Debate rages within many Christian churches and amongst many Christians as to whether or not God created the world in six regular 24-hour days. For many Christians, the creation account in Genesis 1 seems to contradict the science, which suggests evolution. But what does the Bible say?
According to Genesis 1, God created the world in six regular 24-hour days and rested on the seventh day. Three pieces of evidence support a six-day creation: (1) the meaning of the Hebrew word “day” (יוֹם), (2) the context in and surrounding Genesis 1, and (3) the gospel.
This article and BiblicalCulture.com focus on the biblical understanding of difficult issues. As such, I will not be interacting with the science. For a scientific defense of a six-day creation, see AnswersInGenesis.org and their great resources.
Genesis 1 and the Six-Day Creation Controversy
What Genesis 1 Says
Genesis 1 claims that “God created the heavens and earth” in six days. “Heavens and earth” is a merism that indicates God created everything in these six days.[1] Genesis 1:3–31 then catalogs God’s creation. It states that God created everything in six days and what God created on each day. Genesis 2:1–3 states that God rested on the seventh day and made it holy.
| Creation Day | What God Created | Scripture References |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Light. God called the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” | Genesis 1:3–5 |
| Day 2 | An expanse separating “the waters from the waters.” God called the expanse “Sky.” | Genesis 1:6–8 |
| Day 3 | Dry land and seas, vegetation, plants, and trees. | Genesis 1:9–13 |
| Day 4 | Sun, moon, and stars. | Genesis 1:14–19 |
| Day 5 | Water creatures and flying creatures. | Genesis 1:20–23 |
| Day 6 | Land creatures, creeping things (bugs, etc), and human beings. | Genesis 1:24–31 |
| Day 7 | God rested. | Genesis 2:1–3 |
The Controversy of Genesis 1
On the face of Genesis 1, it seems like God did indeed create the world in six regular 24-hour days. However, those who agree with current evolutionary theory have made two claims about Genesis 1 to discredit the six-day creation account and align it with current evolutionary theory. First, many biblical scholars and Christians claim that the Hebrew term יוֹם(yôm), translated “day” in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31, does not refer to a literal 24-hour period, but to an epoch that spans millions of years. The next section will treat יוֹם (yôm) at length and show that in Genesis 1 יוֹם (yôm) refers to a regular day, not an epoch of millions of years.
Second, some biblical scholars and Christians claim that Genesis 1 is poetry and, thus, it does not accurately reflect how God created the world; it is simply a poetic way of saying that God created the world. There are three points of rebuttal to this point. (1) Yes, Genesis 1 has poetic elements throughout it, such as merism (Genesis 1:1 uses the merism “heavens and earth.” See my comment in the previous subsection), repetition (“And there was evening and there was morning, the ____ day” [Gen 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31]), and other poetic elements.
(2) Although Genesis 1 has poetic elements, it is not entirely poetry like the Psalms or the book of Job 3:1–42:6. When one compares the Hebrew in Genesis 1 to the clear poetic sections of the Hebrew Bible, one cannot classify all of Genesis 1 as poetic. Further evidence that Genesis 1 is not entirely poetry is the printed text of the BHS 4 (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia 4), the current edition of the Hebrew Bible. The editors of the BHS did not format Genesis 1 as poetry like they did the other poetic sections of the Bible (the book of Psalms and Job 3:1–42:6 for example). The editors of the BHS 4 formatted Genesis 1 as narrative.
(3) Even if Genesis 1 were entirely poetry, it does not mean that what it presents is inaccurate in any way! Take for example, a poem that I just wrote:
This morning I got out of bed, I had some toast and an egg. Afterwards, I did decide That I would read outside.
The above poem is 100% true in every assertion, even though it is in the form of poetry. This morning, I really did get out of bed and have some toast and a single egg. After eating, I decided that I would read my Bible outside while my four children played. In case you are wondering, I read 2 Thessalonians 3 and Jude.
