In Genesis 1, we learn that God created the world and its inhabitants in six days. There can be no basis for faith in God unless this simple fact is believed and affirmed! Nevertheless, some professing a faith in Christ simply will not accept this fact. For the atheist, who denies much of scripture based on the theorems and intelligence of science, this is understandable. But for one professing a faith in Jesus Christ, this is deplorable. 

Indeed, as remarkable as it may seem, there are those who profess a faith in Christ, but say that it took God millions of years to create the earth as we know it today! This theory is based upon the idea that each “day” in the creation account represents millions of years. There are other theories as well, however all are set forth in an effort to unite the creation account—as set forth in the Bible—with the manifold theories and hypotheses of science. Therefore, we have before us the question: Does a “day” in Genesis 1 represent a literal 24-hour day as we know it, or is it only a figurative day that could have taken millions of years?

To answer this question, our attention will be primarily upon the text of Genesis 1-2. Creation science has set forth a great deal of proof, or more to the point, reproof of the errors of theistic evolution, the gap theory, and so on. Yet, I believe the text itself is its own best defense against anyone who would seek to corrupt, change or discount it.

If the “day” of Genesis 1 is not a literal 24-hour day, then why did God describe the evening and morning as the first day (Genesis 1:5)? This same definition for a day is used consistently throughout the account (Genesis 1:8, 13, 19, 23, 31). If this describes a span of millions of years, or even thousands of years (as some have set forth based on 2 Pet. 3:8), then why does the account describe an “evening” and a “morning” as one day?

If the “day” of Genesis 1 is not a literal 24-hour day, then how old would you say Adam and Eve were on the seventh day? If one says millions of years elapsed in a figurative day, then one says Adam and Eve were millions of years old. Nevertheless, Moses tells us Adam lived to be 930 years old before he died (Genesis 5:5). Thus, we have decisively eliminated the “day” of Genesis 1 from being a 1000 year long day (cf. 2 Peter 3:8). Did not Adam have at least three children by the age of 130 (Genesis 5:3). If the “day” of Adam’s creation took millions of years, then the rest of Moses’ account is in error. I believe the Bible to be accurate and the day to be a literal 24-hour day. What about you?

Finally, if the “day” of Genesis 1 is not a literal 24-hour day, then how long do you suppose that seventh day was in which God rested from His work? Was it 1000 years long? Was it one million years long? Was it millions of years long? We need to be careful how we answer this question, because there are consequences for our answer that will affect our understanding of the rest of scripture. How long was the Sabbath (Seventh) Day that the Israelites were commanded to keep under the Law of Moses (cf. Exodus 16:23 ff, particularly verse 26)?

You see, the fact of the matter is this, it is not whether or not God could create the earth in six 24-hour periods (“days”) – He did! It is a matter of whether or not you are willing to believe this simple fact. Therefore, to those who would mock and deny, question not the integrity of the Bible—question the integrity of your heart!

Indeed, the problem is not one of words; it is a matter of faith (Hebrews 11:3,6)! Where does your faith rest: in the theories of men or the incorruptible word of God?

“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11).