Thousands or Millions: Does It Really Matter?
- TimeTravelTeam
- May 25, 2021
- 7 min read
"So what if the earth is millions of years old? We shouldn't focus on such unimportant issues. We need to be proclaiming the Gospel, not wasting time debating the age of the earth!"
If you follow this blog, you may have had a thought like the one above. Yes, spreading the Gospel is crucial to having an impact on the unbelieving world. Compared to that, the age of the earth seems like a minor issue. But look closer, and you'll see the importance.
Beliefs about origins are fundamental parts of a person's worldview.
A person's worldview is exactly what it sounds like - the set of beliefs that determines how a person views the world. For example, a Christian worldview includes the beliefs that God created the universe and that people should base their lives on the Bible, which is the flawless Word of God. On the other hand, an atheistic worldview includes the beliefs that the universe resulted solely from natural processes over billions of years and that humans are just evolved animals.
[BJ's Note: See this post for more examples of connections between beliefs and worldviews]
In other words, a person who believes that the universe resulted from chance processes is going to see the world much differently than a person who believes in an almighty Creator. After all, if the universe is just a cosmic accident, then humans would not be accountable to anyone for their actions. But if the universe has a Creator, then that Creator has a right to tell His creations (humans) how to live.
With that said, the origin of the universe and earth is an important question as far as worldview is concerned.
“But,” you might think, “if I believe that God created the universe and everything in it, then why does it matter how long it took for Him to do it?” [BJ's Note: I have had this thought myself, as is shown in my testimony upon this site. Jordyn will walk you through a few of the reasons that changed my own mind in favor of a Biblical six-day creation.]
I’m getting to that next.
The age of the universe and earth has important theological consequences.
Many Christians hold that the earth and universe are millions of years old. However, did you know that the idea of millions of years doesn’t come from the Bible? No, that idea actually originated in the 1800s, when atheistic geologists began trying to explain the origin of the fossil record without appealing to the global Flood of Noah’s day. After ruling out the Biblical Flood, these geologists claimed that they could use present geological processes to explain past events. Because they saw geological processes occurring slowly in the present, they believed that the fossil record was formed over millions of years. (This is a belief known as uniformitarianism, which can be summed up in the phrase, “The present is the key to the past.”)
Indeed, the idea of millions of years resulted from scientists trying to explain the fossil record without appealing to God or the Bible. So the idea of millions of years is atheistic at its heart. If this is the case, then why try to add millions of years to the Bible?
Additionally, atheistic evolutionists (those who believe in evolution occurring without God’s intervention) need millions of years for the processes of molecules-to-man evolution to work over countless generations. If the earth is only 6,000 years old (as it says in the Bible), then molecules-to-man evolution is impossible. But if the door is opened to include millions of years in the Bible, then this raises the possibility of further compromise with the truth of Scripture.
When people try to reinterpret the six literal 24-hour days of Genesis as being long periods of time—whether they include molecules-to-man evolution or not—they are trying to merge man’s fallible ideas about millions of years with the perfect, inerrant Word of God. (There is also plenty of scientific evidence in favor of a young earth, but space does not permit discussion of them here. See this link for more information.)
As we’ve seen, attempting to add millions of years to the Bible is problematic for a variety of reasons. But what are the specific theological consequences of believing in millions of years?
1. Millions of years places death before sin.
If God created the world millions of years ago (whether through evolution or not), then that would mean millions of years of animal death and suffering before humans existed. However, the Bible makes it clear that both physical death and spiritual death resulted from Adam’s sin. Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” In other words, Adam’s sin cursed all of creation, so no animals died before Adam sinned.
Additionally, Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” Also, in Genesis 3:19 (after the Fall), God told Adam, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Clearly, physical death resulted from the Fall. If the Fall only brought spiritual death, then why would Jesus have had to die physically on the cross?
All things considered, the idea that God created the world millions of years ago contradicts the truth that Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden introduced death into creation.
2. Death is not “very good.”
The second theological consequence of believing in millions of years for the age of the earth is that it undermines God's character.
