The message today is going to be about Creation versus Evolution, but perhaps not in a way that may be customary. It will address these ideas as people would in everyday interactions and conflicts with others. It will show the social risk when you declare your beliefs to others, and it will be framed in the life of a young boy who was influenced by his father to believe in Creation. That young boy is going to encounter a person that threatens what his father told him, and he will have to deal with that in a way that honors his father and ultimately honors God. 

Today’s youth have a challenge that may have not been this way in the past. They live in a society with mountains of scientific knowledge and evidence that tries to stack itself against the idea that God created the world and all we see. Seeing and hearing this information can bring frustration, hopelessness, anxiety, and fear. However, thanks be to God that we are not without truth and logic to use as tools that can safeguard us against wrong thinking that will likely be encountered by every believer no matter your age.

The goal here is to stimulate and encourage our youth to stand up to ideas that are not of God. Not to become rebellious against an adult or someone trying to help them, but rather to listen, evaluate, and respond thoughtfully, truthfully, and logically so that they can please God.

We cannot deal with every issue involved in Evolution versus Creation because there seems to be an ocean of information that a person cannot cover in twenty minutes. However, we will wrestle with a few simple evolutionistic ideas such as “there is no truth.” That is significant because if there is no truth, we cannot recognize that God created everything. Also, using the same tool of logic, I will show how to use it against the idea that the Big Bang and Evolution was the spark that brought forth all things. Again, this will be a brief apologetic, but I encourage you to consider the message today by placing yourself in the shoes of the young boy.

A young fourteen-year-old boy walks into his freshman public high school science classroom for the first time. He has his father’s dying wish on his heart to confidently say that God created the world and the universe. His dad was a scientist and a man of God. He hoped that he could teach his son the truth about creation vs. evolution. However, God took him into eternity, but before he passed away, he said to his son, “speak confidently about the world that God created, and stand firm against evolution.”

The boy’s day came, he nervously looked around at some freshman sitting in their seats talking to each other. With a smile he walks forward toward his seat, and before the boy sits his eyes land on a strange-looking poster.  So, out of curiosity, he walks through the sea of other kids and chairs to get a closer look at the words and images on the poster. 

It shows a man dressed as a scientist holding the earth above his head in one hand.  The words below his hand read, “There is no truth. Science discovered from nothing that evolution created everything!”

 He was immediately confused and frustrated because that was not what his Father taught him. He taught him that it is true that God created our world not evolution. The boy puffs up his chest and whispers, with pride, “I am smarter than this dumb poster.” While still staring at the poster in shock, he hears a loud, slam! Looking behind himself he sees a smiling man dressed in a brown suit jacket with elbow patches, light tan pants, a pea green shirt, a black belt, and black shoes.  Walking into the classroom, he says, “Welcome to Science class.”  

As the man pulls papers and books out of this bag and sets them on his desk, other kids whisper, “I heard he was really smart”. Another child says, “Yeah, I heard he is like a science genius or something.” Still another child says,” his quote is on that poster on the wall, and he is logical too”.  As the young boy’s inner thoughts start to spin, he says, ‘I know my dad wished before he died that I understand science and God, but I am just beginning.  I am struggling, and maybe my parents were wrong.  

Consider the following statement: If God is all-powerful, can he create a rock that he cannot lift? This statement is self-defeating because if God created a rock that he could not lift he would not have all power. This is a self-defeating statement because its conclusion cannot be true if it is acted out.

Considering the poster the Young boy saw on the wall said, “There is no truth.” This claim is self-defeating because if there is no truth then how can we know that the statement they are making is true? For they are claiming that it is true that there is no truth. 

Returning to the boy, the boy striving to confidently correct the teacher walks up to him and says “My dad told me that science is useful, but it does not rule the world, God rules and God created the earth from nothing. He quotes,” In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth Gen. 1:1” The teacher responds, “If that is what you believe you are likely to fail this class because I teach there is no truth, Science discovered that from nothing evolution created everything.” Then with a big smile, he grins and points to the poster. 

Shocked by the teacher’s response he widened his eyes then quickly held his head down, in a knee-jerk reaction, said “Yes sir” and walked out of the classroom. 

