Most of us have asked the big questions at some point—maybe late at night, maybe in a season of loss, maybe while staring up at the sky: Where did all of this come from? And what does it mean about me? Those aren’t just “science questions.” They’re heart questions. Because the moment you start talking about origins, you’re also talking about meaning, accountability, hope, and who gets to define what’s true.
One helpful way to frame it is this: when it comes to beginnings, you’re always trusting something. As one speaker put it, if you rule out the possibility of a Creator, you don’t end up with “no faith”—you end up with a different kind of faith. And Scripture invites us to be honest about that, and thoughtful too. “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you… with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Not arrogance. Not panic. Just steady confidence in Christ.
# Two ways to tell the story of the world
At the core, there are two competing stories about origins: creation or some form of evolution. There are variations, of course, but the deeper issue is this: Is the universe ultimately the product of a personal God who speaks, or an impersonal process that happens?
Genesis opens with a claim that’s as simple as it is weighty: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). If that’s true, then your life isn’t an accident. You’re not self-made. You belong to Someone. And that changes everything—especially how you understand truth, suffering, and salvation.
Jesus treated the Old Testament as real history, not inspirational myth. He said, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me… But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:46–47). In other words, our view of Genesis doesn’t sit in a corner; it connects to how we trust Jesus.
# Don’t get trapped by word games
One reason conversations about origins get confusing is that the word evolution is often used in more than one way. Sometimes it simply means “change within a kind”—like the obvious variety you see in dog breeds or shifts in a population over time. That kind of change is observable.
But the bigger claim—common ancestry over millions of years turning one kind of creature into another—is a different statement entirely. And it’s worth slowing down and asking: What kind of change are we actually talking about? That question alone can clear a lot of fog.
A classic example is the peppered moth. The population shifted from mostly light to mostly dark when pollution darkened the trees, and then shifted back when the environment changed again. That’s real adaptation—but notice what didn’t happen: moths didn’t become something else. Variation was already present. The environment simply favored one trait over another.
# Why this matters when life gets hard
Here’s where it gets deeply personal. The Bible says God’s creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). But we also live in a world full of death, disease, and grief. How do those fit together?
Scripture’s answer is not that death was always part of God’s “creative method,” but that death entered through sin. Adam’s disobedience brought curse and consequence (Genesis 3), and the New Testament echoes it: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That’s not just theology—it’s the storyline that makes sense of why the world is both beautiful and broken.
And it’s the storyline that makes the cross shine. Jesus stepped into this cursed world, bore what we deserve, and rose again. He didn’t come to manage death; He came to defeat it.
So if you’re trying to grow spiritually, here’s a practical invitation: let Genesis strengthen—not shrink—your trust in Jesus. Hold fast to the Word, like Paul urged: the gospel is “in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). God’s Word isn’t fragile. And your faith doesn’t need to be either.
# A steady place to stand
You won’t have an answer to every question. That’s okay. But you can have a foundation: God has spoken, God has acted in history, and God has made a way back to Himself through Christ. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” Jesus said. “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
If you want to grow, start there: honor Christ as Lord in your heart (1 Peter 3:15), trust what God has revealed, and let your hope be both thoughtful and gentle in a world that desperately needs it.
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