Many people today are confused about the truth of Genesis and there are many theories purportedly based on “science” which conclude that Genesis is not historically accurate. All of these views that are rooted and based allegedly on some kind of “scientific basis”  are incorrect and they all erroneously undermine the authority of God's Word.

Genesis is a very important book for the understanding of the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, it should be important because it is the book of beginnings. God’s Word says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, 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 and God said ‘let there be light’ and there was light and God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness and God called the light day and the darkness He called night and the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1: 1-5) This is the Creator’s historical account of His creation.

In Genesis, when God said, “Let there be light", there was, of course, no light, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This is also the darkness that is in every heart before being born again and illuminated by the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every major doctrine of Christendom is contained within the book of Genesis. Jesus was the light that shined in the darkness in Genesis. He is the light of the world. He created all things and without Him was not anything created that was created (John 1:1 - 3) If any man be in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, and behold all things are becoming new ( 2 Corinthians 5:17)

In Genesis, we first learn that God is The One who brings light out of darkness. In  2 Corinthians, we learn He is the one who brought light out of darkness and who causes the light to shine in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! (2nd Corinthians 4:6) 

It is in Genesis, the book of beginnings, that we learn that the first Adam disobeyed God and fell. Thus, all mankind, all his descendents were “...brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalms 51:5) and consequently there are “none righteous, no not one”  (Romans 3:10 b) “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. ( Romans 3:21) The first Adam brought us death and the fall from Paradise. The last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, not only brings life and restoration, but, greater than that, He gives us everlasting life and a future hope of paradise with the Lord God forever. It cannot be taken away, it cannot be lost, and He who gives it to us, who has begun a good work in us, will complete it until the day of Christ! 

Those who proclaim that the earth/universe is somewhere between 4 billion years old and 14 billion years old have no idea of the truth of the beginning. They weren’t present ! Such theories are not science! They are ill-founded theories that have nothing to do with Creation. Science is repeatable! Creation is not repeatable! Science is observable and gives the possibility of conclusions from those observations. Creation was observed by no one – except the Lord God who was there at the time of Creation! What follows is a brief look at a few of the different theories of creation that have been postulated to try and accommodate Darwin's great lie of evolution. It should be obvious, but Evolution doesn't create anything and is totally false and contrary to God's Word. These theories undermine and attack the authority of the Word of God, just as the serpent attacked God’s Word in the garden!

I.    VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF GENESIS

First, in contrast to the first two verses of Genesis Chapter One, various theories and attempts have been devised in order to put forth a large period of time as the age of the earth. The various theories of the age of the earth and the universe range in length from several million years to several billion years. There are a number of “old earth/old universe” theorists who espouse one of these views. Ken Hamm, President of the Answers in Genesis Ministry and the Creation Museum, wrote a book, first printed in July 1987, and recently revised, called The Lie, from which I have borrowed a summary of the various interpretations of Genesis. The following is a brief summary of those various interpretations of Genesis.

(A) The Gap Theory

This theory is generally considered to be the first attempt to harmonize the Biblical account of Creation with the idea of long periods of time. It asserts a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 of an indefinitely long period of time, perhaps several billion years. The proponents of this theory assert that during the time between verse one and verse two Satan rebelled, led creation in rebellion against God, and God destroyed the original creation with the flood of “Lucifer”. (The Lie pp 207 and 208) Those who have adopted this theory assert that Genesis 1:2 describes the conditions of the world following the flood.

According to Ken Hamm, no time can be inserted between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 for the simple reason that according to the Hebrew language, verse two does not follow verse one in time. In other words, according to Mr. Hamm, verse 2 is simply describing the conditions of the earth when it was first created, or, to put it another way, verse two is simply describing what is found in verse one. (The Lie, page 208) 

(B) Theistic Evolution 

This is a claim that God used evolution as a means of bringing about His Creation. This theory is apparently an attempt to accommodate the long period of time which evolution needs. Obviously, it is simply a blatant attack on the Word of God itself. It attacks the Word of the One True God who cannot lie. It is actually an attempt to impose billions of years in order to accommodate “man's theory of evolution”. This theory in effect defies God! God said, “In the beginning God created”. God did not state that in the beginning He set in motion the period of long years in which evolution took place. 

