Does the Bible allow an Evolutionary interpretation?

The answer is NO. Several years ago, I attempted to answer the above question that was sent to me in an email. I replied with three primary reasons that affirm a negative conclusion. Recently, I received the same basic question from a follower in the great state of Idaho. My answer this time reflects some additional thoughts that I have acquired from my studies with guidance from the Institute for Creation Research which are too good to ignore! See my footnote at the bottom of page for the full response if you desire to go deeper.[1]

Let me share five of them with you in a summary format:

1. From a Biblical standpoint, there is no suggestion of evolutionary expansion: I believe that evidence that supports the Biblical creation record clearly contradicts an evolutionary construct. Either the creation account is actual history, or the scientific theory of evolution is true about the origins of all matters of life occurring through the process of random chance over millions and millions of years. These two positions are mutually exclusive. Both cannot be true at the same time and in the same way. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1) and because God is the Creator, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard” (Psa. 19:1-3).
2. The language used in the Bible is exact about the duration and sequence in the creation events: Our twenty-four-hour clock is because God created the first day to be twenty-four and not some other duration. We did not evolve into a twenty-four-hour day and night sequence. This is explicitly defined in the first chapter of Genesis, “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (vv.3-5). The same formula is repeated for each of six working days of God’s initial work week. “And God saw everything that He made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Gen. 1:31).   
3. One’s first test of faith occurs in the first verse of the Bible: This point occurred to me as I heard a sermon on Genesis. The Pastor asked the following question. When is it appropriated to believe that the Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word? He then used the Book of Genesis as his test case and suggested that we start with the first verse. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” He then said, “This is your first test of faith in the one true God, our Creator.” I thought about it for days after, running the implications for believing and not believing what God has said. God’s first words repudiate all of the world’s philosophies having do with the origins and the meaning of life. For example: Atheism says there is no God, yet they admit to the universe that He created.     
4. The Biblical creation account does not match an evolutionary development: Evolution theory posits that matter has always existed. God provides us with the moment before He spoke into being the beginning of life as we know it. “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light” (Gen. 1:2-3).
5. The Bible sees “death” as a judgment due to sin, not a means to make the “survival of the fittest” possible: The issue of “death” is key to the both evolution theory and Creation facts. Without the reality of death evolution could not occur. Billions of life forms over eons of untraceable time have come and gone making possible the survival of the fittest evolve so the theory goes. For evolution theory, death and time must occur over and over such that they are the vital essentials that make the process possible.  The Bible tells a completely different story in regards to the reality of death in the cycle of life which God has created. Death is the result of sin originating with our first parents, Adam and Eve. They were created in the “image” and “likeness” of God to be His representatives of His holy character on earth (Gen. 1:26). God provided His divine blessings upon them and gave dominion over the earthly creation. With responsibility came accountability. God commanded them to adhere to His commands. To disobey would bring death to them and to the world through them (Gen. 2:15-17; Rom. 5:12). Sin brought death, and with it all of the ills of this world (evil, war, disease, and unrest). This rebellion by Adam and Eve is called sin which brought separation from our holy God which is death. Evolution sees “death” as good since it is necessary for theory to progress, but the Bible sees “death” as the result of the treason of “sin” to which our righteous and holy God must judge and condemn. Death is called the “last enemy” that will be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26). For the evolutionist, death and time leads to greater life forms. On the other hand, life is created by God for His glory. Man is created in His image. God brings “life” (1 John 5:12) to “the wages of sin” (Rom. 6:23a) so that “death” may not reign in life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 6:23b).

[1] 5 Reasons to Believe in Recent Creation, Henry M. Morris III, D.Min., 2008.