On the sixth day of creation, God declares that His world is “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Additionally, the Bible makes it clear that death is an enemy that will eventually be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26). But if death and suffering were around for millions of years before humankind, then why would God call death “very good”?
This undermines God’s holy and perfect character and wrongly blames God—not humanity—for the existence of death.
3. The idea of millions of years removes the foundation for the Gospel.
As mentioned above, just as Adam’s sin brought death and suffering into the world, Jesus (as the Last Adam) broke the power of death through His work on the cross. But in the millions-of-years view, death has always been a part of creation and did not result from Adam’s sin. In fact, in this view, God created death and suffering as part of His “very good” creation!
But the Bible says that death is the punishment for sin (Romans 6:23). That’s why God had to kill an animal to make coverings for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). That’s also why the Israelites had to sacrifice animals as temporary payment for their sins. But Jesus provided the perfect sacrifice that permanently removed the sin of all those who trust in Him. He suffered the punishment of death in our place.
But if you believe that God created death and that death existed before sin, then death would not be the punishment for sin. If death is not the penalty for sin, then why would Jesus have to die on the cross in order to take our punishment? No, Jesus’ sacrifice only makes sense if death resulted from Adam’s sin. As you can see, the idea of millions of years removes the foundation of the Gospel message.
4. Genesis is critical to understanding the rest of the Bible.
Amazingly, Genesis is actually the foundation for virtually every other Christian doctrine. For example, Genesis describes the origin of sin and death, which sets the stage for the Gospel message in the New Testament. Genesis also recounts the origin of marriage, clothing, the seven-day week, and different languages. Additionally, Genesis explains why humans are made in God’s image. Clearly, understanding Genesis provides the basis for a Christian worldview.
On the other hand, if the word “day” in the first chapter of Genesis doesn’t really mean a literal 24-hour day, then why does the rest of Genesis have to mean what it says? “Well,” you might say, “we can take everything else in Genesis at face value except for the days of creation.” But if we can’t trust the Bible in terms of historical and scientific matters, then why would we trust it when it discusses theology and morality? In John 3:12, Jesus says, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
Of course, the Bible is not meant to be a science textbook. But because it is the inerrant Word of God, we can trust it whenever it does discuss scientific matters.
To clarify, I’m not saying that anyone who believes that the earth is millions of years old isn’t truly saved. I’m not saying that at all! After all, Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Indeed, this verse does not require a person to believe in a certain age for the earth in order to obtain salvation.
What I am saying is that Christians who believe in millions of years are (perhaps unknowingly) compromising the truth of the Gospel by introducing man’s fallible ideas into the inerrant Word of God. This can hinder the spread of the Gospel message, especially for the next generation. After all, if we can’t trust Genesis, then why should we trust the rest of the Bible?
To answer the objection posed at the start of this post: Yes, it is true that believing in a particular age for the earth is not a requirement for salvation. However, the authority of the Word of God is at stake—and the Gospel is on the line.
I’d like to reference the name of this blog, Foundations First. Genesis is the foundation for the rest of the Bible, and it clearly teaches that God created in six literal days. Will you place your faith in God’s perfect word, or in man’s fallible ideas?
[BJ's note: Ha! Looks like Jordyn found my reason for naming this blog as I did. Hope you have a good day and enjoyed reading this helpful post!]
"I am not ashamed to be a Bible-believing follower of Jesus. He is the glorious Creator God and my Savior who suffered and died to pay the penalty for my uncountable sins and proved it by His virgin birth, His teachings, His miracles, and His resurrection from the dead.... I am also not ashamed to stand for the literal historical truth of Genesis 1–11, which is the foundation of the gospel. Evolution and millions of years are two of the greatest myths ever forced on the minds of men. I want to do all I can to expose those myths and equip people to believe, boldly proclaim, and defend the truth of Scripture from the very first verse."
~ Dr. Terry Mortenson, Answers in Genesis Geologist
Sources/Further Reading:
Thanks Jordyn! I really appreciate all the thought and effort you put into this, and it really encourages me in my faith.