(C) The Day – Age Theory

Advocates of this theory claim that each of the days of creation was an extremely long period of time and use Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8, which state “one day is as 1000 years" (The Lie page 209) as a basis for their theory.

Once again, this is only an effort on the part of some men to justify the Darwinian theory of evolution, and they do so erroneously. The passage in 2 Peter and the passage in Psalm 90  are each simply stating the obvious, that the God who created time is not limited by it.

There are other equally strained attempts to accommodate science, so-called, in order to arrive at an age of the earth and the universe that also differ dramatically from God's account of creation and age of the earth, which I have omitted here.

The most obvious problem with these theories of creation, as well as other theories of creation, is that they ignore the revealed declaration of the Word of God. In Genesis 1, God reveals that He created the heavens and the earth and all that is therein in 6 days and on the 7th day He rested. In Exodus Chapter 20 in the 4th Commandment, the Lord God reveals again the fact that He created the heavens and the earth in 6 days and on the 7th day he rested. The greatest problem, of course, with the various theories that have been postulated to accommodate the Darwinian theory of evolution, or, to accommodate man’s theory that the earth and the universe are billions of years old, is that such propositions deny the truthfulness of God's Word. 

God says that He created all things in 6 days and on the 7th day he rested. The attempts to accommodate man's theory is that it took millions or billions of years for evolution to take place. They cannot both be true. One must either believe the eyewitness account stated by the Lord God, the only One who was there, or one must believe the theories concocted and postulated by those who were NOT there and who were themselves created and lived for a relatively short period of time. To paraphrase Joshua, as for me and my house, I choose to believe the Word of God. Other theories include progressive creation, which is a compromised view that is in the church today; the framework hypothesis; the temple and operation view; the historic creation view;and others. A summary or synopsis of all of these views can be found in the book The Lie by Ken Hamm who is president of the answers in genesis Ministry.

II.    THE WORD OF GOD

Once we have looked at these different theories of men, apparently seeking to support Darwin's theories of evolution, all of which are wrong, one must ask which do I believe? Do I believe the Word of God, or do I believe the word of men who claim that science has proven God's Word incorrect? Why should I believe the Word that is revealed in the Bible? The first reason is that it is the Word of God! It is the Word of God which created the heavens and the earth and all that is therein in six days. It is the same Word which has created you. The Apostle Peter in his first Epistle, says it this way:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born-again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (I Peter 1:3 – 5 ESV)

Peter goes on to say, regarding this rebirth what our actions should be:

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, you shall be wholly, for I am Holy”.(I Peter 1:13-16 ESV)

Peter concludes:

“.......You have been born again (ransomed) from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot...... not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding Word of God; for all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls away but the Word of the Lord remains forever. This word is the good news that was preached to you.” (I Peter 1:23-25 ESV) 

So the first reason that we ought to reject the word of men and believe in the Word of God is that it is the Word of God! It is the Word by which all of us have been created. It is the Word by which we have been born-again. We have not been born-again by corruptible  seed but by incorruptible, or, imperishable through this living and abiding Word of God!

• THE WORD OF GOD IS RELEVANT -IT ABIDES

Notice that the Word of God is living. Notice also that it is abiding. This means, of course, that the Word of God is at all times the most relevant and up to date Word in the universe. It was the most relevant and up-to-date Word in the universe when the universe was created, and it remains today the most relevant and up-to-date Word in the universe. The great expository preacher of the 20th century, D. Martyn Lloyd- Jones set forth this proposition in sermons that he had preached in the United States in 1963. He even stated the fact that the Word of God is the most relevant and up-to-date Word in the universe in the context of the theory of evolution in  Darwin's Origin of the Species. D. Martyn Lloyd- Jones referred to the fact that in 1959, there had been a republication of Darwin's Origin of the Species in which the new preface stated in substance that the theory of evolution was incorrect. Thus, there is no “Gap Theory", no theistic evolution, no evolution at all, for the Lord God created all things and for His own good pleasure has He created them. Revelation 4:11 ESV states it this way:

• THE WORD OF GOD JUDGES

“Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." (Revelation 4:11 ESV)

Our great Savior and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, stated that it is the Word of God that will Judge on the last day. From the 12th Chapter of the Gospel of John beginning with the 44th verse, it is reported that Jesus said the following: 

“And Jesus cried out and said, whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent me. And whoever sees Me sees Him who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not receive my words has a Judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has Himself given me a commandment – what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me."

