The Doctrine of Creation (Protology)

3.1 Overview:

We teach the biblical account of the creation of the universe – that is, by His Word and for His glory, God created the heavens, the earth, and all their hosts, quickly in the space of six days – that is, in six literal, 24-hour days and we teach that God created everything out of nothing without pre-existing materials (Genesis 1-2; Psalm 33:6-9; 148:5-6; Isaiah 45:18; John 1:3, 10; Acts 4:24; 14:15; 17:24-25; Romans 4:17; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 4:11; 10:6).

We teach God created creation complete and immediate by Divine fiat (i.e. decree) and accomplished all of creation by speaking things into existence in the space of six literal 24-hour solar days.

We teach that by His Word God created the universe ex nihilo (i.e. out of nothing). See section 2.6.2.24 above titled “Creator.”

We teach the literal, grammatical-historical geographical interpretation of Scripture (i.e. Scripture’s self-attested principle of interpretation) which affirms the truth that the opening chapters of Genesis present all of creation in six literal days (cf. Genesis 1:1-31; Exodus 31:17). 

We teach that after the completion of the sixth day of creation the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts without spiritual or physical corruption (cf. Genesis 1:31). We teach that on the seventh day of the first week of the universe, God rested from all the work which God had done in creation (cf. Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 31:17).

We teach that the days described in Genesis 1 are not long geological ages but are six consecutive, 24-hour solar days of creation. We teach the first day began as described from Genesis 1:1, and the seventh day, likewise was a normal 24-hour solar day, ended as described in Genesis 2:3 (cf. Genesis 1:1–2:3; Exodus 20:8–11, 31:17; Hebrews 4:3–4).

We teach that the Triune God (for God’s own glory and by God’s own eternal sovereign decree) – created heaven and earth, time, and all things, visible and invisible, living and nonliving, material and nonmaterial (Genesis 1:1–2:3; Exodus 20:11, 31:17; Isaiah 46:9–10; Nehemiah 9:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 22:13).

We teach that the opening chapters of the book of Genesis are the accurate historical account of creation and objectively describe real events that have taken place in history (e.g. “and it was so” cf. Genesis 1:7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30).

We teach that Genesis chapter 1 is Hebrew narrative, not poetry. We teach the literary genre of Genesis 1 is narrative therefore Genesis 1 indicates historical record.

3.2 The Universe

There is no Hebrew word for “universe” so when we read in Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth” that means God created everything and everyone. We teach that God created out of nothing the space, time and matter universe in which we live.

The term universe is derived from the Latin term universum, and has the sense universally to mean "all things, everybody, the whole world." The term universe derived from the Latin word is a compound word made up of the Latin term unus, meaning "one", and the Latin term versus from which we later get the English word “verse.” The English term “verse” would many centuries later have the sense to mean something spoken. The Latin and English terms universum and universe are not in the original autographs of Scripture because Latin and English were not the languages that were used in the original autographs of Scripture (e.g. Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek were the languages that were used for the original autographs of Scripture – see section 1.9.1 above). Although the term universe is not in the original autographs the term universe has been systematically and universally originally used to explain in a word that God created the beginning of the universe by speaking the beginning of the universe into existence, hence “one-verse” or “universe” (cf. Genesis 1:1).       

We teach that God created the universe immediately by His word. This is called “divine fiat” (viz. “fiat creationism”) because it means that God created the universe by decree and command (cf. Hebrews 11:3; 2 Peter 3:5). 

We teach that God is the only cause of the beginning of the universe. We teach that God created everything in six literal, 24-hour solar days (Exodus 20:11; 31:17).

We teach that the universe was created by God – therefore, the universe is a creation. We teach that God is distinct from the universe. We teach that the universe is completely dependent on God (Job 12:10; Psalm 104:30; 139:7-10; Isaiah 42:5; Jeremiah 23:34; John 1:1-10; Acts 17:24-28; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:2-3, 10).

We teach that there is only one universe.

We DO NOT teach that there is a multiverse or multiple universes.

We DO NOT teach that the universe is self-existent (cf. Psalm 102:26; Isaiah 51:6).