How would you stand against your teacher and risk failing your class?  Colossians 4:6 says, “Conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity…”

The next day the young boy waited nervously through class to speak to his teacher about the poster. The bell rang, it seemed louder today, and the boy walked to the teacher.  May I speak with you about the poster? The teacher responded of course you may.  The boy standing with hands by his side slightly looking down began to speak. My father taught me about hum. Hum, stuttering “self-refuting.” The teacher quickly asserted, “Yes, I have heard of self-refuting statements.” The young boy said, “The quote on the poster is self-refuting.” 

 With a furrowed brow the teacher says,” How so?” The boy breathed deeply, filling his chest with air, looked at the man square in the eyes, exhaled, and said when something is self-refuting the conclusion of it can’t be true when it’s acted out. The teacher responds, “OK”. 

 The boy continues with his response, “I’ll give you an example first; never use the word never.   That statement is self-refuting because the word never was used. So, now the poster, when you say there is no truth then it means that statement must be lying. Because if there is no truth it makes that statement not true, that there is no truth.

The teacher taken aback by the boy’s statement is now shocked. With his mouth slightly opened, eyes widened, and staring at the boy he quickly gathers himself and shakes his head. The teacher responds,

science discovered that “From nothing, evolution created everything.” The boy unprepared for such a quick comeback looks down at his feet. 

The teacher says, “This is what I teach in this class so if you can’t understand this again, you’re going likely fail and get a failing grade.”  

The boy’s heart began to race thinking if he stood up against his teachers how much trouble would he get in with his mother if he failed his class.  Or should he keep his mouth shut, and head down for the rest of the class?  Just then he remembered what his father said about him speaking the truth and standing against those who believe in evolution. 

The boy responds, “My dad said, “God created the world in the beginning and God created the heavens and the earth”. And that statement about evolution is self-defeating too. The teacher obviously agitated shifts his feet, puts his hands in his pocket, stares at the boy and says, “how so”. The boy says, if there was nothing, to begin with, evolution could not have existed because there was nothing!  Feeling a little bit more confident the boy, standing against evolution, says “what makes you  think evolution is true?”  The teacher responds, “Well, the Big Bang happened when there was nothing and then brought into existence everything else.” The boy quickly responds, “Again this is self-refuting because if there was nothing then what made the Big Bang?” The teacher flustered, face turning red, looks down at his feet then looks at the young boy. 

  He says, “Young man I knew your father and he taught you well I knew that he believed in creation and disagreed with evolution, and you have represented him well today. I encourage you to keep studying, keep being challenged, and if you keep up the good work that you’re doing and defending creation versus evolution, and I think you’ll do well in life.

With a grin of satisfaction, the boy grabs his backpack says goodbye to the teacher, opens the door, walks out for the day, and goes home.

Conclusion 

The creation versus evolution argument touches each Christian’s life. Whether you are young in this world, old, or somewhere in the middle. If you are standing firm against what is false teaching, and you hold fast to the truth that God created all things you’re going to be faced with a situation where your thinking is going to be challenged. 

We don’t need to hide ourselves in a cave somewhere but rather we can speak the truth confidently without recoiling, or being afraid because we can know the truth and know what is false. The young boy’s beliefs were challenged, and he stood firm against one who was supposed to teach him. 

And we all can stand firm against the false mentality of teachers maybe your coworker, bank teller, the person that you meet while you’re at the bus stop, or your cousin, you fill in the blank. 

But I hope you can wrestle with these thoughts and begin to build your firm foundation of confidence in what is true as far as what God says, being able to defend it against false information. 

The problem between creation versus evolution is much bigger than can handle in 20 minutes. However, understanding and using the tool of knowing a self-refuting statement will help you reach a valid conclusion and see an error in statements.

 It will help you to defend against people who may have good intentions, want to do the right thing and are telling you what they think is true. However, they may not recognize how what they’re saying can’t be true. I encourage you to look at the scriptures and honor your father when you are speaking about the reality of the creation that he made and understand what makes something true or false. Lastly, speak the truth when questioned and stand against false ideas. It is my sincere hope that you all hold fast to what is reasonable and true as we consider and go forth in the world that God created.