Again, just because something is poetic in form does not mean that the assertions are inaccurate. E. W Bullinger, in his book Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, said over 100 years ago in 1898 the following truth:
“Applied to words, a figure denotes some form which a word or sentence takes, different from its ordinary and natural form. This is always for the purpose of giving additional force, more life, intensified feeling, and greater emphasis. Whereas to-day ‘Figurative language’ is ignorantly spoken of as though it made less of the meaning, and deprived the words of their power and force. A passage of God’s Word is quoted; and it is met with the cry, ‘Oh, that is figurative’—implying that its meaning is weakened, or that it has quite a different meaning, or that it has no meaning at all. But the very opposite is the case. For an unusual form (figura) is never used except to add force to the truth conveyed, emphasis to the statement of it, and depth to the meaning of it. When we apply this science then to God’s words and to Divine truths, we see at once that no branch of Bible study can be more important, or offer greater promise of substantial reward.”
E. W Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, v–vi, emphasis added
‘Science’ over the Bible?
Why do so many biblical scholars and Christians attempt to discredit the trustworthiness of the Genesis 1 creation account by claiming poetry is inaccurate and by claiming that the Hebrew term יוֹם (yôm) does not refer to a regular 24-hour period, but to an epoch that spans millions of years?
The motivation behind this ‘exegesis’ of the text is to align it with current evolutionary theory. As will be made clear throughout this article, those who attempt to align the biblical creation account with current evolutionary theory prioritizeevolutionary theory of the world over the biblical account. Thus, the source of truth for those who claim God did notcreate the world in six regular days is the scientific community (which is comprised primarily of non-Christians), not the Bible. You, the reader of this article, need to decide where truth is located and what has greater authority: the Bible or the current scientific community.
Now that we have dispelled the notion that poetry implies inaccuracy in its propositions, we can move onto the key issue in Genesis 1, which is the meaning of the Hebrew term יוֹם (yôm).
The Meanings of יוֹם (Yôm) in the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew term that is translated “day” throughout Genesis 1 is יוֹם (yôm). When it comes to Genesis 1 and the creation account, it has been argued by some critical biblical scholars that יוֹם refers to an epoch, a large period of time of millions of years. Others have argued that it refers to a 24-hour period. Which is correct?
The place to begin is determining all the possible meanings of the term יוֹם (yôm). Throughout the Hebrew Bible, יוֹם is used a total of 2,319 times (based on an Accordance search). However, in the controversial verses where יוֹם refers to the days of creation (Gen 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31), the term is only found in the singular (“day,” not “days”). Thus, we only need to analyze יוֹם in the singular, which occurs 1,456 times throughout the Hebrew Bible (based on an Accordance search).
The Hebrew term יוֹם (yôm) in the singular has four different nuances in meaning throughout the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament):
| Definition Number | Definition of יוֹם (yôm) | Example of יוֹם (yôm) |
|---|---|---|
| יוֹם Definition #1 | The time period when the sun is out: daylight (roughly a 12-hour period) | Gen 1:5: “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (also see Gen 1:14). |
| יוֹם Definition #2 | A 24-hour period | Exodus 5:13: “The taskmasters were urgent, saying, ‘Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw’” (also see Gen 27:45; 33:13; 39:10; Exod 21:21; Ps 84:10 [84:11 in the MT]). |
| יוֹם Definition #3 | A specific day, evidenced by a modifier. This refers to an exact day in time and history. יוֹם is usually preceded by the article, a preposition, or some other modifier. | Gen 27:2: “He said, ‘Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.’” Exodus 20:8: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (also see Joel 2:1–2; Zeph 1:14–16). |
| יוֹם Definition #4 | A specific period of time | Gen 2:4: “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens” (also see Obad 11). |
Based on an analysis of יוֹם (yôm) in the singular throughout the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), יוֹם never refers to a lengthy period of time, especially not an epoch of millions of years.