We teach that the universe had a beginning. We teach the beginning of the universe began with the first moment of time when God created the space time continuum. We teach that God created the universe and we teach that God created time. We teach that both the universe and time were created by God simultaneously (cf. Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3; Psalm 102:25; Hebrews 1:10).

3.3 The Formation and Filling of the Universe

In Genesis 1:1-2 we read of a water-ball suspended in space viz. a sphere of water or hydro-sphere that was created by God:

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was formless and empty and darkness (was) over the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

We teach that verse 2 above is the existence of matter explained.

We DO NOT translate verse 2 as an adversative disjunctive clause to show a contrast between verse 1 and verse 2 – that is, we do not translate the beginning of verse 2 “But the earth became formless and empty . . .”

Instead, we teach that verse 2 is to be translated as, “And the earth was formless and empty . . .” because grammatically verse 2 is to be understood as being parenthetical, that is providing background information to verse 1 – giving an explanation of what the earth was like in verse 1 when it was created. This is because of the fact that in Hebrew the to-be verb hayah found from verse 2 is grammatically a qal-stem perfect verb and therefore is a static stative not a dynamic stative.[1] In other words, the form of the Hebrew to-be verb hayah in verse 2 has the sense of “being” not “becoming.” In verse 2 the earth has the sense of already existing in that form not the sense of “coming into being.” The Earth had already came into being by the creative word of God explained in verse 1. In verse 2 the author gave an explanation of the existence of the physical earth – that is, on and in day 1 the earth was formless and empty – hence, the earth’s sate of being at that time it was created.[2] In summation, the Hebrew grammar does not allow verse 2 to be translated into English “the earth became formless and empty . . .” But instead, the Hebrew grammar allows verse 2 to be translated into English “And the earth was formless and empty . . .” which has the sense to mean a state of being or state or existence denoting the way it was a result of God creating the earth in the first place as described in verse 1.

We teach that verse 1 and verse 2 describe events that belong to the first day of the creation week – namely a duration of time that is to be understood as a literal 24 hour day.

We teach that in the subsequent days of the creation week God formed that which was formless and filled that which was empty.

We teach that verse 2 serves as a divinely inspired outline for the creation week. For instance, in the first three days of the creation week – namely, day 1, day 2, and day 3, God formed that which was formless. In other words, at the beginning of the first day the earth was a hydro-sphere suspended in space but by the end of the third day of the creation week, due to the creative work of God, the waters on earth were gathered into seas, the dry land appeared and the earth brought forth plant life (cf. Genesis 1:9-13).

On day 4, day 5 and day 6 of the creation week God filled that which was empty. For example, corresponding to day 1 – on day 4 God attached the light He created on day 1 to the luminaries God created on day 4 (cf. Genesis 1:14-19). Corresponding to day 2 – on day 5 God filled the sky He created on day 2 with birds to fly above the earth as well as filling the seas with seafaring animals (cf. Genesis 1:20-23). Corresponding to day 3 – on day 6 God filled the dry land with terrestrial land animals as well as mankind. We teach that mankind is the crowning achievement in the creation week because man was created last but in the image of God – therefore, man is special and unique from the rest of creation. What is more, the creation week narrative progresses to its climax with the creation of man to show that God purposed to create a habitat suitable for man to rule as God’s vice regency upon the earth (cf. Genesis 1:26-31).

We teach that the original condition of the universe when it was created by God and when it was originally being formed and filled during the creation week by God as well as immediately after the creation week when God completed all of creation and created all the hosts to fill the universe – that all God created and made was without spiritual or physical corruption (cf. Genesis 1:31).

We teach that everything God does is good. See section 2.6.2.20 above titled “Omnibenevolence” and section 2.6.3.6 above titled “Goodness.”

We teach that the good God created a good creation. (cf. Genesis 1:31). 

We teach that God created and made everything and everyone fully grown and mature. 

3.4 The Age of the Earth

We teach that the age of the Earth is less than 10,000 years of age. To be more specific, the age of the Earth is not older than 10,000 years and not younger than 6,000 years of age. The Word of God teaches a young Earth, namely the origin of the entire creation as well as man is a recent history close to 4,000 years from creation (cf. Genesis 1-2) to the virgin birth of Christ (cf. Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-20; Galatians 4:4). We teach that it has been close to 2,000 years since the virgin birth of Jesus Christ to our present day in the dispensation of the church age. Therefore, we teach that the age of the Earth is not younger than 6,000 years and certainly not older than 10,000 years.

We DO NOT teach the theory of the modern secular paradigm that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old.  

We DO NOT teach the theory in secular geology called uniformitarianism.

We teach the true biblical position concerning geology called catastrophism – namely there was a global flood as described in Genesis 6-8 that destroyed, shaped and configured planet earth on a global scale to give it the appearance of age it has today (cf. 2 Peter 3:5-6).  

We teach that the earth has the appearance of age today because God destroyed and shaped the earth by the waters of the global catastrophism of (the global Flood) as judgment upon the rebellious inhabitants of the antediluvian age – that is, the age of man between the fall of man and the flood as a warning to all the ages and generations of mankind of God future judgment upon the earth (cf. Genesis 6:1-8:13; Matthew 24:36-41; 2 Peter 3:5-6).

We teach the great Flood described from Genesis was a worldwide (global) Flood in its scope and catastrophic in global destruction. We DO NOT teach that the great Flood described from Genesis was merely a local or regional flood.[3] 

We teach that fossils that are found in the Earth are direct evidence to the global judgment of the Flood – namely, the Flood waters laid water sediment deposits on continents, preserving the creatures that God executed through the global judgment of the Flood (cf. Genesis 7:19–24; 2 Peter 3:5–7).

We teach the account of the origins in Genesis 1–11 is the objective factual account of actual events, and therefore, is the only reliable foundation and reference point for sincere scientific research into the questions concerning the origin and history of life, the origin of mankind, the origin of the earth, and the origin of the universe.

3.5 Against Heresies

3.5.1 Overview

We teach that it is an attack on the very character of God to believe that God used billions or millions of years of death, suffering and disease to create and then when finished declared it very good (cf. Genesis 1:31; Deuteronomy 32:4).

We teach that because of the first Adam’s sin certain negative laws such as entropy – that is, an implication of the second law of thermodynamics came into effect resulting in decay and death (cf. Romans 5:12, 14a, 21a).

We teach there are serious consequences for denying a young earth. For example, when one believes in the secular timeline estimations of 4 billion of years for the age of the Earth, then one accepts evolutionary theory and as a result one denies the biblical account of the fall of man. Evolutionary theory argues that the fossil process time frame was a very slow process of millions of years.[4] Evolutionary theory places the time of fossils – fossils which testify to disease, suffering and death by the way, before Adam sinned. However, it was Adam’s sin that brought death and suffering into the world (cf. Romans 5:12, 14a, 21a). The implications of the fall of man in the garden resulted in not just mankind succumbing to physical death (cf. Genesis 3:19), but also the animal world (cf. Genesis 3:14) as well as the entire physical creation (cf. Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:20-22). Therefore, those who hold to an old Earth uniformitarian view deny the word of God. The fossil record records disease, death and suffering and could not have been millions of years prior to the fall of man because God did not use death to create. If God used death to create it could not have been the first Adam’s sin that brought death and suffering into the creation. If one believes in old earth uniformitarianism then one denies what the last Adam accomplished in redemption to save the believer from the consequences of death (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 42-49).   

Because of the finished work of the last Adam (i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ) we teach that God in the future will regenerate the earth (cf. Matthew 19:28; Isaiah 65:19-25; Revelation 20:4-6) and then create a new heavens and a new earth (cf. 2 Peter 3:10-13; Isaiah 65:17-18; Revelation 21:1-22:5).

3.5.2 The Heresy Called the Gap Theory

We DO NOT teach “the gap theory” a.k.a. “ruin and reconstruction theory” or “cataclysmic theory”

The gap theory is an attempt to combine or harmonize the evolutionary myth old earth concept with the six day creation account described in Genesis 1. Gap theorists want to argue that the earth is billions of years old therefore, they insert a massive gap of time between verses 1 and 2 of Genesis chapter 1. Those who hold to this theory argue that the gap of time came to be because of a conflict between God versus the devil and the devil was cast down to the earth and that conflict caused the destruction of the earth. Because of this, they argue that the earth became formless and void. Therefore, God had to recreate the world or renovate the aftermath of chaos which came to be from the original fall of Satan. What is more, evil was mixed with the substance of things material.[5] The gap theory argues eons and ages of time before the actual creation account began. The Gap theory inserts long ages of time to amalgamate evolution or geological uniformitarianism with Genesis 1. Those who hold to the gap theory do not believe in a literal creation account and as such do not accept the literal meaning from the Author of Genesis 1. The fall of Satan is recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-17; Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12, but not an imaginary gap between verses 1 and 2 from Genesis chapter 1. The gap theory is heresy.

3.5.3 The Heresy Called Modified Gap-Theory

We DO NOT teach the heresy called day-gap-day. This heresy is essentially the same as the “gap theory” or “second creative act” theory – see section 3.5.2 above; however, proponents of this theory have modified the “gap theory” to try and argue further gaps of long ages of time before the first day of creation or further gaps that came later during the creation week.

The modified gap theories include, pre-time gap (i.e. long ages before God began creating in Genesis 1:1 – however, this heresy begs the question “how can one have millions of years of time prior to the creation of time?”, precreation-chaos gap (long ages between Genesis 1:2 and 1:3), and late gap theory (i.e. a gap between chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis. Late gap theory wrongly suggests that Adam and his wife lived in the Garden for long ages before Adam’s sin. However, Adam and his wife were given the cultural mandate by God on day six of the creation week to be “fruitful and multiply” in Genesis 1:28 – therefore, if Adam and his wife waited long ages before they began the cultural mandate they would have been in rebellion against God. What is more, late gap theory is false because there were no offspring born to the human race before the original fall of man. To suggest that there were offspring born before the original fall of man is to suggest that Adam and his wife begot sinless offspring that transitioned into the antediluvian age between the original fall of Adam and the global Flood of Noah’s day. 

All the gap heresies are a form of old Earth creationism that argue the six-yom creation period, as described in the Book of Genesis, may have involved six literal 24-hour days but with long gaps of time somewhere during the days or between the days. To hold to a “gap theory” that there was a gap of time between what gap theorists falsely claim was two distinct creations in between the first and the second verses of Genesis chapter 1; or in between the second and third verses of Genesis chapter 1; is to esiegete many secular uniformitarian claims, including an old age of the Earth.  Gap theories differ from day-age creationism, which posits that the creative 'days' of creation were much longer periods (of thousands or millions of years), but rather that there was long gaps during or in between the days.

3.5.4 Time Dilation Theory

Time dilation creationism tries to harmonize the existence of distant galaxies with the six days of Creation. This theory suggests that the universe experienced a rapid passage of time, while the earth itself experienced six literal days, because of time dilation. Time dilation proponents assert that the time dilation mainly happened on the fourth day of creation.

Time dilation theorists argue that because of the problem of the distance of starlight, time dilation explains how starlight from the edge of the universe, around 13 billion light years away could travel to the Earth in less than 6000 years. Therefore, time-dilation theory suggests that on the fourth day of creation, there was a type of time dilation which allowed the light to travel to the Earth from the edge of the universe.

3.5.5 The Heresy Called Progressive Creation

We DO NOT teach the progressive creation heresy.

Progressive creation is the false teaching that argues new forms of life were created gradually over a period of hundreds of millions of years – therefore, progressive creationism must be rejected. Progressive creationism is a form of old Earth creationism, as it accepts mainstream geological and cosmological estimates for the age of the Earth. Progressive creationists argue for microevolution in biology. Progressive creationists generally argue that creation occurred in rapid bursts in which all kinds of plants and animals appear in stages lasting millions of years.

Progressive creationists accept the secular geological column of the progressive appearance of rocks, plants and animals through millions upon millions of years. Progressive creationists believe that creation started with simple, single-celled organisms and progressed to complex multicellular organisms in the present day. Progressive creationists however do not accept macroevolution – that is, kinds evolved from each other and changed into each other.

