What are all you fine people doing during the gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Let me guess, in addition to your normally busy lives, you are hanging up Christmas decorations, getting presents and going to Christmas parties. And for me (as if that wasn’t enough) my daughter is getting married! That is a lot to fit into a gap!
There is another gap I want to talk about…the Gap theory. What is it and is it biblical?
Many Christians, having been taught evolution in school, try to piece together evolution with the six days of creation. After all, the theory of evolution is being taught so convincingly, it seems there is no room to question it. But question it we must, for if evolution is put together with creation it undermines the gospel. Let’s take a look…
Most Gap theories place million if not billions of years between the first two verses of Genesis chapter one. (This is because most Gap theorists have accepted the lie of the millions-of-years dating for the fossil record.) What’s wrong with this? It puts millions of years of death, disease, bloodshed and suffering before Adam’s sin and the fall of man.
Some even put satan’s fall from heaven in this supposed time period. “But any rebellion of satan during this gap of time contradicts God’s description of His completed creation on day six, as all being “very good” (Gen. 1:31).
Other problems with the Gap theory include;
- Inconsistency with God creating everything in six days – as is written in scripture.
- It cannot place (and therefore does away with) the evidence for a global flood.
- It ignores all the evidence for a young earth.
- It ignores the dilemma of an incomplete geologic column.
- It allows for carnivores before sin (which of course directly contradicts Gen 1:29-30).
The biggest danger of the Gap theory (also called theistic evolution and progressive creation) is approaching the Holy Word of God with stereotyped, man-created ideas. Then never even thinking to test these ideas, indeed excepting them as absolute fact. However, when man’s philosophies are used to interpret God’s Word, the result is inconsistent and unsound compromises of scripture that weaken the church and dilute the Word of God.
I am so busy right now that I just cannot squeeze one more thing into a gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And that is how it is with God’s Word. The ‘gap’ between Genesis one, verses one and two – just isn’t there! Nothing can or should be squeezed in between it – it is not biblical.
Next week we will take a closer look at Genesis, touching on the translation of the words replenish, was/become, formless and empty and more! Don’t miss it.
Until next time!
God Bless and take care,
Willow
References:
The Revised and Expanded Answers Book, Ham, Ken et. al., 2000, pgs. 57-72.
What an interesting way to introduce this topic - referencing a gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas! Our culture is influenced by the covetousness of our time which leads to a frenzy at these times of year. In the same way, it is really only the pressure of the philosophy of evolution that leads some well meaning people (and others perhaps not so well meaning) to try and squeeze in the geologic column between Gen 1:1 and 1:2. But, as you say, there is no compelling scriptural or scientific reason to do so. I've summarized this position at http://www.understanding-creationism.com/gap-theory.html
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