By Vince Hardy

The Holy Scriptures plainly declare that God is the Creator of heaven, and earth, and all things therein (Eccl. 12:1; Isa. 40:28, 45:12, 48:13, Neh. 9:6; Rom 1:25; 1 Pet. 4:19; Col. 1:16; Acts 4:24, 14:15, 17:24).  Nevertheless, with the flood of scientific and technological advances in the world today, it is easy to understand the confusion that many people have regarding Creation versus Evolution as an explanation of origins.  For many years now, evolution as an explanation of origins has been taught in our schools and universities as a Scientific Fact, rather than just a Theory.  Speaking strictly from a scientist’s perspective, neither Creation nor Evolution (to explain origins) is a considered a scientific fact because neither are testable by the scientist.  No scientist can observe the event, nor reproduce it in the laboratory.  Thus, it is a dishonest scientist who claims macroevolution to be a fact.  Nevertheless, as many professing Christians have been indoctrinated with and have accepted the idea that evolution (as an explanation of origins) is a scientific fact, they often attempt to reconcile the teachings of the evolutionist with the teaching of the Bible by taking the position that God did indeed create all things, but that he did so over a span of millions of years by the process of evolution.  With this reasoning, it is concluded that the six days of creation recorded in Genesis chapter 1 were not literal, 24 hour days, but rather, days which symbolize millions of years in which all things had time to evolve by the process of macroevolution.

Nevertheless, while many professing Christians attempt to reconcile the Genesis account of creation with the evolutionist’s theory of origins, the two views cannot be successfully reconciled by those who take the Scriptures alone as their only rule of faith and practice.  For the Scriptures clearly teach that God created all things in six literal 24 hour days, rather than millions of years.  The simple reasons that I believe God created all things in six, literal, 24 hour days are as follows:

First, considering the Scriptures by themselves (without the influence of science nor pseudo-science), the most obvious meaning of the language used in Genesis 1 is that Creation took place in six, literal, 24 hour days.  There is nothing inherent in the passage (nor in the rest of Scripture) that would suggest anything different than the obvious meaning.  The phrase, “And the evening and the morning was the first day”, leads one to believe that it was a literal day consisting of an evening and morning.  The language God uses is not complicated, nor difficult to understand.  The idea that a “day” in Genesis chapter 1 was not a literal, 24 hour day has only become popular after the advances and indoctrination of evolutionary thought upon society.  It is only in this so-called “enlightened age” of evolutionary thought (wherein men professing themselves to be wise, become fools; Romans 1:22; Psalms 14:1) that professing Christians have begun trying to add man’s speculation to God’s Word for a foundation of their faith.

Secondly, Exodus 20:9-11 says “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,…..for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day….”.  Again, the most obvious meaning of this passage is that these six days of creation are literal, 24 hour days.  The reason God gives that we should work six days and rest on the seventh is that He worked six days and rested upon the seventh as we see in Genesis 1 and 2.  If the six days of Genesis chapter 1 were not six, literal, 24 hour days, then Exodus 20:9-11 would not make any sense.  The Lord has set the pattern that we are to follow.  God said He created all things in six days, the same kind of days that man should work.  He also said He rested the seventh day, the same kind of day in which man should rest.

Thirdly, Genesis chapter 1 affirms that Creation occurred in six evenings and six mornings.  While the word “day” (yowm) in the Hebrew language is sometimes used to denote a time period longer than 24 hours (e.g. Genesis 2:4), I have found no place in the Old Testament where the words “evening” and “morning” were used to signify an indefinite period of time.  The words “evening” and “morning” appear to be used in the Old Testament as having the same connotation that we have for them today.  These words are used to designate particular parts of a 24 hour day.

Fourthly, according to Genesis 2:4-6, God created every plant of the field before he put it into the earth, and created every herb of the field before it grew in the earth.  Hence, the grass and plants of the field were created by the creative voice of God rather than by evolving from a more primitive form of life which supposedly took place over millions of years.  This Scripture says that God made plants and herbs, and then afterwards, he placed them into the ground in order for them to grow and reproduce.  This verse tells us that the plants and herbs did not evolve from a seed that evolved from some primitive form of life.  God made the plants first, and then, afterwards, He placed them into the ground.  The evolutionist must deny this verse to hold to his theory of origins.

Fifthly, the Scriptures set forth the principle that the things in our world were brought into existence by the creative voice of God, rather than by the process of evolution.  Scripture says, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.  ….. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”  Psalms 33:6-9.  These verses plainly teach that things were formed by God speaking them into existence, and not by a process of evolution.  We find in Hebrews 11:3 that “the worlds were framed by the word of God” and that the things which we see here in the world were not made from self-existing matter, but were made from nothing by the creative voice of God.  God spake and it was done, he commanded, and it stood fast.

In conclusion let me say that God’s children should not feel compelled by the evolutionist to attempt to mix God’s Word with the carnal reasoning and theories of men.  We should ever remember that the most vocal advocates of evolution are God-denying atheists, which according to the Scriptures are fools (Psalms 14:1).  And why should any of God’s children so highly esteem the voice of a fool as to believe in his God-denying theories?  Brethren, continue to stand fast in the faith and in the truths of God’s word, and let not your hearts be troubled by the vain theories of men.  Always remember that God is true, and every man a liar who contradicts God.