THE QUESTION: Science tells us that the earth is billions of years old, but the creation account in Genesis seems to indicate that the earth is really just thousands of years old. How can the Bible be true if it can’t get that right?

“The problem is get [people] to reject irrational and supernatural explanations of the world, the demons that exist only in their imaginations, and to accept a social and intellectual apparatus, Science, as the only begetter of truth.” - Richard Lewontin, Harvard Geneticist “I am all in favor of a dialogue between science and religion, but not a constructive dialogue. One of the great achievements of science has been, if not to make it impossible for an intelligent person to be religious, then at least to make it possible for them not to be religious. We should not retreat from this accomplishment.” - Steven Weinberg, Physicist “Any debate with creationists would give them the oxygen of respectability.” - Richard Dawkins, Evolutionist/Atheist

“In some ways these chapters [Genesis 1-11] are the most important ones in the Bible, for they put man in his cosmic setting and show him his peculiar uniqueness. They explain man’s wonder and yet his flaw. Without a proper understanding of these chapters we have no answer to the problems of metaphysics, morals, or epistemology, and furthermore, the work of Christ becomes one more upper-story “religious” answer.” - Francis Schaeffer,

Genesis in Space and Time

Primary Cause Theism Secondary Cause Naturalism

4

Basic Views of Origins

1.

2.

3.

4.

Naturalistic Evolution

– No God involved in creation; things emerged by pure, natural processes.

Naturalistic Creation

– No theistic Creator beyond the world; only a creative Mind within the universe that creates.

Theistic Evolution

– God directly created the universe, but living things emerged under His control by largely natural processes.

Theistic Creation

– God directly created the universe, living things, and human beings.

How many things were originally created and how much time it took to create them is debated

Herbert Spencer on categories of reality

1. Time 2. Force 3. Action 4. Space 5. Matter

Time Force Action Space Matter “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1 Spencer was an evolutionist and coined the phrase “survival of the fittest”

7

Orthodox Views of Theistic Creation

I.

Young Earth

– Earth is thousands of years old.

1. Standard Six-Day Creation 2. Ideal-Time

II.

Old Earth

– Earth could be millions/billions of years old.

1.

Long ‘Days’ 2. Revelatory-Days 3. Day-Age 4. Literary Framework 5. Gap View

Six-Day Creation View

• • • • • Young earth category Interprets Genesis literally and chronologically Natural reading of the text presents the case that the six days in Genesis 1 are six normal 24-hour days The normal use of the word ‘Yom’, the numbered series, and the repetition of ‘evening and morning’ support six days of creation Comparison with a six-day work week (Ex. 20:11) supports six days of creation

Ideal-Time View

• • • • Young earth category All things were created with the appearance of age. For example, Adam may have looked 30 years old when he was created but was only seconds old Applies to all things including the earth, trees, etc.

Would cause certain scientific tests to arrive at incorrect conclusions

Long ‘Days’ View

• • • • • Old earth category Proposes both biblical and scientific evidence to support the view that the ‘days’ of Genesis are actually long periods of time ‘Yom’ (Hebrew word for day) often means more than just a 24 hour period of time. “Day” is from God’s perspective "This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the

day

that the Lord God made earth and heaven." (Genesis 2:4) Seventh “day” has been thousands of years long (God still resting

Long ‘Days’ View

• • • • Third day may be longer than 24 hours. "The earth

brought forth

vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:12). Process seems to be natural, not supernatural Sixth day may be longer than 24 hours. Land animals, man, woman created, and Adam names the animals Speed of light and rate of expansion of the universe Scientific dating of rocks and the rate that salt runs into the sea and the amount of salt there seems to indicate long ‘days’

Revelatory Days View

• • • • • Old earth category Asserts that the six days were 24-hour days of revelation that God gave to Moses who wrote Genesis Just as God used visions to reveal future events to his prophets, this view asserts that God revealed a past series of events to Moses regarding creation Some say “asah” used in Exodus 20:11 can mean “reveal: “For in six days the Lord

made

the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20:11)

Day-Age View

• • • • • Old earth category Asserts that the six days were 24-hour days of actual creation Between each day there was a long period of time where things took place Third day indicates a process may be involved that took longer than 24 hours.

"The earth

brought forth

vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:12)

Literary Framework View

• • • • • Old earth category Asserts that the six days were an ancient literary device that was sometimes used to frame certain periods of time in order to encapsulate them in literary form much like we use a ‘chapter’ in a book to do the same “Morning” and “Evening” were natural ways to point to a beginning and an end Held by Augustine who believed God created everything instantly, but used a allegorical framework to convey His work However, Genesis doesn’t seem to be the genre of poetry

• • • • • •

Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction View

Old earth category Thomas Chalmers early champion States that there is a gap of time either between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 or there was a gap of time that occurred prior to 1:1 Lucifer was originally given dominion of the earth as the ‘covering cherub’, but when he sinned, God judged both him and his domain The six days of creation in Genesis are not an original creation, but a reconstruction of the earth God then granted a new steward – man – to be in charge of the remade earth

Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction View

Original creation of Heavens and earth; Lucifer given dominion Fall of Lucifer; he and earth judged by God Untold number of years God remakes Fall of man; earth and gives Satan regains it to Adam earth Untold number of years ?of years Human history up until now… Gen. 1:1 Is. 14:12-14 Ez. 28:12-17 2 Peter 3:3-6 Gen. 1:2-31 Gen. 3

Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction View

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was

formless

and

void

, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2) “formless” = “tohuw”; literally “a wreck/chaos” “void” = “bohuw”; literally “a waste” Only used in 2 other places (Jer. 4:23, Isa. 34:11); describes divine judgment "For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it

“tohuw”

, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the Lord, and there is none else." (Isaiah 45:18)

Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction View

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was

formless

and

void

, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2) “formless” = “tohuw”; literally “a wreck/chaos” “void” = “bohuw”; literally “a waste” Only used in 2 other places (Jer. 4:23, Isa. 34:11); describes divine judgment "I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the Lord, before His fierce anger." (Jeremiah 4:23-26)

Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction View

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and

darkness

was over the surface of

the deep

, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2) “darkness” = “hosek”; never used in Bible for good “deep” = “tahom”; ancient symbol for chaos Lexicons define it as ‘flood’, ‘deluge’, "Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:6-10)

Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction View

"For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was

formed out of water and by water

,

through which

the world

at that time

(2 Peter 3:5-6) was destroyed, being flooded with water." Goes back to Gen. 1:6 Could go back to Gen. 1:2

Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction View

When did Lucifer fall?

"Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You had the seal of perfection,

Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty

. “

You were in Eden

, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. “By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you." (Ezekiel 28:12-17)

7

Orthodox Views of Theistic Creation

I.

Young Earth

– Earth is thousands of years old.

1. Standard Six-Day Creation 2. Ideal-Time

II.

Old Earth

– Earth could be millions/billions of years old.

1.

Long ‘Days’ 2. Revelatory-Days 3. Day-Age 4. Literary Framework 5. Gap View

The Only Options

“There are not many options – essentially just two. Either human intelligence ultimately owes its origin to mindless matter; or there is a Creator. It is strange that some people claim that it is their intelligence that leads them to prefer the first to the second.” - John Lennox,

God’s Undertaker

The Core Positions

Naturalistic/Evolutionist View

An eternal universe Ultimate reality is impersonal matter – no God

Creation

An eternal Creator Ultimate reality is an infinite, personal, loving God Everything we know came about by chance, with no ultimate purpose Universe lovingly created by God for a specific purpose Man is the product of impersonal matter plus time plus chance. Consequent result is that man has no ultimate dignity nor any meaning than what is subjectively derived Morality is defined by every individual according to his views and interests. It is ultimately relative as every person is the final authority for their own views Man is created by God in His image and is loved by God; therefore all men are endowed with eternal value and dignity which is not derived from themselves but from the Source, transcending themselves Morality is defined by God and is immutable because it is based on God’s unchanging and holy character. The afterlife brings personal annihilation and extinction for everyone The afterlife involves either life with God or separation from Him.

The Big Questions…

Evolution contributes nothing to answering this question as it involves the supposed change that occurs in already existing biological entities. Evolution tries to explain how something works, not why something exists. “It is self-evident that only mind can create mind.”, J. S. Mill Such as case violates what we know from the study of causation, namely that a cause cannot give what it doesn’t have.

The Cosmological Argument

• • •

Everything that begins to exist must have a cause The universe began to exist Therefore, the universe had a cause

“I never asserted so absurd a proposition as that anything might arise without a cause.” - David Hume, Scottish Skeptic “Nothing can come into being from that which is not”- Demokritos, Greek Philosopher

The Cosmological Argument

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3)

• •

Rebuke to Platonic cosmogony (Demiurge forming the world from pre-existent matter) Rebuke to theistic evolution

The New Testament and Genesis

“There are 165 passages in Genesis that are either directly quoted or clearly referred to in the New Testament. Many of them are alluded to more than once so that there are at least two hundred quotations or references to Genesis in the New Testament. It is significant that the portion of Genesis which has been the subject of the greatest attacks of skepticism and unbelief – the first eleven chapters – is the portion that had the greatest influence on the New Testament. There exists over 100 quotations or direct references to Genesis 1-11 in the New Testament. Furthermore, every one of those 11 chapters is alluded to somewhere in the New Testament. And every one of the New Testament authors refers somewhere in his writings to Genesis 1-11. On at least six different occasions, Jesus Christ Himself quoted from or referred to something or someone in one of those eleven chapters, included specific references to each of the first seven chapters. Furthermore, in not one of these many instances where the New Testament refers to Genesis is there the slightest evidence that the writers regarded the events or personages as myths or allegories. To the contrary, they all viewed Genesis as absolutely true and historical and authoritative.” - Dr. Henry Morris

Conclusions

• • • •

Creation is the best and most reasonable stance to hold when examining how everything we know came to be Primary reason natural man rejects creation is because an impersonal universe cannot call him into moral account like a personal Creator can The seven orthodox views of Genesis should not be a test for faith and do not violate any core Christian doctrine Young vs. Old Earth should not be a stumbling block you put before a person considering Christianity