Doubtful disputes: “God called the light Day

and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5).  My heart is heavy this morning as I write, and I feel God's heart is also heavy too, at the way Christians have argued over how to interpret this chapter, and particularly over the interpretation of the word “yom” (day). Accusations have basically flown back and forth, with one faction essentially accusing another of compromising liberalism,  another of putting stumbling blocks in the way of the world coming to believe the Bible.   

Actually there at least three views. Firstly, that of the young earth creationists who hold that the days spoken of in the enumeration of days (first day, second day etc.) are literal twenty four hour periods. There is no doubt that the One who created everything out of nothing could have done it this way. Young earth creationists affirm that He did.  On the other hand old age creationists interpret 'day' allegorically as an age, quoting “A day with the Lord is as a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8). In a variation of this, Hugh Ross (The Genesis Question) tells that the Hebrew word 'yom' in addition to being a twenty four hour day is also daylight in 1:5, and it is the whole  creation “week” in Genesis 2:4 (see NKJV). It is also variously translated as time, always,  a life time etc.  Ross concludes that 'age' is therefore a literal translation of 'yom'. Theistic evolution is third view of Genesis 1. It contends that whatever parts of of evolution are true, are simply the way God created things.  One variation,  has the days representing the stages of Stephen Jay Gould's “Punctuated Equilibrium.”

The differences stem largely from different methods of interpretation of these difficult to understand ancient texts. And we still have much to learn about interpretation. One thing we need to realize, is that while these texts were written for us, they were not written to us (Romans 15:4). In particular, they needed to be understood by a pre-scientific culture with a totally different world views to ours. There is also the question of literary genre here (how we classify literature into history, poetry etc.). The genre here is surely unique!

I personally know sincere Bible believing lovers of God, in each of the above camps. Furthermore they all subscribe to the essentials outlined in the meditation 'In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity' given earlier. Surly in light of the substantial agreement in essentials,  this is not an issue over which to declare war. There are many difficulties, and we need to give each other grace to disagree and still be in fellowship. Indeed Paul admonishes us to receive one another (as fellow believers),  but not to doubtful disputes. And they are doubtful when they produce more heat than light!  I am not saying the issues are not important. Paul admonishes each one to be fully convinced, but we are not to judge, or to show contempt for our fellow believers.  Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies  (Romans 14:1-10; 1 Corinthians 8:1).

Father,  forgive us for those times we have been more interested in proving that we are right, than maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). It's our unity that shows the world that You sent Jesus (John 17:23).  Help us here Lord, in His precious we pray Name Amen