| Dearly beloved saints of Covenant of Grace,It was a blessing to worship with you this past Lord’s Day morning and evening. I have been praying for you ever since and I hope that you are well as you read this. As I pray for you every week I always pray for God’s provision in every way, and especially for Him to continue to grow all of us in our knowledge of Him, and grant us faith to stand firmly upon His inerrant and infallible Word. I pray this because in our ever-degrading culture we are surrounded by a sea of lies at all times.One of those lies stood out to me this past week as I witnessed a number of professing Christians attempting to argue vehemently for what has been called “theistic evolution” – that is, the idea that the origin of perhaps man, and certainly of the animals, can be explained via a process of evolution, overseen by God. At first glance, the idea sounds attractive to some who have been trained to think that evolution is scientifically well-supported, indeed virtually undeniable. Theistic evolution seems to provide a way to affirm both that evolution is true and that we owe our existence to the power of God, since, in this view, he worked through evolution. However, on closer inspection, not only is scientific evidence for evolution found to be greatly wanting, but, more importantly, this theory is found to be entirely incompatible with the Word of God.In the first place, evolution flatly contradicts the clear teaching in Genesis that God directly created the animals and man. Genesis 1:25 plainly states that God created the various animals, not through a process of transformation in which they changed from one kind of thing to another, but, from the start, “according to their kinds” – that is, as species already fully formed, distinct from one another. Furthermore, Genesis 2:7 is clear that God directly formed man, not from a previously existing species, but by forming the dust of the ground and breathing life into his nostrils (cf. Gen 2:7). Therefore, one must be willing to greatly twist the text if he wishes to make room for a process of evolution that simply isn’t there.In the second place, Scripture teaches that death only entered the world as a result of man’s fall into sin. Romans 5:12 tell us that, “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin.” It is because man, who was given dominion over the earth, fell into sin that the creation was subjected to futility, groaning as it was subjected, among other things to death (cf. Rom 8:19-21). To put it bluntly, the Bible declares to us that there was no death in the world prior to sin, since death is the result of sin. This means one cannot posit a long period of time in which many animals lived and died, eventually resulting in the species we’re familiar with today and / or mankind, without denying or distorting the clear testimony of the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture. There is no room in the biblical worldview for a process of evolution because there is no room in it for the entrance of death before the entrance of man’s sin.The Bible is straightforward that God made every species that has been made, including human beings, by His own unaided creative power. By His awesome Word, the Lord created the heavens and the earth. “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Heb 11:3). By His own handiwork and out-breathing He created man, body and soul (cf. Gen 2:7). “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). Thus, the entirety of creation that surrounds you, and of which you are a part, declares His glory (cf. Ps 19:1-3). You yourself are fearfully and wonderfully made, having been knit together in your mother’s womb by His wisdom and power (cf. Ps 139:13-14). You were not fashioned from a previously existing yet inferior species in order to be God’s monkey 2.0, you were made in His image to fill the world with His glory (cf. Gen 1:26-28). More amazing still, you, Christian, have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, so that just as death came into the world and spread to all people by one man, you might share in God’s gift of righteousness to all of His people through the one man Jesus Christ, resulting in eternal life (cf. Rom 5:15-19). All of this is inseparably linked to the biblical truth that God created all things, and, with special affection, man, not by lengthy process involving numberless deaths, but by His own immediate action.Therefore, let’s not flinch in the face of those who shout lies, declaring that their claims are so well-established as to make any questioning of them ridiculous. Let us begin by believing the perfect and enduring Word of our God. And with that foundation firmly in place, let us not be afraid to examine the evidence to see where it really leads, unafraid that it might undermine the accuracy of the biblical testimony, since this is impossible, given that our God knows all things, never lies, and is Himself both the Creator of all things and the Author of the book that tells us all about it. Let us stand firmly upon that testimony, glorifying God for it, proclaiming it to others, and praying for the Lord to use it to call them to likewise humble themselves, submit to the truth, and give Him the praise due His name! In Christ,Pastor Eric P.S.Join us for the prayer meeting each Wednesday in the Fellowship Hall – dinner is served at 6:00pm, followed by a brief lesson and a time of prayer at 6:30. Or, join us for prayer each Thursday at 10:30am in the adult Sunday School room.Please mark your calendars! If you ever need to double-check dates, events are usually kept up to date on the church’s website calendar: https://covenantofgracews.org/event-calendar/· Daily devotions o I continue to encourage you to daily read Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening as we seek to maintain a spirit of unity. It is widely available – here is one link: § https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/morning-and-evening/today ‘Vision Statement’ Covenant of Grace is a loving church family that equips people to know God and His Word through serious, joyful, Christ-centered worship and service, in reliance upon the Holy Spirit. Matt 22:37-39 37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself = Love God. Love people. We are located at: 508 Harvey Street Winston-Salem, NC 27103 Our mailing address is: Covenant of Grace Presbyterian Church PO Box 26511 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27114-6511 Copyright © 2023 non-profit, Covenant of Grace ARP Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. 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