Where Did the Different “Races” Come From?

by Wayne Jackson

“Where did the different ‘races’ of men upon the earth come from?”

The Evolutionary View

At the commencement of this discussion, we must insist that the so-called “racial” developments did not result from an evolutionary ascendancy, with certain “races” being lower than others on the animal-to-human scale.

For many years this was the evolutionary propaganda line, though most modern disciples of Darwin shrink back from it because of changing social values. But the sub-title of Charles Darwin’s book, The Origin of Species (1859) was: By Means Of Natural Selection: Or, The Preservation Of Favored Races In The Struggle For Life.

One writer has observed:

“After 1859, the evolutionary schema raised additional questions, particularly whether or not Afro-Americans could survive competition with their white near-relations. The momentous answer [in the evolutionary community] was a resounding no . . .The African was inferior — he represented the missing link between the ape and the Teuton” (John C. Burnham, Science, Vol. 175, February 4, 1972, p. 506).

Henry Fairfield Osborn was a professor of biology and zoology at Columbia University. For a quarter of a century (1908-33), he also served as the President of the American Museum of Natural History’s Board of Trustees. Osborn once wrote:

“The Negroid stock is even more ancient than the Caucasian and Mongolians, as may be proved by an examination not only of the brain, of the hair, of the bodily characteristics . . .but of the instinct, the intelligence. The standard of intelligence of the average adult Negro is similar to that of the eleven-year old youth of the species Homo sapiens” (“The Evolution of Human Races,” Natural History, January/February, 1926; reprinted in the April, 1980 edition, p. 129).

Those who view “race” development through evolutionary “colored lenses” do not compliment themselves.

The Biblical View

The Bible does not classify human beings along the “racial” lines that are common to modern thought. The Greek term that is rendered “race” — several times in the American Standard Version of the Bible (cf. Mk. 7:26; Acts 4:36; 18:2,24) — finds a variety of translation expressions in the old King James Version.

The word genos occurs 21 times in the Greek New Testament. In the KJV, it is rendered by such terms as “kind” (Mt. 13:47; 17:21; 1 Cor. 12:10; 14:10), “kindred” (Acts 4:6; 7:13,19), “country” (Acts 4:36), “offspring” (Acts 17:28-29; Rev. 22:16), “nation” (Mk. 7:26; Gal. 1:14), “stock” (Acts 13:26; Phil. 3:5), “born” (Acts 18:2,24), “countryman” (2 Cor. 11:26), “generation” (1 Pet. 2:9), “diversity” (1 Cor. 12:28).

As the careful student can see, in not a single passage is the term used of a pigmentation distinction, e.g., white race, black race, yellow race, etc. The Scriptures speak of nations, tribes, tongues [languages], and peoples, but they do not focus upon color shades. Geographical regions or close cultural associations are the usual applications of the word.

The following facts are most relevant to this issue.

All human beings are from a solitary human couple, Adam and Eve, who were fashioned by the hand of God himself (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7,21-23). In his discourse to the Athenians, Paul declared that God “made of one every nation [ethnos] of men to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26 – ASV).

The expression “of one,” as it appears in the Greek Testament, is ex henos, literally “out of one male.” The allusion clearly is to Adam, out of whose side came Eve (Gen. 2:21-23), and, ultimately all humanity (Gen. 3:20). From the divine vantage point, there is no diversity of ethnicity.

In Acts chapter 10 there is the record of the first instance of Gentiles being admitted into the kingdom of Christ. The case involved Cornelius, a Roman centurion who worshipped the true God (v. 2), but who had not been proselytized to the Jewish system (cf. Acts 2:11). By a vision, the Lord instructed the Roman officer to send for Peter, who would provide the necessary information for conversion (vv. 3ff; cf. 11:14).

Similarly, Peter was supplied with a supernatural “nudge,” motivating him to go to this Gentile dignitary with the gospel (vv. 9ff). When all the respective parties made their connection, the apostle explained why this unusual event was transpiring. It was because “God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he who fears [reverences] him, and works righteousness, is acceptable to him” (vv. 34-35).

The phrase “respecter of persons” is quite interesting. In the Greek text it constitutes a single word, prosopolemptes, literally to “lay hold on a face” (see W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words under “Persons (respect of)).”The Lord does not look at the color of a person’s face; he looks at the quality of his soul (cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; Gal. 2:6).

From a biological standpoint, it is obvious that from the commencement of the human family, mankind was designed with the potential for ethnic expansion.The mechanism for variation was packaged within the human genetic reservoir.

Each human cell contains that marvelous chemical substance known as DNA (short for deoxyribonucleic acid). DNA is the code that has been programmed by the Creator for the productions of different “kinds” of biological organisms, which includes the potential for variability within those kinds. It has been estimated that the DNA in a single human cell, if decoded and translated into English, would fill a 1,000 volume set of encyclopedias of some 600 pages each (Rick Gore, National Geographic, September, 1976, p. 357).

