not be wrong. Hallelujah, the Savior settles the issue!

- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Broadway Church of Christ in Campbellsville, KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.broadwaychurchofchrist.net/