3.5.6 The Heresy Called Day-Age

We DO NOT teach the day-age heresy.

The day-age creationism heresy is the false teaching that suggests the six days referred to in the Genesis account of creation are not ordinary 24-hour days, but are much longer periods of time from thousands to billions of years.  The day-age heresy is the attempt to amalgamate the secular uniformitarian theory of the age of the Earth with the Genesis account. The day-age theory is subscribed by progressive creationists as well as theistic evolutionists, who accept the secular scientific consensus on evolution. Day-age proponents argue that the Hebrew word yom is to be understood as long ages of time from thousands to billions of years but not that of a 24-hour day in the Genesis creation account. Day-age heresy takes out of context 2 Peter 3:8 which reads, “one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.”

3.5.7 The Heresy Called Theistic Evolution

We DO NOT teach the theistic evolution heresy.

Theistic evolution is the false teaching that suggests that God used evolution to create the universe, the Earth and everyone and everything that dwells in the Earth. Theistic evolutionists believe that the theory of evolution taught from Charles Darwin’s 1859 publication On the Origin of Species is compatible or can be reconciled with divine design. Theistic evolution is the false teaching that the concept of God as the Creator is compatible with the theory of evolution. Theistic evolution eisegetes scientific theory into the narrative of Genesis chapters 1-2. Theistic evolution rejects the strict creationist doctrines of special creation.  Theistic evolution accepts the secular scientific consensus on the age of the Earth, the secular scientific consensus on the age of the universe, the secular scientific consensus called “the Big Bang”, the secular scientific consensus on the origin of the Solar System, and the secular scientific consensus on the origin of biological life through evolution.

Theistic evolutionists try to harmonize evolutionary thought with belief in God. Theistic evolutionists believe that evolution is real, evolution occurred as secular biologists describe it but that it was set in motion by God and under the direction of God.

Theistic evolutionists believe the secular physical cosmological model, with the universe coming into being 13.8 billion years ago with the age of the universe and time beginning with the Big Bang. Theistic evolutionists believe the age of the secular uniformitarian model of the age of the Earth, being 4.5 billion years old, and that God fine-tuned all the universe through evolution and natural selection. Theistic evolutionists believe that no special supernatural intervention was involved once evolution got under way. Theistic evolutionists believe that humans are a result of these evolutionary processes;

We DO NOT teach “orthogenesis” – that is, goal-directed evolution.

We DO NOT teach “nomogenesis” – that is, evolution to fixed law.

We DO NOT teach “emergent” evolution or “creative” evolution.

The reason why theistic evolution is false teaching is because it is an attack against the attributes of God and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Theistic evolution is an attack against the goodness of God. God did not use death, decay or suffering to create. God did not use naturalistic selection and competition for organisms to survive during the creation week of Genesis 1-2, because at the end of day 6 the Divine evaluation when God was finished with His work of creation was that everything was “very good” (cf. Genesis 1:31). There was no death and suffering before the fall of Man (cf. Romans 5:12).

Theistic evolution undermines central biblical teachings by regarding the creation account of Genesis as a myth, a parable, or an allegory, instead of treating it as an accurate record of historical events. Theistic evolution amalgamates "atheistic" naturalism with the biblical account of creation to accommodate inconsistencies in secular scientific explanations, which therefore undermines biblical doctrines.

3.5.8 The Heresy Called Documentary Hypothesis

We DO NOT teach the Heresy Called Documentary Hypothesis.

The heresy called “documentary hypothesis” proponents argue that through historical-critical scholarship they believe that Genesis was written over many centuries, using oral and written traditions. Historical-critical scholars argue that Genesis is a post-exilic combination of two bodies of material: (1) Priestly editorial layer or source called (P), beginning with the seven-day creation account in 1:1-2:3, and (2) a “non-priestly” source beginning with the garden of Eden story in 2:4-3:24.”[6] Therefore, they falsely argue that Genesis chapters 1 and chapters 2 are two different creation accounts.

