There are a couple of final things to consider in connection with the "young earth" view of Genesis 1. The things which we now address have to do with the principles upon which the belief is based—what we believe is at the root of the interpretation
The "Young Earth" View Seems to Reflect an Undue Confidence in What Men of Science Say Rather Than What the Word of God Says
It seems that the "young earth" interpretation is based more on scientific tests and geological discoveries than on what Scripture says. To see Christians who believe that the Bible is the guide and supreme authority on which all matters religious, moral, or otherwise, are settled, readily accepting the things that Young Earth Creationists are putting forth, and rejecting what the older generation of scholars have taught from Scripture, is disconcerting. The relative ease with which Christians have abandoned what has long been accepted as orthodox is alarming. Basically, what is being said is that those gifted and spiritual men who have exegeted Genesis 1 with a gap (some of whom are mentioned on page 3) are mistaken in what they have taught, and if they knew what we know from science today, they wouldn’t have taught those things!
However, this calls in question the spiritual judgment and discernment of these gifted and respected Bible scholars. To sweep away what those men have taught because learned scientists (though Christians) have found certain things in their microscopes and telescopes is quite incredible. It is really putting science before the Word of God! It appears that Christians today would rather trust the discernment of men of science rather than the discernment of godly Bible teachers! It really comes down to this: Is our understanding of creation based on science or on what the Word of God says? The Bible does not say, "Through science we understand that the worlds were framed...," but rather, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed..." (Heb. 11:33Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3)). True science will validate the Word of God, but "science falsely so-called" militates against the Word (1 Tim. 6:2020O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: (1 Timothy 6:20)). At the bottom of it all, we see an undue confidence in "the uncertain science of geology" (W. Kelly) and a sad lack of confidence in what we have been taught from God's Word by the most reliable Bible teachers.
It may be argued that Young Earth Creationists back up everything that they have found in science with the Word of God. Indeed, they have used the Scriptures to support their belief, but we have shown that they have not used the Word of God correctly in supporting of their conclusions concerning creation. Things have been inferred into Scripture to make Scripture fit their beliefs. For example, they state that Genesis 1:1-21In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1‑2) is part of the six days, when it clearly is not. They also state that creating, making, and forming are all the same thing, even though Scripture shows otherwise. They state that Adam brought sin and death into the creation—not Satan. They say that dinosaurs were created at the same time as men and lived on earth with men. If this is so, they must have been in Noah's ark, because Scripture says "two of every sort" of animal boarded the ark (Gen. 6:19-2019And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:19‑20)). Knowing that this presents a problem due to their enormous size, some creation scientists tell us that those dinosaurs entered the ark as babies; others say that they died off earlier—but this is pure speculation. Needless to say, inferring things into Scripture is an unacceptable way of handling the Word of God. In doing so, the Young Earth Creationists' interpretations make Scripture (on this subject) subservient to science!
When things in science seem to conflict with the Scriptures, the Christian is to cling to the Scriptures and to set those things that science (so-called) is saying aside. This is because things that are put forth as science may not be true science; they are things that men have learned, and they could be mistaken. The Scriptures, on the other hand, are never wrong. C. H. Mackintosh put it succinctly: "Geologists may explore the bowels of the earth, and draw forth from thence materials from which to add to, and, in some instances, to contradict the divine record. They may speculate upon fossil remains; but the disciple hangs with sacred delight over the page of inspiration" ("Notes on Genesis," pp. 1-2). In many cases, Young Earth Creationists do not do this. They hold on to what they think science is saying (when it seems to favour a young earth) and try to interpret the Scriptures to support their mistaken conclusions.
The "Young Earth" View Seems to be Based in Arminian Beliefs
When we step back and look at the reasoning behind the "young earth" view of creation, we see that it is a well-meaning effort to debunk the notions of Evolution, with the purpose of making the gospel more convincing to the world. To deny their scientific conclusions about the creation is, in their minds, a terrible compromise with Evolution. They believe that, if we hold that there is an undisclosed period of time (a gap) before God began to make this present earth, then we are opening the door for people to think that Evolution is right after all. Hence, in their minds, it undermines the gospel message.