Definition #4 of יוֹם needs a brief comment. The phrase “in the day that the LORD” is best understood as simply “when,” which is what we see in Genesis 2:4: “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD GOD made the earth and the heavens,” which is exactly how the NET translates Genesis 2:4.Genesis 2:4 is referring to the time when God created the world. “Day” in Genesis 2:4 is part of a phrase that refers to the creation account in Genesis 1, so it does not help in determining the meaning of יוֹם in that chapter. It should also be noted that no use of יוֹם in definition #4 refers to a lengthy period of time like what is proposed in Genesis 1. Further, definition #4 usually refers to a short period of time, and always to a specific event.
The Meaning of יוֹם (Yôm) in Genesis 1
Because יוֹם (yôm) in the singular never refers to a lengthy period of time, it cannot refer to an epoch of millions of years. Rather, יוֹם in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 refers to a regular day. The positive evidence for this is quite strong. First, יוֹם in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 is (1) singular, (2) without an article or any prefixes, and (3) has a number modifying it (“first day,” “second day,” “third day,” etc.). If we search for יוֹם under these conditions—in the singular, without an article or any prefixes, and with a number modifying it—we find that every use of יוֹם in the Hebrew Bible under these conditions refers to a regular 24-hour day. See the following list of Scriptures for confirmation: Gen 7:4, 11, 12, 17, 24; 8:3, 4, 6, 14; 27:45; 50:3 (x2); Exod 12:6, 18; 16:1; 20:10; 24:18; 34:28; Lev 12:4, 5; 23:6, 16, 27, 34, 39; Num 7:72, 78; 9:3, 5, 11; 11:19 (x2); 13:25; 14:34; 20:29; 28:16, 17; 29:12; 33:3; Deut 1:2; 5:14; 9:9, 11, 18; 10:10; 34:8; Josh 5:10; 1 Sam 17:16; 27:1; 24:8; 1Kgs 8:65; 12:32, 33; 19:8; Is 9:14 (9:13 in MT); Ezek 4:5, 6, 9; 45:21, 25; Jonah 3:4 (x2); Zech 14:7; Esther 1:4; 3:12; 4:11; 9:1, 17, 18, 19, 21 (x2); Dan 10:13; Ezra 6:15; Neh 6:15.
Second, the first use of יוֹם (yôm) in Genesis 1 clearly refers to definition #1: a time period when the sun is out: daylight: “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Gen 1:5a). The first use of “day” in Genesis is contrasted with night. As such, Genesis has set a precedent for the interpretation of יוֹם (yôm). At the very least, the following uses of יוֹם (yôm) in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 refer to when the light is out; that is, when it is not dark. It would be odd, to say the least, for Moses (the author of Genesis) to use יוֹם (yôm) as referring to when the light is out (a roughly 12-hour period) and then only eight words later in the same verse to use the same word to refer to a multi-million year epoch! The context simply does not support such a drastic change in meaning of the term יוֹם. There would have to be something in Genesis 1 itself that clued the reader in to a change in definition of the word יוֹם, especially a change that moved from the term referring to a 12-hour period to a multi-million year period.
Third, Genesis 1 does in fact clearly define יוֹם (yôm) in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31. Each of the six days of creation ends with the phrase “And there was evening and there was morning” just prior to stating the day (“first day,” “second day,” “third day,” etc). By adding “And there was evening and there was morning,” Moses was defining what is meant by יוֹם (yôm) in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 because just prior to Genesis 1:5b he uses the term יוֹם to refer to the sunlit hours of the day. The addition of “And there was evening and there was morning” for each of the six days of creation makes it clear that the six days are regular 24-hour days, which aligns with יוֹם definition #2, the most common definition of יוֹם.
Fourth, the best Hebrew-English lexicon on the market today states that יוֹם (yôm) in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 refers to a “day of twenty-four hours: Gn 1,5” (The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament [HALOT], s.v. “יוֹם”). This is significant because the contributors and editors of HALOT are the world’s best Hebrew linguists. Their opinion should be seriously considered and weighed. It should not be overlooked or quickly cast aside.