Thus, the Word of God will be the Judge of all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and who do not receive His words. l

• The Word of God is Alive.

The fact that the Word of God is relevant and up to date in the 21st Century can also be seen from the letter to the Hebrews in the 4th chapter. There we find the Holy Spirit of God causing to be written the following: 

“For the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and joints and marrow and  is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts." (Hebrews 4:12 KJV)

So we see that God's Word is alive, and powerful, and doesn't change, doesn't perish, and abides forever, therefore it is always up-to-date! Why would one ever choose to believe the word of men, even smart men, who were not present at the time of creation but theorize about it? We also see from the passage in the Gospel of John Chapter 12 that Jesus has come into the world as light. He is the light of the world! He is the same light that shined out of darkness at the time of creation. The Word of God is the one who created all things. (John 1) Without him was not anything created that was created. (John 1) He is truth itself. (John 14:6)He cannot lie. His Word will judge the one who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ, and does not receive the Word which He has spoken!.

• The Light Of The Gospel.

The Apostle Paul talks about this great and powerful light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ in his 2nd Epistle to the Church at Corinth beginning in the 4th chapter where he says the following:

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,[a] we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice[b] cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants[c] for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”          (II Corinthians 4:1 – 6 ESV)

• The Conflict

Thus the real conflict is between the word of God and the word of men. This is the same conflict by which the serpent attacked Eve in the garden and even had the audacity to attack the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in the wilderness. It is the same attack that is going on today. In other words, it is as if the serpent were saying to all who would listen, “has God said that He created all things in 6 days and on the 7th day He rested? You don't really believe that outmoded, outdated old book called the Bible do you? Many intelligent scientists have ‘proven’ that the world and the universe have been around for approximately 14 billion years. Moreover, there are many scientific ‘proofs’ that demonstrate that God did not create in 6 days as that old book says". However, those who espouse these positions are foolish and truly unlearned, and in fact, none who espouse these ungodly “scientific theories" were around at the time that the Lord God created all things.

• Jesus’ Authentication of Genesis 

Jesus authenticates the entire Old Testament. Let all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ stand on the Word of God alone! When God created He set the stars in their courses. He placed the galaxies where He wanted them. He has sustained all things by the word of His power according to His own good pleasure. Those who dispute God’s Word should put their hand over their mouth. As God answered Job in Job Chapter 38:

    “Then the Lord answered Job out of the  whirlwind and said: Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you and you make it known to Me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the Earth? Tell Me if you have understanding.” (Job 38:1-4 ESV)

This is really a simple choice. Do you believe God who cannot lie and who was present at the creation, or do you believe the word of men who are part of the creation? Those who espouse the various theories of creation rather than believing and accepting God's Holy Word either intentionally or negligently undermine the authority of God's Word. Why would any Christian want to undermine the authority of the Word of God. We have seen that it is alive and powerful and sharper than the two-edged sword and is the word that has created us and has begotten us again unto a living hope by the Gospel of Christ by which we have been born-again,  not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which lives and abides forever. It is up to date, it is relevant, and it is living. You can trust it! Where were you when God laid the foundation of the Earth? Tell us if you can!