Documentary hypothesis liberal critical scholars argue, “ever since the work of Wellhausen in the second half of the 19th century, most scholars have recognized that the earliest material in Genesis is the non-priestly material which was formulated by several sources.” However, conservative scholars who hold to the literal grammatical historical geographical hermeneutic do not teach documentary hypothesis. 

Documentary hypothesis liberal critical scholars have imagined their system by their own understanding and have invented a hermeneutic that claims there is a (J) document they call the Yahwistic document which they falsely claim was written in the 10th century BC and have assigned a date during the reign of David and Solomon, denying Mosaic authorship.

Documentary hypothesis liberal critical scholars have imagined their system by their own understanding and have invented a hermeneutic that claims there is an (E) document they call the Elohistic document which they argue was written one to two centuries after the J document – and therefore, they deny Mosaic authorship of the book of Genesis.

What is more, they argue there is the (D) document they call the Deuteronomist document that they falsely claim is a post-exilic compositional date and they argue all of this later resulted in the formation of the Torah.

And finally, they claim there is the (P) document which has been refuted above. 

That is why this liberal view is called J, E, D, P theory or documentary hypothesis. The documentary hypothesis is a relatively novel concept because it only dates originally back as far as the 1700’s and was only really developed over the last 200 plus years. Documentary hypothesis has not been the regular conservative interpretation from either the Christian church throughout church history or Hebraists from Israelite scholarship. Instead, documentary hypothesis liberal critical scholarship started with French liberal scholars and then was picked up by German liberal scholars of the Tübingen school in the 1800’s. It was made popular in the 1870’s by Julius Wellhausen (c.1844-1918).

The reason why documentary hypothesis came about was for liberal unbelieving scholars to deny the historicity of the first book of the Bible. This liberal movement called documentary hypothesis came out of unregenerate man’s quest to try and disprove a historical Adam so that they could deny the Theopneustos nature of Scripture, so they could deny the inerrancy of Scripture, so they could deny the infallibility of Scripture, so they could feel that they were not guilty of sin before God. They thought if one can prove that one was not federally and seminally tied to the first historical man then one could deny original sin and total depravity, and therefore one could imagine that one is not guilty of original sin. These are the implications of documentary hypothesis. Documentary hypothesis liberal critical scholars imagine a world where they are autonomous people and only accountable to one’s self and their own moral code of ethics concerning right and wrong. Documentary hypothesis is the presupposition of a denial of truth where they stablish in the place of truth a heretical anthropology that suggests that man has no guilt before God, to argue that man has no sin. However, we learn from Genesis 3 and Romans 5 that man has sinned against God. Romans 5 is the Apostle Paul’s theological treatise on the biblical doctrine of anthropology and hamartiology, and how we are born spiritually dead in our union with the first Adam.  

Romans 5:12 – “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

Documentary hypothesis is an expression of suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Therefore, anyone who holds to or teaches documentary hypothesis denies the historicity of Genesis 1-11. And if one denies the historicity of Genesis 1-11 then as a consequence that person denies the historicity of the first man Adam. And if one denies the historicity of the first man Adam then as a consequence that person denies the historicity of the fall of man in Genesis 3. And if one denies the historicity of the fall of man in Genesis 3 then as a consequence that person denies the truth concerning original sin and total depravity.[7]

Therefore, we DO NOT teach Documentary Hypothesis.

Instead, we teach that Genesis is real history from Mosaic authorship for its entirety (i.e. God chose Moses to write down everything that was written down in the entire book of Genesis).  

3.5.9 The Heresy Called Framework Hypothesis

We DO NOT teach the heresy called Framework Hypothesis

Framework hypothesis is the false teaching that Gen. 1 presents a symbolic, rather than literal, presentation of creation. Framework hypothesis imagines a metaphorical "framework" by which the creative process of Genesis 1 can be put in simple terms for the finite human minds to reconcile evolutionary theory with the Genesis narrative. Framework hypothesis is problematic because it opens the door for the reader to interpret the book of Genesis allegorically to maintain false claims of secular science as well as the false teachings of theistic evolution and progressive creationism in old Earth paradigms.

