“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).
I spent three days camping in the Grand Canyon. Jason Espey and I hiked every step of the way down and out. It was grueling. I didn’t take a bath for three days. I slept on the ground and ate from a bag of food. I was as close to nature as I have ever been. I even slept with a squirrel. Actually, it camped out on my knee while I was asleep. Never been that close to nature before. When I woke up the squirrel was smoking a cigarette.
Jason and I sat and listened to a ranger talk about how the Canyon was formed. He knew his stuff. He talked about all the science. He broke it all down for us. He told us what to look for as we climbed out the next day. He said that there were distinctively different strata of rock. Each of those different strata came from different periods of development. It all made sense. On my way out the net day, when I wasn’t gasping for oxygen and water, I actually saw what he was talking about. The lowest stratum was igneous rock, volcanic rock. The next was granite. The next was either limestone or shale. Then, there was sandstone. He explained how and when these were formed. I may have some of this confused. I haven’t spent a lot of time studying this. The ranger talked about the billions of years that this took place. He said that the Canyon began to be formed around six million years ago.
I contrast the scientific explanation of the Canyons and other things with that of a biblical explanation. There is much debate between these two groups. Some might even get mad at me for separating science from the Bible. The reality is there are some things that need further explanation.
I have spent a lot of time sorting through this kind of stuff lately. Is the earth billions of years old? Is the earth anywhere from six thousand to four thousand years old? I have heard people argue both. I found both arguments to be very convincing. Could God create a mature earth like He created a mature man and woman, Adam and Eve? Sure He could. Could time be something that we spend too much time worrying about? Absolutely. I don’t want to get into a scientific discussion about this matter. I am not qualified, nor capable of doing it justice.
Here is what I do know. According to Genesis, God spoke the world into being. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” (Verse 1). That is something that I believe to be true. At this point in the Scripture, I simply know that God got it going. Unless I read on, I know nothing else. But, God created a dichotomy, two things, the heavens and 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,” (Verse 2). From the original language I know that “formless and void” could be interpreted as “waste and emptiness.” I also know that “moving” could also mean that God was “hovering” over the surface of waters. Here is what I know from that: There are the heavens and the earth that God created. On the earth was water. God was hanging out over the water.
I don’t know how much time elapsed between the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that was in it. I do understand that the word day is used. I know that there is much debate about this time frame. I think that we should be slow to state the essence of this time. We simply can’t say. I don’t know that we have to assume a day is a literal day. Nor can we assume that a day is like a thousand. Stop right here for a minute. Think about what has taken place.
It isn’t nearly as important as we make it to have a definite time frame. It is important that we have faith that God is the origin of creation. It is senseless to argue and debate the details. Hebrews 11:3 specifically addresses this ongoing debate. We are simply to trust that the Word of God spoke the world into being. Was there a large time lapse from the creation of the heavens and the earth and the first day? There is nothing definitive about that first statement. Even in chapter two there is no specific statement concerning that. So, could the heavens and earth be mature at the onset of the seven days? It is only a question. Either way, God is the origin.
I was standing at the bottom of the Canyon when I realized that the earth might just be billions of years old. I am sure some of you will swallow your tongues after that statement. The ranger told us that water carved out the Canyon.
If I put a water hose at the top of my yard and let the water run for a month, a small ditch will appear. If I let it run for a year, a larger ditch will appear. If I leave it running for fifty years, I would have a crevasse in my yard. It’s simple science. There is no mention in the creation story of canyons and mountains being stuck on the earth. It makes sense that time, volcanic activity, erosion, and other elemental processes could create some of the dimension of the earth. I don’t think that science and Scripture work independently of one another. I think that they could work in harmony.
Hebrews instructs us to have faith the God’s Word was spoken and the earth was created, as well as its contents and inhabitants. No matter what science say, no matter how many years we think it took, it is essential to trust God and his Word.
If we can’t take God and His Word for what it is, we have missed the first and most important step of faith. What else do we have? Where can we begin if God is not the origin? God created the earth, humanity, the creatures; He created everything. The earth does age. Forces in the earth do form some of what we see. That is common sense, not science. None of this is possible without God. He is the beginning, the sustaining power, and the end.
As I said, I will be walking through Hebrews over the next while. Verse three says that believing in God’s creation is made out of that which we cannot see. I believe that. I don’t know about all the details. That’s ok with me. I am also ok with an earth aging as time goes by.
