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. Genesis 1:3-5
Today’s verses are some that get used often to show how wrong the Bible is. Critics will bring up the fact that the sun would have been there before the earth was formed and if the sun was there then light had to already be there. What they miss is that the Bible was written from an earthly point of view, hence sunrises and sunsets and no mention of earth’s rotation.
So, was there darkness on the earth at the start? Quite possibly. The early earth’s crust would have been extremely hot. So hot that liquid water would have evaporated quickly if it could have formed at all. That much water in the atmosphere would have made it extremely opaque and it would have been dark. All one need do is look at how dark it can get during a thunderstorm to see that we can be in the dark even during the daytime. When the earth cooled the water in the atmosphere would have condensed and we would have had light upon earth’s surface. Finally night and day could be differentiated.
Some of you may have notices that I am taking an old earth view in these comments on the first chapter of Genesis. Whether you believe in a young earth, about 10,000 years old, or an old earth, about 4.3 million years old, from a believer’s standpoint the important issue is not how long it took to create but who did the creating. I tend to take an apologetics view in my writings and in doing so I want to engage the unbeliever. The goal is to move them toward God not get into a debate on the age of the universe. We need to start from where they are not where we wish they were.
The fact is that the Bible never specifically addresses the age of the earth or the universe. What it does tell us is that God is not limited by time as we are. God is outside of time. He is eternal communication with finite humans. Finite humans that lived thousands of years ago in an agrarian society. God revealed Himself in words and ideas that they could grasp. Words and ideas that we too can grasp. God is telling us not how He did it but that He did it. It is who created everything that we need to get across to others. We do not need to get bogged down in side issues.
Have a blessed day,
David
I really appreciate Hugh Ross’ take (and teaching) on this topic. While Dr. Ross is quick to point out that our understanding of the age of the earth is not essential to salvation, he also points out (patiently and charitably) that this issue can hinder our witnessing. If we argue that the earth is only thousands of years old, we discredit ourselves with those who understand science. The whole point of the Reasons To Believe ministry is that faith and science are compatible and consistent. I took a wonderfull online course from them entitled “Creation and the Bible,” and was overwhelmed by the evidence and how much Scripture there is to support a congruent approach to faith and science. Unfortunately too many people jump into this issue emotionally without doing their homework–not just studying the science, but also carefully reading the Scripture. Thanks so much for taking up Genesis.
I have read a number of his books and I have always found them insightful and valid from both a scientific as well as a Christian perspective. Too often we get caught up in things that have no salvation value and forget why we witness. Thanks for your continuing encouragement and for your blog.