Genesis 1:1-2 says that, at first, the earth was formless, empty, and dark. Now it has form, content, and light. We know from the Bible that the earth was NOT created instantly in its present form. Enormous changes have occurred over time in the earth's structure and content.
This Bible study does not raise any questions about whether or not God created the world. The world didn't happen from nothing by itself by chance. God created the world according to a divine design plan!
The only questions discussed here are about God's methods and timing, which do not in any way alter the New Testament gospel message. The questions are raised by doubters and unbelievers, and they deserve intelligent answers from Christians. The wrong interpretation of a single Hebrew word (yō·wm) – and the refusal of most Christians even to talk about it – is repelling people from the gospel message.
An informed interpretation of the word yō·wm reconciles God's Word (Bible) with God's World (science) and removes a huge barrier to faith.
Many Christians think that any interpretation of 'day' which means more than 24-hours is altering the Bible. It rarely occurs to them that maybe it's the traditional interpretation that's done the altering and that a re-interpretation of 'day' is needed for the true meaning.
Many Christians seem to think that if God takes more time, He is less powerful. With God, time has nothing to do with either capacity for work or quality of work.
It's not heresy to re-interpret a word (yō·wm) in the original Hebrew text based on better evidence from scholarship, science, and our own common sense understanding of the actual world in which we live.
Failure to fully acknowledge God's amazing unfolding design over time diminishes His creation and dishonors Him.
This study shows that the Bible does not compel a six-day interpretation. One person studying the Bible can conclude that God created the universe in six 24-hour days. Another person studying the Bible can conclude that God created the universe over billions of years.
The Bible's description of creation is broad enough to accommodate both interpretations. The important thing is that GOD DID IT!
This site takes the view that God created the world in stages over a very long period of time. This view is preferable because it is confirmed by all modern knowledge and eliminates push-back from unbelievers.
Conversations with unbelievers should make it clear that one does not have to believe in six-day creation to be a Christian.