Based on the definitions of יוֹם (yôm), each day of creation cannot refer to an epoch of millions of years. Based on the context of Genesis 1, specifically the first use of יוֹם in Genesis 1:5a and the phrase “And there was evening and there was morning,” יוֹם in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 must refer to a 24-hour period. Finally, the best Hebrew linguists agree that יוֹם in Genesis 1:5b, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 refers to a 24-hour period. Thus, it must be concluded that each creation day in Genesis 1 is a single 24-hour period and Genesis 1 clearly presents God as creating the world in six regular days.
The Gospel Precludes Evolution as a Possibility
The final and most convincing evidence that God created the world in six days and that evolution could not have occurred is the gospel—the good news of Jesus.
What is the Gospel?
The gospel can be summarized as follows:
Sin causes every person to rebel against God by sinning. Because God is holy, righteous, just, He must mete out death to the sinner, which means all people would die because all people sin. Death is the consequence of sin. However, in his grace and mercy, God sent Jesus as a sacrifice to die in the place of sinners, taking the punishment for their sin and restoring them to a right relationship with God. As such, anyone who repents from their sins and believes in Jesus (that he is God, died for our sins, and bodily rose from the dead), will be restored to a right relationship with God and have eternal life.
Adam Robinson
The Incompatibility of the Gospel and Evolution
You may be thinking, what does the gospel have to do with evolution? The two actually have a lot to do with each other because they both comment on the origin of death. Note what the Bible says about the origins of sin and death.
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”
GENESIS 2:16–17
Genesis 2:16–17 is clear that death would come after Adam eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, after Adam sins! Thus, there was no death prior to Adam’s sin of eating the forbidden fruit. This is clearly stated in the following passage.
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”
ROMANS 5:12, emphasis added
Paul, in Romans 5:12, is crystal clear that sin came through Adam and death came after sin; death is a result of sin.
However, evolutionary theory disagrees with the Bible’s claims on the origin of death. Evolutionary theory states there was a lot of death prior to human beings and a lot of death as human beings evolved into human beings. In fact, evolutionary theory states there were millions of years of death prior to any human sinning. This is counter the clear teaching of Scripture and destroys the gospel.
If death came before sin, then there is no gospel; there is no good news; and Jesus died for nothing. Note the following five soteriological (salvation) problems that adhering to evolution introduces.
Sin did not Originate with Humans
If we are to continue believing that death is a result of sin, then evolutionary theory suggests that sin did not come into the world through humans, but through some other means since death existed long before humans came into existence. As such, sin did not originate with Adam & Eve or any human. If this is true, then Jesus becoming a human and dying for humans (Phil 2:5–11) was for naught. Jesus would have needed to be incarnate as that which brought sin into the world to deal with sin and death (sin’s consequence). Thus, Jesus’ death as a human was pointless.
Death is Good
If death came before sin, which is what evolutionary theory suggests, then death is part of God’s creation, which means death is good because all that God created was good (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). In evolutionary theory, death is part of God’s good evolutionary plan and design; it is no longer bad. It is no longer something to overcome. It is no longer something from which humans need saving. If this is true, then passages such as Hosea 13:14 and 1 Corinthians 15:55–57 no longer make any sense! When Paul says, “The sting of death is sin” (1 Cor 15:56), he must be lying because death preceded sin and is unassociated with sin according to evolutionary theory! According to evolutionary theory, death is part of God’s good evolutionary plan.
There Are no Consequences for Sinning
The Bible says humans die because of sin (Rom 5:12, 17). The consequence of sin is death. But if death comes before sin, then what are the consequences for sinning? There are none! If the result of disobeying God and trespassing against his will is death as both the Old Testament (see Lev 1–6) and New Testament make clear, then what are the results of sinning if death comes before sin? If Christians adopt evolutionary theory, then there are no longer consequences for sinning.
