Students are often faced with supposed contradictions between the Bible and the “indisputable facts” of science.  (Ever notice the “indisputable facts” of science keep changing with new discoveries.)  A real problem for Christians is that many have been taught the Bible says the earth is only 6000 years old  but carbon dating and other factors indicate it is much older.  Is the Bible wrong about how old the earth is?

Contrary to what some Christians adamantly proclaim, nowhere does the Bible declare the earth to be 6000 years old.  This age was arrived at by calculations based upon the genealogies given in the Bible which might be a fun exercise but certainly can’t be counted as a scientific investigation for various reasons – mainly because God never intended to give us a Science Text book in Scripture and time is often not counted in Scripture as we count it.  So could the earth be 6000 years old? Certainly.  Could it be much older? Certainly.  There is even good Biblical reason to believe it could be millions of years old even if you interpret the Bible literally as I do.

Even before the time of Christ some rabbi’s believed there was an undetermined gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.  This idea is often called “The Gap Theory” and can easily be researched on the web where there are many opponents and proponents of the idea.  While I believe the Bible is clear the earth was created in 6 literal days I also see no reason to be locked into a young earth theology because there is good Biblical evidence that provides credibility to the gap theory.  In my research however, I have not yet found a critic of the theory who provides equally solid reasons it could not be true.  (I have read many who attack it but they always base their reasoning on false logic and/or misunderstandings of the theory.)  If you have any good reasons it can’t be true, I would love to look it over.  In the meantime, here is a web site that goes quite in-depth into the reasons some believe in the gap theory.

http://www.kjvbible.org/gap_theory.html

In conclusion, I take no real stand on the issue but tend to lean in favor of the theory – not as a compromise to “science” but because of the Biblical clues.  But, in reality, no one knows how old the earth is and one has to believe “by faith”  whatever they decide to believe.  For example, carbon dating cannot be “proven” accurate.  It is all by faith and God wanted it to be that way rather than something that could be scientifically “proven”.  He clearly states in Hebrews 11:3 –  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, …

Apparently he wanted it to be a “faith” decision, which is what it is whether you believe in creation, evolution, some combination of both or some theory you dreamed up after having pepperoni pizza before bed.
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Hebrews 11:3     (TLB)
By faith-by believing God-we know that the world and the stars-in fact, all things-were made at God’s command; and that they were all made from things that can’t be seen.

Hebrews 10:5, 6, 8
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made).
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If God was not pleased with Old Testament sacrifices why did he command they be made? Why did hundreds of thousands of animals have to die if it meant nothing to God?

We see the answer to that question in verse 3 where it says they were an annual reminder of sin. Those sacrifices were for us, to remind us of our sin. But why was so much blood, death and gore necessary? Why not just have an annual remembrance day without all the blood?

Of course it was necessary as a picture of the coming death of Jesus and that blood covered sin though it could not take it away but I think there is also another reason.

A simple day of remembrance would involve no loss, no sacrifice, no pain. It would minimize the vileness of our sin. As people we already tend to underestimate the horror of our sin. We tend to think sin isn’t nearly as serious as it really is. We admit we were a little naughty, certainly not perfect, but also certainly not deserving of eternal damnation or hell. We fail to see our sin as the gross darkness that it truly is.

In this world nothing we see or experience is completely holy, righteous and pure so we compare our sin to those things we have experienced, not to total Godly purity. Therefore, our sin may seem dingy but certainly not putrid, vile and thoroughly disgusting.

The horror, blood and gore of the sacrifices showed the recompense that we have so rightfully earned by our rebellion and sin. Sin is not just naughty versus nice. Sin is horrific, vile, an aweful stench on the earth and worthy of great punishment, the kind inflicted on Jesus on the cross but without end.

I know sometimes I need to be reminded of how vile my sin is. Otherwise I have a tendency to toy with it, befriend it and let it hang around in my life. If I could see it for the wretched enemy it is I would surely run from it and fight tirelessly to rid my life of it. I have to look regularly to the cross to be reminded of the great price that Jesus paid to make me holy and righteous before God. Unlike the sacrifices of animals, His is the one sacrifice that really did make a difference.
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Sin is a monster of such awful mein
That to be hated needs but to be seen.
But seen too oft and familiar of face
It first is endured, then pitied then embraced.
– Alexander Pope