R. Radebaugh summarized the Creation Science movement as being "a knee-jerk reaction to Evolution." At the bottom of the Young Earth movement, we see Christians trying to prove to the atheists and infidels of the world that they are wrong about Evolution, and that they should turn to Christ for salvation. Now, these dear believers (Young Earth Creationists) can be commended for their good intentions, but the premise of their effort betrays a basic ignorance of one great fact of the gospel—that man in the flesh is totally depraved and that he has no power (freewill) to change his mind and to believe. Scripture presents the condition of a lost person (an unbeliever) as being spiritually "dead" (Eph. 2:1- 51And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:1‑5); Col. 2:12-1312Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:12‑13)), having no spiritual faculty to hear and believe the message of the gospel. According to Scripture, man in his natural state in the flesh:
This being the case, Scripture nowhere enjoins Christians to reason with, or debate, atheists and infidels on the various topics of their unbelief. In fact, it warns against such tactics (2 Tim. 2:1414Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. (2 Timothy 2:14)). We have not been called to convince man in the flesh of the existence of God and His creation. The Bible makes no attempt to explain this, but assumes faith on the part of all who read it (Heb. 11:66But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)). If we could intellectually convince unregenerate men to drop their false ideas of Evolution and to believe on the Lord Jesus, then their "faith" would "stand in the wisdom of men" and not in "the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:55That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:5)). Clever scientific arguments cannot convince unbelievers to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, because men in their natural state have no spiritual faculty to understand the truth; it is all foolishness to them (1 Cor. 2:1414But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)). If any believe the gospel, it is solely because of God’s quickening power. In quickening, or new birth, the Spirit of God applies the Word of God to souls and thereby communicates divine life to them. Thus, they are given the capacity to hear and respond to the call of God in the gospel. Our responsibility in sharing the gospel, therefore, is to present the message of redeeming grace from the Word of God clearly, simply, and passionately, and leave the results to the Spirit of God who alone has the power to impart life and bring men to repentance and belief in the Lord Jesus. The Bible says, "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:4848And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)).
Thus, the premise of the Young Earth Creationist's efforts has a wrong footing. It seems to be based in Arminian misconceptions concerning man's fallen state. James Arminius (1560-1609 A.D.) taught that all men are depraved sinners, but he did not see that their depravity was such that they could not choose to believe the gospel. He taught that though men are fallen creatures, they are still free moral agents, and thus have the power to believe the gospel, if they choose. (The truth is, that unregenerate man does not have a free will; he may choose in the ordinary things in life, but he will never choose Christ.)
We are not saying that every Young Earth Creationist is Arminian in his soteriology, but that the effect that Arminianism has had on many Christians has led them to believe that it is their duty to reason with the atheists and the infidels of the world, and to try to convince them that their ideas are wrong, and that they should believe on Christ. Most evangelical Christians today are Arminian in their views, and therefore, see nothing wrong with the Young Earth Creationist's intellectual presentation of the gospel through science. However, while their motives may be good, the whole exercise betrays a basic misunderstanding of the total depravity of man. It supposes that there is still a spark of good in fallen man that gives him the power to choose to believe—if he wants to. (Therefore, we should try to reason with men and convince them of the truth through science and geology, etc.) If this is so, then fallen man is not totally depraved, and he is not dead after all!
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The net result of the "young earth" view is that one must disregard what reliable Bible teachers have taught on the subject of creation, and adopt a new teaching because science and geology have supposedly found those teachers to be wrong. We believe that it would be safer to leave science out of the picture and to stay with a sound exposition of the Scriptures, which has been attested to by respected Bible scholars over a span of many years. And also, to shun new and contrived interpretations that have been devised to support these so-called scientific discoveries.