The Veracity of the Creation Account

One of the main concerns that lay people have with the Genesis story relates to the apparent order of events in each creation day, and how it seems to contradict scientific predictions about how our planet came to be. For example, it appears that the Sun, Moon, and stars were created after the Earth.

To the surprise of many, the scientific method is taught and implemented on the first page of the Bible. Among the main components of the scientific method is the identification of the frame of reference which, as we will see, will play a crucial role in the interpretation of the creation story.

Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". We saw in a previous blog how this phrase makes reference to the creation of all matter, energy, space, and time in the universe. In contrast, in Genesis 1:2 the frame of reference changes. It is no longer the entire universe but the surface of the Earth: "Now the Earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters".

*** If a reader misses the correct frame of reference, all subsequent events will be easily misinterpreted. ***

However, if the entire Genesis story is described from the perspective of an observer on the surface of planet Earth, then an accurate description of the events that transformed our planet into a habitable home emerges.

Each day describes a major transformative event

On day one light comes through Earth’s dense atmosphere for the first time, changing from opaque to translucent. One explanation for this is the moon-forming event, where thanks to the collision of the proto-Earth with Thea, nearly all of Earth’s original atmosphere and deep ocean were blasted into outer space. The day-night cycle started and photosynthetic life emerged. Day two and day three describe the water cycle and the beginning of tectonic plate activity on our planet, referring to the large burst of continental landmass growth. Note how this dramatic event is placed at the beginning of creation day three, nearly halfway through the creation chronology. This timing is consistent with the latest geophysical research showing the peak of continental landmass growth when Earth was about 2 billion years old, halfway Earth’s age. Once dry ground appeared, vegetation flourished. On Day four the Sun, Moon, and stars became distinctly visible from Earth’s surface for the first time. These will serve as natural clocks for the more complex animals that will appear on the scene on days five and six.

NOTE: The appearance of the Sun, Moon, and stars on day four (Ge. 1: 16) had caused some confusion for readers. However, it is important to stress that the Hebrew verb ‘āśâ, translated “made” at this point in the biblical text, appears in an appropriate form for past action. There is no specification as to when in the past these were made, however, the following two verses (Ge. 1: 17-18) suggest when and why God created the heavenly lights: “God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness”. Which echoes Gen 1:1, placing the existence of the Sun, Moon, and stars before the first creation day.

On day five sea animals and birds appear. It's interesting that the Hebrew nouns used in the text for the sea animals (sheres) referred to swarms of small or minute creatures. When used for fresh or saltwater creatures, in other parts of the Old Testament, it typically includes mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and amphibians. This echoes to the period of explosive speciation during the Avalon (575 million years ago) and the Cambrian (543 million years ago) explosions testified in the fossil record. On day six we found the most important part of the creation story. After the appearance of land mammals of different types, God created humans. In contrast to any other creature so far, we are made in the image of God, with a conscience and the capacity to track the passage of time. Finally, on day seven, God rested from his creation activity.

As noted, just in the first page of the bible we found a treasure of immeasurable scientific value. On the one hand, it claims that the universe is not eternal but has a beginning (remarkably consistent with the big band theory, see previous post), and on the other hand, a resolution of a long-lasting conundrum in biology is presented: why the aggressive speciation seen in the fossil record ceased after the appearance of humans? The answer: for six days God created, on the seventh day God rested. 

More importantly, it tells us that He created the universe and planet Earth with a purpose: for us to live here and get to know him.

We are not a cosmic accident, we are the masterpiece of God.

Post based on Hugh Ross's Navigating Genesis book, see resources

Image Credit: Nathan Greene