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
I spent three days camping in the Grand Canyon. Jason Espey and I hiked every step of the way down and out. It was grueling. I didn’t take a bath for three days. I slept on the ground and ate from a bag of food. I was as close to nature as I have ever been. I even slept with a squirrel. Actually, it camped out on my knee while I was asleep. Never been that close to nature before. When I woke up the squirrel was smoking a cigarette.
Jason and I sat and listened to a ranger talk about how the Canyon was formed. He knew his stuff. He talked about all the science. He broke it all down for us. He told us what to look for as we climbed out the next day. He said that there were distinctively different strata of rock. Each of those different strata came from different periods of development. It all made sense. On my way out the net day, when I wasn’t gasping for oxygen and water, I actually saw what he was talking about. The lowest stratum was igneous rock, volcanic rock. The next was granite. The next was either limestone or shale. Then, there was sandstone. He explained how and when these were formed. I may have some of this confused. I haven’t spent a lot of time studying this. The ranger talked about the billions of years that this took place. He said that the Canyon began to be formed around six million years ago.
I contrast the scientific explanation of the Canyons and other things with that of a biblical explanation. There is much debate between these two groups. Some might even get mad at me for separating science from the Bible. The reality is there are some things that need further explanation.
I have spent a lot of time sorting through this kind of stuff lately. Is the earth billions of years old? Is the earth anywhere from six thousand to four thousand years old? I have heard people argue both. I found both arguments to be very convincing. Could God create a mature earth like He created a mature man and woman, Adam and Eve? Sure He could. Could time be something that we spend too much time worrying about? Absolutely. I don’t want to get into a scientific discussion about this matter. I am not qualified, nor capable of doing it justice.
Here is what I do know. According to Genesis, God spoke the world into being. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” (Verse 1). That is something that I believe to be true. At this point in the Scripture, I simply know that God got it going. Unless I read on, I know nothing else. But, God created a dichotomy, two things, the heavens and 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,” (Verse 2). From the original language I know that “formless and void” could be interpreted as “waste and emptiness.” I also know that “moving” could also mean that God was “hovering” over the surface of waters. Here is what I know from that: There are the heavens and the earth that God created. On the earth was water. God was hanging out over the water.
I don’t know how much time elapsed between the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that was in it. I do understand that the word day is used. I know that there is much debate about this time frame. I think that we should be slow to state the essence of this time. We simply can’t say. I don’t know that we have to assume a day is a literal day. Nor can we assume that a day is like a thousand. Stop right here for a minute. Think about what has taken place.
It isn’t nearly as important as we make it to have a definite time frame. It is important that we have faith that God is the origin of creation. It is senseless to argue and debate the details. Hebrews 11:3 specifically addresses this ongoing debate. We are simply to trust that the Word of God spoke the world into being. Was there a large time lapse from the creation of the heavens and the earth and the first day? There is nothing definitive about that first statement. Even in chapter two there is no specific statement concerning that. So, could the heavens and earth be mature at the onset of the seven days? It is only a question. Either way, God is the origin.
I was standing at the bottom of the Canyon when I realized that the earth might just be billions of years old. I am sure some of you will swallow your tongues after that statement. The ranger told us that water carved out the Canyon.
If I put a water hose at the top of my yard and let the water run for a month, a small ditch will appear. If I let it run for a year, a larger ditch will appear. If I leave it running for fifty years, I would have a crevasse in my yard. It’s simple science. There is no mention in the creation story of canyons and mountains being stuck on the earth. It makes sense that time, volcanic activity, erosion, and other elemental processes could create some of the dimension of the earth. I don’t think that science and Scripture work independently of one another. I think that they could work in harmony.
Hebrews instructs us to have faith the God’s Word was spoken and the earth was created, as well as its contents and inhabitants. No matter what science say, no matter how many years we think it took, it is essential to trust God and his Word.
If we can’t take God and His Word for what it is, we have missed the first and most important step of faith. What else do we have? Where can we begin if God is not the origin? God created the earth, humanity, the creatures; He created everything. The earth does age. Forces in the earth do form some of what we see. That is common sense, not science. None of this is possible without God. He is the beginning, the sustaining power, and the end.
As I said, I will be walking through Hebrews over the next while. Verse three says that believing in God’s creation is made out of that which we cannot see. I believe that. I don’t know about all the details. That’s ok with me. I am also ok with an earth aging as time goes by.
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
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