Another element that must be factored into this scenario is the historical circumstance of the dispersing of the human family in the days of the post-Flood era. Early humanity largely had neglected the Creator’s charge to “fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28). In fact, a significant portion absolutely refused to do so (see Gen. 11:4).

Accordingly, God “confounded” their speech and “scattered them abroad” (Gen. 11:6ff). The subsequent separations created the circumstances that accommodated the physical variations of the human family. It is a well-known fact that in tight-knit societies, “dominant” genes tend to produce a more static set of traits, whereas in smaller populated groups “recessive” genes are allowed greater freedom to flourish, hence, more variable physical characteristics flourish.

The combined factors, therefore, of an incredibly rich genetic pool, together with an eventual dispersal of the human family, found just the right set of environments for the development of varying physical features.

Conclusion

In spite of the many minute differences between certain groups of humankind, overall each of the culturally segmented groups of the family of man is remarkably similar. In fact, note the following concession from a prominent evolutionist. Dr. Ashley Montagu has written:

“The members of all ethnic groups are far too much alike in their structural and functional characteristics for them to have originated from different apelike forms. And that is precisely the point, the more we study the different ethnic groups of man the more alike they turn out to be. The likenesses by far outnumber the differences” (Human Heredity, New York: The New American Library, 1960, p. 184).

Those “likenessness” separate human beings from the animal “kinds,” and yet the “differences” reveal God’s infinite wisdom in creative design! We should give thanks unto him, for we have been “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psa. 139:14).

Scripture References

Mark 7:26; Acts 4:36, 18:2, 24; Matthew 13:47, 17:21; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 14:10; Acts 4:6, 7:13, 19; Acts 4:36; Acts 17:28-29; Revelation 22:16; Galatians 1:14; Acts 13:26; Philippians 3:5; Acts 18:2, 24; 2 Corinthians 11:26; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 21-23; Acts 17:26; Genesis 2:21-23; Genesis 3:20; Acts 2:11; Galatians 2:6; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 11:4; Genesis 11:6; Psalm 139:14

Cite this article

Jackson, Wayne. "Where Did the Different "Races" Come From?" ChristianCourier.com. Access date: January 29, 2018. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/679-where-did-the-different-races-come-from

EVOLUTION

The Bible Says the Earth is Young

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

To the sincere and honest student, what the Bible says about the age of the Earth deserves serious consideration. For those who believe that there is a God, that Jesus is His Son, and that the Bible is His Word, this section offers an accurate answer to the question about the Earth’s age.

It certainly would have solved many problems if God had put a verse in the Bible that said something to the effect of: “When Jesus was born, the Earth was exactly 4,134 years old.” Obviously, no such statement can be found in The Book, but that does not mean that the answer is not there. Many times, in order to find out what the Bible says about a particular subject, we must look at several different verses and piece them together like a puzzle. So, let’s take one piece at a time.

In one sense, the Bible tells us exactly how old the Earth is. In Mark 10:6, Jesus stated: “From the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.” How long has humankind been on this Earth? Jesus said “from the beginning of the creation.” Genesis 1:26-31 explains that God chose the sixth day of the Creation week to form mankind from the dust of the ground. Were humans a part of that six-day beginning? Indeed they were. But what does it matter if mankind was formed on day six? Exodus 20:11 records: “For in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day….” Quite simply, that piece of information, combined with the information from Genesis 1 and Mark 10:6, informs us the Earth is exactly five days older than humanity!

In order to determine the age of the Earth, then, we must determine how long man has been here—which is not as difficult as it may seem. Speaking in round figures, it has been about 2,000 years since Jesus Christ visited the Earth. Secular history volunteers that piece of information, since it is A.D. 2002 (A.D. standing for anno Domini, meaning “in the year of the Lord”). Next, we must determine how many years came between Jesus Christ and Abraham. Secular history also volunteers this figure, which turns out to be about 2,000. These two figures can be obtained from practically any secular history book.

The final number we must uncover is the number of years between Abraham and Adam. We know from Genesis 1:1-5 that the Earth was created on day one. We know from Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that Adam was “the first man.” And we know from Genesis 1 that Adam was created on day six of the Creation week. If we could determine the number of years between Adam and Abraham, that would place us within five days of “the beginning.” All that would be necessary to calculate an approximate age for the Earth would be to add the three figures together—the time from Adam to Abraham, the time from Abraham to Jesus, and the time from Jesus to us. The figure representing the time between Abraham and Adam cannot be retrieved from secular history, of course (nor should we expect it to be), since the Noahic Flood would have destroyed most, if not all, of the records pertaining to that time period. How, then, can we determine the number of years in that time span?

