Genesis Part 4

Sunday, February 25th, 2024

This entire sermon was based around asking frequently asked questions from Genesis 1. You may read through the chapter first with your group if you would like, and feel free to reference and use Tim’s outline (see below).

Questions for Greater Discussion

  1. Perspicuity….meaning something can be understood. Why is it important to think through whether the Bible is clear and can be understood? (Please read 1 Peter 1:19-21 and discuss the Scriptures' clarity).

  2. Why does a literal 6-day creation have an impact on the way we read the Scriptures?

  3. What were some questions you had that were answered on Sunday? How were you sharpened in your faith by receiving some good answers in Genesis 1? Are there areas of the text you are still wrestling with?

  4. Read 1 Peter 3:15: How can we be knowledgeable on creation apologetics and engage culture yet retain our Gospel witness by not becoming argumentative?

  5. (Encourage your group to look through the seven questions in the sermon guide below) What is one question that piques your interest more that you would like to explore and understand?

Tim’s Outline From Sunday:

Questions on Genesis Chapter One

  1. Did God really say, “Six Literal Days”?

    • Modern Hebrew scholars believe that Moses meant six literal 24 hours.

    • Martin Luther agrees that Moses meant six literal 24-hour days.

    • The wording and context of Genesis 1 mandate six literal 24-hour days.

    • The Fourth Commandment describes six literal 24-hour days. (See Exodus 20, 31)

    • Jesus’ “from the beginning...” the statement in Mark 10 supports six literal 24-hour days.

  2. What about the Gap Theory?  Is it a tenable approach to rectifying Genesis One with evolution’s eons?

    • There’s no Biblical support for it.

    • It says that God got it wrong the first time.

    • It puts sin before death, contradicting Romans 5:12, denigrating Christ’s death on the cross.

  3. Is a Day Different from an Eternal Being?

    • God sees time differently than we do [e.g., the filmstrip analogy]

    • He experiences time differently than we do because of His eternality.  (See Isaiah 55:9, Psalms 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8 .)

    • But He does not measure time differently than we do. 

    • God established the measures we still use for common time measurements [e.g., days, weeks, months, seasons, and years].

  4. How Can We Have Days & Nights Before the Sun?

    • Because God provided some form of temporary light to illuminate the earth.

  5. What Was the Source of Daylight on Days 1-3?

    • Possibly a temporary light source on one side of the rotating planet.

    • Possibly excited atoms over one side of the rotating planet.

    • Possibly, God was the light, as He will be in the New Jerusalem.

  6. Why Would God Create Daylight Before the Sun?

    • The ultimate answer to all “why” questions regarding creation is for God’s glory. (See Psalm 19:1).

    • Perhaps God wanted to make it clear that the Sun was not the crowning achievement of his creation; rather, man was.

    • Perhaps it is because God knew that the Egyptians would worship the Sun and wanted it to be a lesser creation.

    • Perhaps it is because God knew that evolutionists would claim the Sun came first, and He wanted the created order to contradict their teaching.

    • Again, ultimately it is all about God’s glory.

  7. How Did Distant Starlight Reach Earth by Day 6?

    • Perhaps the universe, as a mature, fully-functioning ecosystem, simply had an appearance of age – to include starlight that reached the earth.

    • Maybe the initial expansion rate of the universe was much greater than it is today, and the stars started much closer to the Earth.  (See Isaiah 45:12, where God “stretched out the heavens.”)

    • Perhaps the speed of light was initially much faster than it is today.

    • Or maybe the one-way speed of light toward Earth is instantaneously fast.

Got Questions? Get Answers!

If this week’s sermon piqued your interest in a literal six-day creation, here are some activities to consider if you want to learn more:

Bryson Jackson