6 day creation

Is this an issue that should cause Christians to divide over in your opinion though?

I hold to a "younger" creation date, not exactly 6000 year, maybe few hundred thousands!

 

It cannot be postively proven either way. There are many indications of a young earth however others can find an explaination for them.

One such proof is the sedimentary build up in the oceans, if one takes the current sedimentary rate and calculated out over the 4.5 to 5 billion year old age of the earth as the evoluitionist profess, the oceans would no longer exist for the sediment would have filled it by now.
The counter argument to this is that the rate of sediment wasn't the same in the past therefore you can't use todays rates.

Of course the bible tells us that it is approximately 6000 years old and I believe it. The counter is the Gap theory, the Gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 that there is a period of time, a GAP, between the creation of the earth in 1:1 and the re-creation as seen in 1:2.

So there are arguements on both sides, we can prove neither perfectly.

 

is there creationists that hold to "older" dates, or is it JUST Theistic Evolution Christians?

Should this be a dividing issue, or a non essential of faith?

 

God doesn't lie. To say that the earth is older than the genealogies of the Bible show is to call Him a liar.

 

Are you assuming here though ALL of them were listed, or were JST the persons listed who were part of the line concerning messiah to come?

And were generations always the same lenght wise in Bible?

 

It's funny, isn't it, that you, a Calvinist, don't trust God to have the power to do what He said, and me, not a Calvinist, does? Funny, eh?

 

But with the GAP theory God isn't a liar. Mankind has been on earth for close to 6000 years as the geneology shows. The Gap between Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and 1:2 And 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. makes the earth much older. TGod created the Heaven and Earth and it had become void and without form, so God re-created the earth and then created mankind. So man's geneology as listed remains intact but the age of the earth can then be infinite.
So it would not show God a liar.

Again I believe in a younger earth but I have studied the other theories as well.

 

There are some that hold creationism and hold the older dates yes. M.R. Dehan wrote two books on the subject, Eart's Earliest ages and The Ice Age, I believe they are His. Larkin holds these theories as well.

I would say it is a non essential in that we cannot disprove the Gap theory or an older earth, just as the other side cannot disprove a youngeer earth. We must decide this issue ourselves. If you can prove your position perfectly on this then it would become a dividing issue.

 

just asking, is it possible that "time/age" does not really apply as we would define it until fall of man, that Adam and Eve could well have been living long time before they sinned and aging/dating started?

 

It is a theologically myopic position to state that any view other than one's own view on this matter is tantamount to calling God a liar.

 

That would be possible however the Jewish calender which is said to begin with the creation of Adam would refute that claim. We are currently in the year 5771 by that calender.

 

There is just no credibility for the Gap Theory. One must read into scripture that which is just not there.

 

Matt, where is the scripture that God clearly indicated that there is a direct relationship between the generations and the age of earth?

 

Not going back into the original language according to those who hold the theory.
Genesis 1:2 And 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.
Accordint to the GAP theorist the translation of the verse should be And the earth became without form and void. They say that the word was is a mis-translation and should be the became.

Here is the Hebrew word:

Strong's Number: 01961 hyh
Original Word Word Origin
hyh a primitive root [compare (01933)]
Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling
Hayah haw-yaw
Parts of Speech TWOT
Verb 491
Definition
to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1. (Qal)
a. to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass
b. to come about, come to pass
c. to come into being, become
d. to arise, appear, come
e. to become
f. to become
g. to become like
h. to be instituted, be established
i. to be
j. to exist, be in existence
k. to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
l. to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
m. to accompany, be with
2. (Niphal)
a. to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
b. to be done, be finished, be gone

So you see the word was is not part of the translation and the word bacome or became fits into the verse. While the verse could be "the earth existed without form and void" if you use definition 1. j.
So you don't have to read into scripture for the GAP theory to be a valid view.
I was taught this view growing up and accepted it for many years until I read several books. Then the two science courses I studied in College dealt with all the theories. Now I hold a young earth belief. Although I see the GAP theory can be a valid belief.

 

I lean more towards Younger creation compared to older creation date , but is the jewish calander to be considered dating wise as being "inspired and accurate" same way as the Bible is?

 

The calender is not inspired as scripture is, but you must understand that the calender is from the creation of Adam not the earth. The question in the OP is the earth's age not man's and those could be two seperate dates dependeing on what theory you hold on the earth's age.

 

We are told that Adam was created within the same week that the earth was created. Adam starts the genealogies. Seems pretty simple to me.

 

There is no gap described in Scripture. The gap is an invention of man.

 

The Gap theory is bogus because the bible says that death came through one man's sin (Adam), therefore there was no death until Adam. The Gap theory maintains that God created the earth and Satan was thrown down from heaven and destroyed the earth, then God re-created it. That doesn't fit with Adam being the one that brought death to the world. Now if the bible said that through Satan death came to all men, you might be able to make sense of the Gap theory. But it doesn't say that. Death did not exist until Adam sinned.