Rev. David Holwick (see also Topical:Apologetics)
First Baptist Church Bible study
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 15, 1995
Genesis 1 & 2
|
I. Three Views on Science and the Bible.
A. Science always takes precedence over the Bible. [Liberalism]
1) Any science in the Bible reflects ancient myths.
2) At best, the Bible gives a spiritual meaning for the
creation of the world.
B. The Bible always takes precedence over Science. [Creation Science]
1) God's Revelation (Bible) is superior to human reasoning
(Science).
2) Whenever Science appears to contradict the Bible, the Bible
is to be preferred.
a) If Bible points to young universe, then observations
of age are incorrect, or created to look old.
b) Discrepancies in scientific theories invalidate them.
C. Both the Bible and Science are true, when properly understood.
1) The Bible is not a science book, but is true in everything
it affirms.
2) Science can also reveal the truth about God's creation.
a) God's qualities can be seen in nature. Romans 1:20
b) It would be unlike God to let nature deceive us.
A contrived appearance of age would be false.
3) Both the Bible and Science can be misinterpreted.
a) Even deeply cherished beliefs can be wrong.
b) Properly understood, they will complement each other.
II. The days of Genesis 1 and 2.
A. Literal and consecutive 24 hour days.
1) "Day" in Bible typically means a 24 hour period.
2) God's six days of creation and one day of rest is a pattern
for human work and Sabbath. Exodus 20:10f
B. "Day-age" theory.
1) "Day" can have symbolic meaning for a long period.
a) Can be a thousand years. Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8
b) Even Genesis 2:4 lumps all seven days into one "day."
Literally: "the generations of the heavens ... when
they were created in the day of their making."
c) "The attempt to bolster a literal interpretation of 'day'
by an appeal to the Sabbath commandment confuses
interpretation with application." CT 10/8/82, p. 23.
d) Either each "day" is very long, or were short periods of
creation followed by long gaps of time.
2) Note stylized sequencing in Genesis 1.
a) "Day and night" occurs on the first day, yet the Sun
does not mark day length until the fourth day.
b) Vegetation is produced on the third day (Gen 1:11-13)
but requires water and time to grow (Gen 2:5).
c) The events of the sixth day take longer than 24 hours.
2:4-25
1> God plants a garden, which grows.
2> Adam works and cares for the garden.
3> Adam names all the animals.
4> He discovers that none of them is a suitable helper.
5> He goes to sleep, and God creates Eve.
6> Adam sees Eve and exclaims, "Now at last!"
d) The seventh day is not closed out. God's day of rest
continues into the future. (Psalm 95 and Hebrews 4)
1> God continues to create. John 5:17
2> Each human is a creation of God, yet there is a
long process.
C. Days signify God's fiats (commands). (Alan Hayward)
1) Days are literal, and commands are given on each one.
2) Creation did not occur on that day, but followed.
a) When God commands something, he regards it as
already existing.
b) Creative action is contained in verses as parentheses,
which are common in Bible.
3) Earth has been maturing for billions of years, but not
haphazardly.
a) Evolution cannot explain the complexity of life.
b) Some kind of creative power must have been directing
events.
III. The general sequence of Genesis follows scientific understanding:
A. Creation of the physical universe.
B. Earth's atmosphere turns from opaque (dark) to
translucent (light comes through).
C. Formation of stable water cycle.
D. Establishment of continent(s) and ocean(s).
E. Production of plants on the continent(s).
F. Transformation of the atmosphere from translucent
to transparent (Sun, Moon, and stars became
visible for the first time.)
G. Production of small sea animals.
H. Creation of sea mammals (nephesh).
I. Creation of birds (maybe the same as "8").
J. Creation of land mammals (more nephesh).
K. Creation of mankind (adam).
IV. A young or old earth?
A. Both new and ancient. (old Scofield Reference Bible)
1) A minority view is that the earth was created a long time
ago, but was destroyed when Satan was cast from heaven.
2) God's re-creation is recent.
B. Recent creation.
1) A straight-forward understanding of "day" implies a rapid
Creation.
2) Genealogies in Genesis point to no more than 6,000 years of
history to Adam.
3) Geological strata is due to catastrophe of Noah's flood.
4) Some results of science point to a recent creation.
a) Shrinking of the sun.
b) Principle of atrophy. (Second Law of Thermodynamics)
C. Ancient creation.
1) Several results of science indicate a great age.
a) Radiation decay.
b) Gravitational relaxation.
c) Geological strata and fossils.
2) The Bible teaches the ancientness of the universe.
a) God's plans are ancient. Psalm 90:2-6, Proverbs 8:22-31,
Ecclesiastes 1:3-11, Micah 6:2
b) The mountains are ancient and age-old. Habakkuk 3:6
c) The heavens existed "long ago." 2 Peter 3:5
3) Genesis 1:1 is not necessarily part of the first "day."
4) Many genealogies in the Bible are proven to have gaps.
a) Compare 1 Chronicles 3:11-12 and Matthew 1:9.
b) Matthew deletes three kings (Joash, Amaziah, Azariah).
V. Alternate View: Genesis 1&2 has a literary motive, not scientific.
A. Genesis is not focusing on the "how," but the "why."
1) There are four differences with its approach, and science's.
2) A literary intent was first proposed by Augustine. CT 10/8/82,p24.
B. The order of events seems to be rearranged to make a theological
point.
1) Same thing may happen in Gospels.
2) Note that light and darkness are separated on first day,
but the luminaries that do this separation are created
on the fourth day. [see above]
3) Also, evenings and mornings exist three days before God
created the heavenly lights to mark off days.
C. God's actions are presented in highly figurative and
anthropomorphic language.
1) More a cosmogony than a "myth," which has negative
connotations.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Easily create HTML Help documents