According to Genesis 1, God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days. This is likely the most frequently attacked chapter in all of the Bible. That makes sense, because if doubt can be cast on the first page of the Bible, how much can the rest be trusted? Let’s spend a few minutes considering whether or not Genesis one makes sense and is reasonable.
First of all, the idea that a well-ordered creation came from an All-wise and All-powerful Being certainly makes sense. In fact, it makes much more sense than everything coming into existence through nothing (neither mind nor matter). If there was ever a time when absolutely nothing existed, then nothing would exist today. Science itself testifies to this simple truth. The fact that intelligent and complex life does exist today testifies to a Creator who is more intelligent and more complex than man and the world which He created. The painter is greater than the painting!
Secondly, the order of creation makes sense. Light and darkness (and hence, day and night) were features of the very first day (see v. 5). From the very beginning of the world this simple measure of time has been present. It is unlikely that modern science has fully comprehended the benefit of this most basic cycle of time. Additionally, the Genesis account places the creation of the sun and other luminaries as coming to be on day four, the day after trees and other plant life came to be. Thus, there was no depravation of the sun’s rays from the very onset of plant life. Noteworthy also is that man and animals were created on the final creation day, day six, which makes perfect sense because food sources were already in place in the fully prepared habitation that God created for them.
Thirdly, a literal six days of creation makes sense. The natural reading of Genesis 1, especially pertaining to the numbering of the days, as well as these days being constituted of day and night (see v. 5), suggests nothing but literal 24 hour periods of time. Genesis 2:4, at first glance, seems to both negate what we have just said and support it as well. Moses says there, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” The word “generations” here could rightly be translated “account” or “history.” Verse 4 is not suggesting that creation actually took place over thousands or millions of years as some assert. In fact, such an interpretation runs into a problem, as we noted, even within this verse. Please observe that if these days are not literal days, but vast periods of time, then we run into catastrophic problems concerning the sustainability of plant life. Suffice it to say, the Bible references a creation week, or creation in six literal days, as is also referenced in Exodus 20:11 (see also Is. 40:21; Mt. 19:8).
In the fourth place we note that Genesis one alludes to the well established scientific principle that not only does life proceed from life, but life produces life after its own kind. Everyone knows that when dogs reproduce they produce dogs. Likewise the oak tree produces oak trees. And every one knows that oak trees do not produce dogs. The evolutionary model sees no problem with essentially saying that all hurdles can be overcome with millions and billions of years. How scientific is that?
Genesis one makes sense. The Bible makes sense. God makes sense.
Daren Schroeder
