The 'survival of the fittest' is a phrase coined by a man by the name of Herbert Spencer. The phrase, however, is most often associated with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which he espoused in his famous 1859 work, "On the Origin of Species". To be precise, the complete title of Darwin's book was, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life". Whew...that's a mouthful!
As currently defined by Merriam-Webster, 'survival of the fittest' means - "the natural process by which organisms best adjusted to their environment are most successful in surviving and reproducing".
That's a pretty 'softened' definition of the true concept if you ask me. According to Dictionary.com, it is defined as - "the principle...that those who are eliminated in the struggle for existence are the unfit". I prefer this definition as it tells it more straight and true to the original concept of both Spencer and Darwin. The strong survive and the weak are eliminated.
Modern evolutionists feel the need to soften the definition due to the fact that many who they desire to swing to their side in the Evolution vs. Creation debate are offended by the harshness of the concept of natural selection. But, it doesn't take more than a few minutes of critical thought to realize that, if evolution is the way things came to be as they are, then it is impossible for morality to exist as there is no one to establish it. In a world of evolution, surviving and thriving at the expense of the weak and vulnerable is to be expected and respected. We can observe this philosophy at work in the animal kingdom.
My wife and I enjoy feeding birds in our backyard. One interesting thing we have observed is that, no matter what type of birds are present, the larger birds assert their dominance over the smaller birds.
What I am saying is, the bird who was the bully a minute ago is now being bullied by a bigger bird who has entered the picture. Do you think that the (now) smaller bird has learned his lesson and will begin to treat smaller birds with respect now that he knows what it feels like to be bullied? Absolutely not. As soon as the big bird leaves, he tries to rule the roost yet again, no moral lessons are learned.
Why is this? Because animals are not created in the image of God. They have no concept of morality. Neither have the read the law of God. The one that is the strongest typically does survive the longest because he has no qualms about surviving at the expense of others.
When you read Scripture, you see very clearly that this is not the case in this world that God has created for us as humans. It doesn't take a Bible scholar or a theologian to come to this conclusion, either. We are born with a God-consciousness and we can comprehend these concepts early in life.
Scripture is a revelation of the character of God. Throughout it, we see that God is certainly the "strongest", yet He humbles himself to serve man in our low condition. This concept doesn't exist in Spencer or Darwin's way of thinking. Praise God that His way of thinking is different than man's! Amen? Isaiah 55:8-9 puts it nicely when it tells us, about God, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
I am grateful that He, not me, is in control. It's all I can do to try to keep myself lined out. Now, where did I put my keys?
Pastor Jeremy