Framework hypothesis is false teaching because it tries to create a dichotomy between narrative and time by suggesting that the Genesis 1 historical narrative has nothing to do with time. 

Framework hypothesis is the false teaching that the "days" of creation are overlapping stages of a long evolutionary process. The framework hypothesis interprets the six days of Genesis 1 into six big ideas, and the events recounted in Genesis 1 never happened; rather, Genesis 1 is simply describing the cosmic order using the literary device of six “days.”

Framework hypothesis is wrong because it does not interpret Genesis through Scriptures’ self-attested principle of hermeneutics – namely, the literal-grammatical-historical-geographical hermeneutic.

Framework hypothesis presents an alternative to literal interpretation of Genesis by appealing to literary forms like poetry and allegory as an attack against the literal meaning of Genesis 1. But those who interpret Genesis symbolically or allegorically appeal to literary devices as camouflage to distract from the trojan horse that is purposed to assign secular science like evolution as an authority over that of Scripture.

3.5.10 The Heresy Called Functionality-Cosmic Temple

We DO NOT teach the heresy called functionality-cosmic temple.

The Cosmic Temple interpretation is false teaching because the view interprets Genesis 1-2 as a macrocosm of a temple. The functionality-cosmic temple false teaching claims that temples in the Ancient Near East were microcosms of the universe, therefore Genesis 1-2 is about the universe being a macrocosm of a temple. This heresy argues that the seven days described in Genesis 1-2 were not days that God brought material things into existence, but instead ascribing function to everything that exists.[8]

3.5.11 The Heresy Called Analogical Days   

We DO NOT teach the heresy called analogical days.

The analogical-day theory is the false teaching that the days of Genesis 1 are mainly about cycles of work and rest, analogous to the cycles of human work and rest in the daily cycle of human life. Within the six days of Genesis 1-2, the focus of the narrative from an analogical days interpretation is on labor and rest as the main point of Genesis 1-2. The analogical days view does not interpret the days of the creation week of Genesis 1 as literal 24 hour solar days. Instead, the analogical days view interprets the days as an analogical reference to evenings and mornings merely to make the point that evening is the realm of rest and morning is the beginning of new work. Therefore, the analogical day view leaves room for an old earth view of the age of the Earth at 4.5 billion years old as well as evolutionary paradigms for the origin of biological life. 

3.5.12 Conclusion

The heretical views known as the gap theory, modified gap theory, time dilation theory, progressive creation, day-age, theistic evolution, documentary hypothesis, framework hypothesis, functionality-cosmic temple and analogical days are all old Earth views that try to fit evolution of billion and millions of years into Genesis and therefore are incompatible with Scripture.

[1] “A stative verb in the perfect expresses a state of being (static). A stative verb in the imperfect expresses a state of becoming (dynamic)” Barrick and Busenitz, A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew, Chapter 19 “Segholate Nouns and Stative Verbs” (Sun Valley, Cal.: Grace Books International, 2011), 138-39.  Also see “stative verbs” Frederic Clarke Putnam, Hebrew Bible Insert; A Student’s Guide to the Syntax of Biblical Hebrew (PA: Stylus Publishing of PA, 2002), 32, 62.

[2] Even the writers of the LXX used the Greek verb eimi in their translation of Genesis 1:2 to show the static stative of the Hebrew verb – not a dynamic stative. In the Genesis 1:3 LXX translation of the Hebrew text the translators used the Greek verb ginomai to translate the imperfect form of hayah in the phrase, “And God said, ‘let there be light’ and there was light.’”  It makes sense for the LXX translators to use the Greek word ginomai because ginomai has the sense of coming into being. In Genesis 1:3 the Hebrew verb hayah has the sense of light ‘becoming,’ or ‘coming into being’ because the Hebrew verb hayah in verse 3 is in the imperfect conjugation – but, in verse 2 the Hebrew verb hayah is perfect conjugation. The LXX is the oldest surviving Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally believed to have been written by 70 some Jewish scholars sometime during the third century BC.

