In the beginning, I was a YEC or young earth creationist. I believed that God created the heavens and the earth in 6 literal days approximately 6000 years ago. The problem is, that there is some scientific evidence that the earth is far more than 6000 years old. This evidence is not theoretical either. In the past I would just use a “God of Gaps” argument and just say “God created it that way”. (BTW, the evolutionary “God of Gaps” is “millions of years” so this use is not just by creationists.)
It should be noted that the bible is not a science book. The bible is history, law, prophecy and a biography, but no where does it describe the mechanics of creation.
I have begun to think that God is more like a terraformer creator than a “ex nihilo” creator. I find that the idea that God created the heavens and the earth “from nothing” is not really supported by the bible, and this idea is more from man attempting to magnify God rather than describing him accurately. An example of this is the idea that God is “omnipotent” or without limits. We find through careful reading of the bible that God does indeed have actual limits, like changing his mind (God repented in Exodus 32:10-11) and God being unable to lie (Titus 1:2).
In Genesis 1.1-2, it says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” God has not created anything yet. It is first announcing what God is doing. Then, it proclaims the condition of the earth, before anything started, as “formless and void”. Starting in verse 3, it then starts describing the steps of creation: Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
In my opinion, this means that the earth is currently ingredients, or parts that God uses for his creation. Like an artist uses a canvas and paints to paint a picture, God uses the formless earth for his creation. In no place does God describe the act of creating rocks, water and air. Instead, God begins the description of how he takes the earth and makes it a place of life. In my opinion, this is why when scientists look at the heavens and the earth, they see an old earth, because the ingredients are old.
Where I think the scientists go wrong is when they think life on earth is old. If you could imagine the process of terraforming a planet in the realm of science fiction, you would realize that due to the inter dependencies of various forms of life, that every form of life would have to be placed on the planet very quickly. This explains the 6 days that God used in my opinion. The carnivorous animals are dependent on the herbivore animals, the herbivores are dependent on the plants, and the plants are dependent on light. This is why God created light first. It is interesting that God then creates the Sun and the moon on the fourth day, not the first day. The sun and the moon need to be put in place to feed the plants that were created on the previous day via the water cycle.
It should be obvious to everyone that the earth is a creation, not something that happened by accident. This is documented in Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse”. The machine like action of the water cycle is proof positive of this in my opinion. In addition, you can add the orbit of the moon, the placement of Jupiter, and the protective layers of our atmosphere as further evidence of a well thought out creation. These are the “heavens” that God describes.
In my opinion, this should resolve any controversy we may have over the age of the earth.
