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It is not enough to just know that God created. Humanity has an intense desire to figure out the “how” of creation. There are three major views that are important for all believers to understand.
Evolution
Please note that this is not a view of “creation” because it does not involve a creator. In simplest terms, the view of evolution is that life originated from natural processes, beginning with the first living substance (single-celled organisms) and continuing with the evolution of species.
There is a widespread belief that evolution has been proven by science, making the biblical account of creation untrue. But let me remind you, it is impossible to prove scientifically any theory of origins. This is because the scientific method is based on observation and experimentation. It is impossible to make observations or conduct experiments on the origins of the universe.
Problems with Evolution
Obviously, the greatest issue with evolution is that God is left out of creation. Evolution paints God as cold and distant at best and more likely non-existent. This is totally foreign to the truth that we know of God from the Bible.
The second problem is the statistical probability of evolution happening by chance. Let’s talk about that probability. Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the molecular structure of DNA wrote regarding the possibility of even one chain of amino acids combining by chance:
Suppose the chain is about 200 amino acids long; this is, if anything, rather less than the average length of proteins of all types. Since we have just 20 possibilities at each place, the number of possibilities is 20 multiplied by itself some two hundred times… that is a one followed by 260 zeros!
This number is quite beyond our everyday comprehension. For comparison, consider the number of fundamental particles (atoms, speaking loosely) in the entire visible universe… This number, which is estimated to be 10 [to the 80th power], is quite paltry by comparison to 10 [to the 260th power].
Charles Ryrie put it even more simply, “It requires an incredible amount of faith to believe the evolution could have caused by chance all life that ever did or does now exist.”
Finally, we must consider the irreducible complexity of living things. Irreducible complexity refers to something which is so intricate in its creation that it couldn’t have evolved step by step. It had to have been made all at once. Consider the amazing single cellular motor that is the flagellum.
Theistic Evolution
Some want to avoid the godlessness of evolution by jumping to the idea that God somehow used the process of evolution as the means by which he created everything. This is appealing because it is an attempt to have the best of both worlds, but I’m afraid that in trying to join these two, you lose both.
As there are problems with evolution proper, there are also issues with theistic evolution. The biggest issue, in my opinion, is that the Bible pictures God as being intimately and actively involved in each aspect and moment of creation. Look at the verses below and consider the way that it communicates a God who was very present in all that he made.
- Psalm 19:1
- Nehemiah 9:6
- Psalm 33:6-9
Trying to shoehorn God into a godless theory like evolution is a losing battle. To take a theory that has its foundation on the idea that God was not a part of the creation process and then tries to add God back into that theory has some obvious and fatal problems. It is like taking the foundation out from under your house then trying to put it back on top of the house.
Remember what we discussed a few weeks ago as we talked about revelation. God has used general revelation (such as creation) to display the glory of God, but it is not the same as the special revelation of the Bible.
Supernatural Creation
This is the biblical position. The view that God personally and supernaturally created the heavens and the earth. It is important to understand that science can’t prove God. It never will. Science can provide us reasonable evidence, but this is ultimately a matter of faith.
Science shows us the intelligent design of the universe, but it takes faith to believe God personally created the universe. Check out this excerpt from a Newsweek article from July 20, 1998 entitled “Science Finds God,”
Physicists have stumbled on signs that the cosmos is custom-made for life and consciousness. It turns out that if the constants of nature – unchanging numbers like the strength of gravity, the charge of an electron and the mass of a proton – were the tiniest bit different, then atoms would not hold together, stars would not burn and life would never have made an appearance.
“When you realize that the laws of nature must be incredibly finely tuned to produce the universe we see,” says John Polkinghorne, who had a distinguished career as a physicist at Cambridge University before becoming an Anglican priest in 1982, “that conspires to plant the idea that the universe did not just happen, but that there must be a purpose behind it.”
Charles Townes, who shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the principles of the laser, goes further: “Many have a feeling that somehow intelligence must have been involved in the laws of the universe.”
When did God create?
This is the big question of whether we are in an old earth or a young earth, and creationists are split on this issue. Consider the two questions below and have a discussion with your family about what you believe regarding the age of the earth then post your thoughts in the comment box below.
- How can “Old Earth” creationists believe that the earth is billions of years old when the Bible says that God created it in just six days?
- How can “Young Earth” creationists believe that the earth is only thousands of years old in light of scientific evidence?
I think I believe in the Young Earth Theory because we can trace biblical lineage all the way back to Adam’s time, and it isn’t millions of years, much less billions. Also, scientific theory is always changing. Its a lot different now than it was 30 years ago. In 30 years, it’ll be different. God’s word is unchanging.
The argument I make as a young Earth creationist is that God created the universe with the appearance of age.
The old earth creationist believe that 6 days can be hundreds of years. It even says in the Bible that 1000 years is a day to God.
Yep. The word for day in Hebrew is “yom” and it can mean many things from a literal 24 hour day to an indefinite period of time. Other’s believe that there is a huge gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. That God created everything in Genesis 1:1 then began to form it in Genesis 1:2.
The young earth theory seems to be the more realistic out of the two. However, the old earth is not impalpable because time has no effect on God. I believe in the young earth theory though.