[3] The Hebrew Term כֹּל (kol) which means “all” is found no less than 30 times in the Flood narrative from Genesis 6-10. The great Flood was a judgment on mankind, therefore it had to be global.

[4] Cambrian explosion or biological “big bang” in conventional secular naturalistic biology and secular conventional paleontology is the first appearance of a wide diversity of types of marine animals in the fossil record. Scientists argue the Cambrian explosion was a remarkable event in the history of life on Earth, when most of the major animal groups appeared in a short span of time. Secular paleontologists argue that the Cambrian explosion occurred about 541 million years ago, at the start of the Cambrian period, and lasted for about 25 million years. The very complex ecosystem of the Cambrian explosion appears out of nowhere and evolutionists are wrong to appeal to the Cambrian explosion to argue that ecosystems arrived gradually on earth over billions of years as organisms diversified through evolution by responding to one another in their environment by competition, to adapt over billions of years into more complex organisms that we observe today. The Cambrian explosion shows no transitional forms between the simple Precambrian life and the complex Cambrian life. Therefore, the Precambrian and the Cambrian classifications were not ages. All the therefore mentioned “ages” are really just ecosystems that existed simultaneously at the same time less than 6,000 years ago and were all destroyed by the flood and then fossilized. The complexity of life was already there and never evolved.

[5] Thomas Chalmers is credited with being the originator of the gap theory and popularized the theory in 1814, 45 years before Charles Darwin published Origin of the Species. Thomas Chalmers was a Scottish theologian from Edinburgh, Scotland. Thomas Chalmers was influenced by old Earth uniformitarians like Charles Lyell and James Hutton. The gap theory, uniformitarianism and evolution are the major myths of 19th century mythology. Chalmers argued that Genesis 1:1 was the initial creation of the universe but Genesis 1:2 is a description of the chaos that resulted when God judged the world because of the devil’s rebellion. At the fall of Satan the initial creation was destroyed. Therefore, God renovated the remains of that cataclysmic event and began the renovation of a new heavens and a new earth in verse 2. The major proponents of the gap theory in the 20th century included A.W. Pink who wrote in his book Gleanings in Genesis original edition 1922, republished in 1950 two years before his death the following, “the unknown interval between the first two verses of Genesis 1, is wide enough to embrace all the prehistoric ages which may have elapsed, ” Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 6-9. Donald Grey Barnhouse argued for the gap theory in his famous book, the Invisible War; the Panorama of the Continuing Conflict between God & Evil – Donald Grey . Barnhouse, The Invisible War (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1980), 15-20. C.I. Scofield Reference Bible taught gap theory in the dictum notes for Genesis 1:2 –C. I. Scofield ed. Old Scofield Study Bible-KJV-Large Print (London, England: Oxford University Press, 1996). J. Vernon McGee also promoted the gap theory – J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Vol. 01: The Law (Genesis 1-15). Thru the Bible Commentary 01 (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 1995).

[6] Michael David Coogan, Marc Zvi Brettler, Carol Ann Newsom, and Pheme Perkins, The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version (Oxford University Press, USA, 2007), 3-10.

[7] The consequence of denying the historicity of Genesis 3 is the denial of the historicity of Romans chapter 5. What is more, the implication of denying Genesis 3 and Romans 5 is the denial that salvation is by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone, because the Apostle Paul developed his argument that justification is by faith alone in Christ – the last Adam. Romans chapters 3-4 and chapters 6-8 all fall if there is no Romans chapters 1 – 2 and 5! And if Genesis 1-11 is not real history written by Moses but J,E,D, P theory is the reality of the situation– then Romans doesn’t make any sense at all – because Christianity has a historical basis that relies on Mosaic authorship of Genesis. One cannot seperate the book of Romans from the book of Genesis – because both books are Theopneustos – that is, God breathed (as is every book of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation).   

[8] John Walton is one of the main proponents of the heresy called functionality-Cosmic temple and claims that Genesis 1-2 is like a temple dedication ceremony but not a strictly material account of the cosmological origins of the universe. In his book The Lost World of Genesis One, Walton presented the Genesis creation as being functional rather than material – John Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate (Ill., Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009).