I don't think that man's need for salvation is dependent upon the conclusion that God did not use evolution as his tool for the creation of man. Nor do I think that any of those passages are inconsistent with the conclusion that God used evolution as a tool for the creation of man. I'll grant you that the passage which states that God used one of Adam's ribs to create Eve does not fit well with the notion that Eve was the product of evolution, but that has nothing to do with how Adam was created. In fact, it's entirely possible that the correct Biblical interpretation is that neither Adam nor Eve were the product of evolution, but that there were other "men and women" living in the land who were, and that it was from these women that Cain and Able selected their wives.
I don't think you can fairly take discrete Biblical verses and draw firm conclusions from them pertaining to evolution. The verbage used in the Bible was intended to convey a timeless message, that could be understood by men of any era. God did not need to explain every detail of the creation in order to convey that message, and if he had done so, and that explanation had involved evolution, you can be certain that it would not have been understood until the modern times.
This is not to say that the Bible is not literally true. It merely concedes that every word may not mean precisely what you think it means. And there are many instances where this has clearly been the case in other contexts.
For example, the religious men of Christ's time rejected Him because their interpretation of the scriptures did not allow for the possibility of a Christ who came from Nasareth. He may have been born in Bethlehem, but they did not know that, or perhaps they did not deem that sufficient. In addition, He was simply not the kind of King that they were expecting, based upon their reading of the scriptures. They were reading the same scriptures that you and I read, but they had a different understanding which they did not think could be wrong. Needless to say, their mistake was catastrophic.
I am struck by the fact that the Biblical story of the creation seems largely to be consistent with the scientific explanation. To me, it seems impossible that someone writing a work of mere fiction, more than 2000 years ago, could by accident come up with a version of the creation that dovetails so nicely with what modern science tells us happened.
I agree fully with this statement.
MY problem is that if some parts of the Scripture can be shown to be 'inaccurate', then why, in GOD's name, should any of the REST of it be believed?
We then fall back on the 'authority' of some folks to TELL us what the Scriptures 'really' mean.
Let's see if there are verses that might shed light on how fast GOD works.....
Isa 48:3 ... I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I shewed them; I did [them] SUDDENLY, and they came to pass.
Indeed!!
Genesis 1
This is a GOD who creates by speaking; but; how LONG did it take?
Now Jesus was a man who had God-like powers. Was HE God? The Book says so.......
NIV Colossians 1:13-17
13. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
14. in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
17. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
NIV Revelation 4:11
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
NIV Revelation 10:6
And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay!
Notice that when this man speaks, things happen RIGHT NOW! Not after some times passes and Nature takes it's course.
NIV Matthew 8:2-3
2. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
3. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he
NIV Matthew 21:19
Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he
NIV Mark 1:41-42
41. Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he
NIV Mark 5:41-42
41. He took her by the hand and
NIV Mark 10:51-52
51. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52. "Go,"
NIV Luke 5:13
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he
NIV Luke 5:24-25
24. But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." He
NIV Luke 8:44
She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and Immediately her bleeding stopped.
NIV Luke 13:12-13
12. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and
NIV Luke 18:42-43
42. Jesus
NIV Acts 9:33-35
33. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years.
34. "Aeneas," Peter
NIV Matthew 8:13
Then Jesus
NIV Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus
Now if this same personage, who does things in an instant; how LONG would it take Him to CREATE all that we find around us???