The Sacrificial System (Including Jesus’ Death) Is Pointless
The sacrificial system, which includes Jesus’ sacrificial death, is predicated on the fact that death is a result of sin. So that we humans do not have to die as punishment for our sin, a sacrifice is killed in our stead. In the Old Testament, prior to Jesus, animals were sacrificed so that people didn’t have to die for their sins. But God, in his mercy, sent Jesus to die for humanity so that people wouldn’t have to die for their sins and wouldn’t have to continue offering animal sacrifices. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. However, if death is not a result of sin and is not the punishment for sin as evolutionary theory suggests, then Jesus died for nothing! He could not have died to take the punishment for our sins because death is no longer the punishment for sin under evolutionary theory.
The Bible Cannot be Trusted
If the Bible is lying about such a foundational doctrine as the origin of sin and death, and how to overcome both sin and death, then it cannot be trusted about anything. Nothing in the Bible can be trusted if the Bible gets the doctrine of man’s plight and man’s salvation wrong. As seen above, evolutionary theory destroys the Bible’s credibility in what it says about mankind’s plight and, thus, how to overcome mankind’s plight (mankind’s salvation).
The following table summarizes the key soteriological differences between the Bible and evolutionary theory.
| Soteriological Topic | The Gospel | Evolutionary Theory |
|---|---|---|
| Original of Sin | Adam and Eve’s transgression in the Garden of Eden | Mystery! Something well before humans arrived. |
| The Origin of Death | Death is a result of Sin. It came into this world through Adam’s transgression. | Death was created by God as part of God’s good evolutionary plan. Death has no association with sin. |
| Consequences of Sin | Death is the consequence of sin. | None. |
| Purpose of Jesus’ Death | To take the punishment for mankind’s sin, thus restoring those who believe in Jesus to a right relationship with God. | None. Bad luck! |
| Trustworthiness of the Bible | 100% trustworthy and reliable! | 100% untrustworthy because it got the key doctrines of mankind’s plight and mankind’s salvation wrong. |
How the Gospel Refutes Evolution
As can hopefully be seen, the gospel message is completely incompatible with evolutionary theory. The gospel claims that Sin came into the world through Adam, that because of Adam’s sin all people sin, that the punishment for sin is death, which came into the world only after Adam sinned and is the punishment for anyone who sins, and that Jesus died taking the death punishment for mankind’s sin. This gospel message refutes evolution, which claims death has been present since the very beginning of creation and is not a result of sin. Further, if evolutionary theory is correct, then Jesus died for nothing. If Jesus died for nothing, then the Christian faith is false. But the Christian faith is not false, because sin is real, death is the real consequence of sin, and Jesus really did die a substitutionary death to reconcile humanity to the Father through repentance and belief in Jesus.
Those who believe the Bible is the word of God cannot believe in evolution and must believe in the creation accountas put forward in Genesis 1–2 and commented on elsewhere in Scripture, such as Romans 5–6. The gospel message as put forward in the Bible unequivocally refutes evolution and supports the six days of creation in Genesis 1.
Summary and Concluding Thoughts
The Bible presents a six-day creation of the world in Genesis 1. The Hebrew term יוֹם (yôm) in the singular never refers to an epoch of millions of years. Rather, when used with a modifying number, יוֹם (yôm) refers to a regular 24-hour day as the context of Genesis 1 confirms. The most convincing evidence for a six-day creation as presented in Genesis and against evolutionary theory is the gospel message, which claims mankind’s plight is death, which is brought about through sin. Jesus died to take the death penalty for our sin, which would have been pointless if death came prior to sin as evolutionary theory claims.
Without realising it, many Christians have adopted a world view that is incompatible with the gospel and the biblical worldview. Adopting evolutionary theory will not lead the Christian anywhere good and is one step in compromising the faith. It is my opinion that evolution and evolutionary theory should be soundly refuted in the church and all Christian schools.
[1] A merism is a figure of speech that lists the two extremes to stand for everything in between. “Heavens” refers to everything ‘up there’ and “earth” refers to everything ‘down here.’ The use of “heavens and earth” in Genesis 1:1, then, refers to God creating everything ‘up there,’ everything ‘down here,’ and everything in between (i.e., everything everything!).