Study 19 "Who Is Man?" Part 2

Psalm 8.3-9

Those who view life from the perspective of evolutionary thought have an essentially negative perspective on life and mankind. Humans are the product of an impersonal process directed by spurious, unplanned circumstances. Ironically, from the view of evolution, man is a victim. We have evolved this strange sense of self-awareness, yet, are no better than a bug. We can try to clean up the world and reverse global warming, yet, as we try to fix the earth’s environment, some unexpected, unforeseen event still could wipe us all out. Talk about sad!

Since we can claim no right to supremacy, then no particular product of man’s thoughts should be viewed as superior in its concepts. Democracy is not better than dictatorship, capitalism is not more worthy than communism. Further, no religion can claim ascendency. Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, animism, Confucianism, et al are all the same: man’s misbegotten ideas about a god who is not there. Thus, let us all eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. As John Lennon sang, "nothing to live or die for." How sad and pointless.

The biblical view of life is diametrically opposed to the concept of life intrinsic to evolution. Christianity and Judaism are essentially positive in their outlooks. For the Jews, one could live well in the land by obeying the commands of God. For Christians, Jesus has promised an abundant life (not to be confused with material prosperity). For all who believe the truths of the Old and New Testaments, God is in control of all things and will, in the end, bring his purposes to pass. As bad and inept as mankind might be, God insures the viability of all life.

God has shown incredible interest in the welfare of his creation. He has put man in control of it, while at the same time insuring that creation itself cannot be wholly destroyed by the human race. What man must understand, and generally does not, is that he is steward, not owner. Since man is the steward of creation, he is accountable to God for his management of his resources. How we use what we have determines how we live. Tithing, by the way, is the believer’s admission of God’s ownership and man’s stewardship.

History is replete with examples of man’s poor stewardship. Take the Mayans, for instance. Located in Central America and the Yucatan, their kingdoms once flourished and dominated that region. The ruins of their great cities still engender amazement in tourists as they flock to places such as Chichen Itza. When the Mayans built those great edifices, they coated them with a kind of lime plaster. Unfortunately, massive numbers of trees had to be cut down to fuel the fires needed to make the lime. Ultimately, their commitment to the decoration of their buildings depleted the trees. Mayan civilization imploded and the cities died.

Ironically, archeologists face an unusual hurdle in their attempts to study the Mayan ruins: trees. The tropical forests returned with a vengeance. They literally ate up the cities, covering them in a sea of green leaves. The Mayans failed as stewards; they mismanaged their resources for foolish reasons. God did not fail; the trees returned. The natural world will survive with man, without man, or in spite of man.

Evolutionists have a fundamental lack of confidence in humanity (their only hope is their own elitist schemes). Man has made a mess, and as a collective, cannot be trusted to fix it. Scripture also teaches that man is, at times, untrustworthy: all sin. Yet, even in our evident failure, we have hope in God. Since the evolutionists reject the very idea of god, they are without hope and desperate. As human beings themselves, how can they believe their idea of survival is any better than anyone else’s?

Did David conclude than man, with respect to his position in the world, was worthy of adulation and adoration? No, his answer was, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth" (Psa. 8.1,9). God and God alone is to be worshiped. In God, man finds meaning for himself.

NOTE: Please go to Edmond's Study Helps and view the post of the lyrics of the song "Imagine" by John Lennon along with comments. The song illustrates well the evolutionary mindset.