In chapter 3 of the book that bears his name, Luke lists 55 generations between Jesus and Abraham—a time that archaeology has determined to be about 2,000 years (see Kitchen and Douglas, 1982). In that same chapter, Luke documents that there were only 20 generations between Abraham and Adam. How much time is covered by those twenty generations? Since Genesis 5 provides the ages of the fathers at the time of the births of the sons in the period between Abraham and Adam, it is a simple matter to calculate the approximate number of years during that time span—a figure that turns out to be about 2,000. In chart form it looks like this:

Present to Jesus	2,000 years
Jesus to Abraham	2,000 years (55 generations)
Abraham to Adam	2,000 years (20 generations)

[The fact that the 55 generations between Jesus and Abraham cover 2,000 years, while only 20 generations between Abraham and Adam cover the same amount of time, is explained quite easily on the basis of the vast ages of the patriarchs (e.g., Methuselah, who lived 969 years—Genesis 5:27).]

Some have argued that the genealogies in Genesis 5 cannot be used to show the age of the Earth because they contain huge gaps. But in Jude verse 14, the writer noted that “Enoch was the seventh from Adam” (he is listed, in fact, exactly seventh in the genealogies in Genesis 5:21). Therefore, we know that there are no gaps between the first seven patriarchs, because Jude, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, confirmed the Old Testament account. That leaves only 13 generations with possible gaps between them. In order to accommodate the evolutionary scenario that man has been on the Earth (in some form) approximately 3.5 million years, one would need to insert approximately 290,000 years between each of the 13 generations. It does not take a wealth of Bible knowledge or common sense to see that this quickly becomes ludicrous. Who could believe that the first seven of these generations are so exact, while the remaining 13 contain “gaps” of over 290,000 years each? What kind of biblical exegesis would that represent?

The Bible plainly teaches, after all the pieces have been put together, that the Earth is only about 6,000 or so years old. It is a young Earth after all!

REFERENCES

Kitchen, Kenneth A. and J.D. Douglas, eds. (1982), The New Bible Dictionary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale), second edition.

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Copyright © 2002 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

The God-Approved View of Animals

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Where would we be without God’s guidance? Without God and His instruction for mankind, what would we truly know about what is really right and wrong, good and evil? How could we show someone the “right” way to view the world and everything in it? How could we prove that human beings have more value than a pebble or a plant? The fact is, without God’s revealed will, a sensible existence on Earth is hopeless. As the prophet Jeremiah stated, “The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (10:23).

In this issue of Discovery, we specifically want to discuss how humanity should view animals. We want to look past how people feel about cows, cats, and cockroaches, and discover what God reveals about animals. Rather than “lean…on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Thankfully, we can learn a great deal about animals and man in only the first few chapters of the Bible. In addition to creating all of the celestial bodies of the Universe, including (and especially!) Earth with all of its land and seas, God created living things on Earth on days three, five, and six of Creation. On day three God made all manner of growing herbs, grass, plants, and trees. On days five and six, God created all kinds of animals—from penguins to piranhas and from platypuses to porcupines. It is after God created all of the animals that we learn a great deal more about them.

In Genesis 1:26-28, God said:

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

What God says about mankind in these three verses is extremely important. If we miss this teaching, we will not have a proper view (that is, God’s view!) about man and his relationship with animals.

In addition to teaching that man is to rule over the animal kingdom, Genesis 1:26-28 reveals that God made man and woman in His image, after His likeness. Since God is spirit (John 4:24), and we are made in His image, there must be a part of us that is spirit, too. In fact, Hebrews 12:9 refers to God as the “Father of spirits.” Unlike plants and animals, a human being is really a spiritual soul with a physical body. When a person dies, his or her immortal soul departs the old body and enters the unending afterlife (Genesis 35:18).

When animals die, their bodies decay; there is no part of them that lives on. When humans die, our bodies decay and return to the Earth, but our souls live forever (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The Bible refers to Adam, the first man, as the “son of God” (Luke 3:38), and to mankind in general as “the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29). No animal was ever described by God with such splendid language. God “crowned him [mankind] with glory and honor,” and He made “him to have dominion over…all sheep and oxen—even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea” (Psalm 8:5-8).

Further indications of the major differences between humans and animals can be found in the next few chapters of Genesis. After Adam and Eve sinned, the Scriptures imply that God killed one or more animals in order to make “tunics of skin” to properly cover the first couple (3:21). In Genesis 8, we learn that the Lord was pleased with Noah for taking at least one of every clean animal from the ark and offering them as burnt offerings to the Lord (vss. 20-21). Then, in the next chapter, we learn that God told Noah and his family that all of the beasts, birds, and fish “are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs” (Genesis 9:2-3).

Animals are certainly marvelous creations of God. In Discovery, we often highlight their amazing abilities, which demand a Designer. With that said, however, we must keep a proper, God-approved perspective of animals. We certainly are to be good stewards of all that God has created, but with animals, this often involves possessing them (Genesis 4:2,4), working them (Exodus 20:10), riding them (Luke 19:34-36), and, yes, even killing them for necessary food and clothing—all of which is graciously permitted by the Creator and Sustainer of life.

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Copyright © 2018 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.