One of the most foundational yet debated Christian concepts is that of the creation of the world. Evolutionists and others who have diluted God’s Word in the Book of Genesis point to a gap in time between the first and second verses: “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Gen 1:1-2. “Gap Theory,” as it’s called, imposes millions of years of formation, and an equally large number of fossil remains of life activity during this time. According to Gap Theory, at the end of what the Bible records in Genesis 1, the six days of creation stretch into an immeasurable amount of time.

In an earlier article, we professed our belief in the Bible as the true, inerrant Word of God. So the problem with Gap Theory, or millions of years, is that scientific theory determines the meaning of God’s Word, rather than God Himself. God’s Word, when properly translated, defines a “day” in Genesis to be the 24 hour period we know today, as separated by light and dark periods: “And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.” (Gen 1:5)

In an attempt to harmonize different viewpoints, God’s Word is bent to fit science resulting in what we call “Compromise Theology.” Again, the problem: God is the one compromised, a dangerous precedent to set as Genesis would only be the beginning, as God’s Word throughout the pages of Scripture can now be misinterpreted and misapplied to fit man’s understanding rather than God’s intention.

We believe in the literal six days of Creation as written in the early pages of Genesis, properly translated. This is not a challenge for our faith considering the source: the Creator, God Almighty. God spoke into existence the earth as we know it by His Word and His will. He had no pre-existing building materials, nor did He need millions of years, but His will put into existence our world in various stages of development from the beginning. We, as humans, cannot compromise God or lower Him to conformance with the science He created! This is the God that pre-existed our linear time, the God who is eternal, the God that sent His Son Jesus, born of a virgin to earth to be the substitute for our sins, the God who died on a cross and was raised from the dead after three days, the God who is all knowing, all present and all powerful. In the creation, we certainly take God at His Word and credit Him for making the earth, the plants and animals, and the first human beings as He said, to know Him and to know His love.

During the time of the Reformation (1500s), the Church compromised God’s Word in many ways, to which Martin Luther objected and taught to return the church to its roots and the authority of God. The Church today still needs these reminders, as it is under attack from many opposing philosophies and theologies. God has the first and final say in all things, not just in morality and salvation, but in science and creation and all teachings that point to His glory shown. If we compromise the Creation, we are open to compromise in all that comprises our salvation in God. We certainly cannot save ourselves. We need God to intervene. What God teaches, we believe in its purity, starting at the beginning, the Creation.

To learn more about what we believe, contact our churches: St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fredonia (672-6731), Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gowanda (532-4342), or Trinity Lutheran Church in Silver Creek (934-2002).