Me too, but I can see where the old earth people are coming from.
It’s pretty controversial if we have a old earth or young earth it really depends on your perspective on the bible. We will never really know how old the earth is until we get it heaven. My perspective personally is a young earth. You can make a estimate in the Bible by counting the years and it was something near 10 thousand. But then again a day for God could be thousands of years.
It is a controversial topic, that is why I’d like for you to discuss it with family and to think and pray about it. I’m glad you already have thought about it some.
I believe what God says in his word and in his word he’s says the earth was created in 6 days and he rested on the seventh and but a day to him could be a thousand years to us. As for the time range, i believe in the young earth because I take the words as a literal thing meaning it was actual days not one year as a day. As the old earth people seem to suggest.
I believe the Earth is at least a million years old. Geology can even say its been here it’s been here that long. I believe God spoke creation into existence possibly even causing a big bang. I believe God created the Earth in 7 days back then. However a day can be interpreted in many ways. Time and how its measured has been changed and it probably will change again.
Thank you for stepping up to say something different. It’s easy to say that the earth is young, but there is a lot of scientific evidence that seems to say something else. I don’t think we can easily dismiss either viewpoint no matter which one we hold to personally.
It is hard for me to answer old earth or young earth. I see pros and cons in all theory’s. I don’t have a main theory. I believe “theories” are irrelevant to believe in God in faith. My “own theory” is to only believe Jesus died for us and we accept him as our Lord and Savior. I believe the only things we should focus on about Christianity is Jesus and how he died(as I said before) and the two rules, love God with all you Heart, mind, soul and spirit, and love other as yourself. Almost all the rest of things in the Bible are irrelevant to me. I believe the Old Testament is Completely irrelevant in our lives. When Jesus came back from the dead he said there are now two NEW rules. He was saying to forget those rules and looked at these new ones. This is why I do not have a theory about Gods Creation.
What would you say to Jesus in Matthew 5:18 when he says that the law doesn’t pass away? I believe Jesus is the big E on the eye chart, but it is all important because it tells us more about him, and just a ticket to heaven is not what he wants for us.
I believe that evolutionists try to make “time” their god. They rely on the unknown to build their arguments on. Personally, I believe the earth as a planet is very young. God created things as adults, right? That means he could erase the limitations of time and create something in little to no time.
What I’m trying to say is that God cannot be limited, and so to set a date or to try to limit when God did something is not vitally important in the long run. God does what He does and we may never understand it.
I think you are right Cate. The most important part is knowing that God created it from nothing and that it bears his image. The age of the earth question is a debate that shouldn’t divide us.
I remember talking about something like this in Mr. Wyatt’s class in Omnibus. I think evolutionists feel like the earth had to come from something, since on earth things are made by something that’s made by something that’s invented by someone. And then THAT someone was made by someone and etc. But God is outside of how our human brains work. He’s been there forever and no one created him.
God is sovereign, which means that he is distinctly different from his creation. He existed from eternity. While he existed from that eternity the world began to exist when he called it into being. While God is not dependent on anything for his own existence (because he exists by himself), all of creation depends on him.
In the Bible it says he created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th. This doesn’t necessarily mean that those days are 24 hour days that humans live. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”
Great thoughts Allie. Thanks for joining in the discussion!
I would support the young earth theory because while it is well within logical solution to say that days could be much larger periods of time in God’s eyes I would argue that God instructed Moses to use “days” to aid us in understanding creation. Again, like Mr. Mauldin said, “Yom” can be identified as far more than a 24 hour period I feel this would greater confuse us about creation, contradicting the fact that God wants us to understand, know, and love him. That is why I would say that 24 hour periods is what is meant here, not for Gods sake, but ours.
Well said.
I personally am in favor of the young earth Theory. But evolutionist are making it more of a “time” situation than an actual “creation” process( if you. can see where I’m coming from) If there were single cell Organisms creating humans animals overtime who made the single cell organisms. But I strongly believe that god had 7 days to create the earth he worked 6 and rested On the 7th. But those 7 days could be 70 years or 7 thousand. It’s not wishing our knowledge to know if the earth is 700 thousand years old or 700 million.
I choose to believe the Bible literally. I think that God supernaturally spoke it all into existence. He created for six days and rested on the seventh. I guess this makes me a young earth theory person.
I believe in the young earth theory,. because it just makes sense. Because if the earth was old wouldn’t things like the great barrier reef be bigger and also, you cant really tell what God wanted to do so we just have to take the bible as it is sometimes.
I personally believe in the young earth theory. The bible to me more supports that but I see where some could view otherwise.
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I believe in the young earth theory because the bible states god spoke us in to life and heaven and earth to in six days and rested on the seventh
Excellent Dalton. Make sure you take those quizzes to get full credit for last week.
i believe in the young earth theory. If we had millions and billions of years before us, then how come our world right now isn’t
a. gone
b. a loot more advanced than it is now. surely if that many year had already existed then our life right now would be like those wack sci-fi movies about 3234 a.d.
c. no human (other than Jesus of course) actually knows any of this so far.
i believe that god created the earth i dont see why it matters if the earths old or not