III.    GENESIS IS THE FOUNDATION FOR ALL BIBLICAL DOCTRINE

According to Ken Hamm the biblical doctrine of origins, as contained in the Book of Genesis, is foundational to all other doctrines of scripture. If you refute or undermine in any way the biblical doctrine of origins, the rest of the Bible will be compromised. Every single biblical doctrine of theology, directly or indirectly, ultimately has its basis in the Book of Genesis. (The Lie page 82)

Hamm continues," Genesis is the only book that provides an account of the origin of all the basic entities of life and the universe: the origin of life, of man, of government, of marriage, of culture, of nations, of death, of the chosen people, of sin, of diet and clothes, of the solar system… the list is almost endless. The meaning of all these things is dependent upon their origin. In the same way, the meaning and purpose of the Christian Gospel depends on the origin of the problem for which the Savior's death was, and is, the solution. (The Lie page 82 – 83)

Just consider the biblical doctrines set forth in Genesis:

1)    Why do we believe in marriage and why is it strictly between a man and a woman?

2)    Why do we promote the wearing of clothes?

3)    Why are there rules – right and wrong?

4)    Why are we sinners? What does that mean?

5)    Why is there death and suffering in the world?

6)    Why is there to be a new heaven and a new earth?

Ken Hamm sets out discussions of these matters in much greater detail than we can here, however, a brief look at some of these matters will assist in your understanding of the importance of Genesis. For example, when Jesus was asked questions concerning divorce in Matthew Chapter 19, He referred to the origins set forth in Genesis when He said “have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female and said for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh?"  That quote comes from Genesis.

In Genesis, we read how God took dust and made a man and from the man's side he made a woman. Adams's first recorded words were, “this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2: 23) It is really important to note that at this point God's Word reveals that “God made Adam and Eve – in other words a man and a woman – not a man and a man. That is the basis for marriage and it is why we know among other things that homosexual behavior is an evil, perverse, and unnatural deviation – and gay marriage is against what God clearly teaches in His Word.” (The Lie page 100) 

Next, Hamm addresses the matter of the wearing of clothes. He concludes that “ultimately, the only reason for insisting that clothes must be worn is a moral one.” (Hamm, The Lie page 103) Therefore, all parents should be concerned to instruct their children that their clothing should be modest. Today, from sports apparel to fashion apparel modesty does not seem to prevail!

We see in Genesis that Eve and Adam disobeyed God's law. Adam chose to rebel. Sin is rebellion against God and His will. In Romans Chapter 3, we see “for by the law is the knowledge of sin". In Romans 7:7, the Apostle Paul states, “I would not have known sin except through the law." Therefore, we see that God gave us law in order that we may recognize sin. It is our responsibility to know the law and obey and rejoice in His goodness

Finally, in Romans Chapter 5, we see that Adam brought us sin and death, and death therefore spread to all men because all sin. This is the inheritance of Adam. By implication, the Holy Spirit is telling us the absolute truthfulness of Genesis. We see that sin was in the world before the law was given to Abraham because God had given the law to Adam. Adam was told that he could eat of the fruit of any of the trees in the garden except one, and, of course, that was the tree which Eve and Adam looked at and saw that it was “the fruit thereof was pleasing to the eye and it was able to make one wise”, and it was the tree of which they ate. Death reigned from Adam to Moses. However, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is described as the last Adam, brought not death as His inheritance, but the free gift of everlasting life. This free gift of everlasting life does not simply restore the recipients to a condition of probation, but is a sheer gift of everlasting life with the Lord God Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord. That everlasting life is given and protected by the Lord God himself. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it unto the day of Christ”, we are told in Philippians 1:6. It is undefiled, everlasting, cannot be taken away, and cannot be lost. We are no longer on probation; we have been given the hope of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we see the conflict: The Word of God is true, indeed truth itself. God created the heavens and the earth and all that is therein in six days and on the seventh day He rested. The Darwinian Theory of Evolution is a lie. It is known to be a lie! Ken Hamm’s book, The Lie, dismantles it! I urge you to stand on the Truth of God's Holy Word. Believe it! Trust it! Place your trust in Christ alone and repent from your sin and receive the sheer gift of eternal life in Christ. Refuse to believe the attacks on God’s Holy Word. Believe it and cast all your care on the living and abiding Word of God. It will not fail you.

CONCLUSION 

Now unto Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen