Study guide

Creation Answers Book

by Dr Don Batten (editor), Dr David Catchpoole, Dr Jonathan Sarfati, and Dr Carl Wieland

Lesson 2
Six Days? Really?

Textbook

The Creation Answers Book, Chapter 2

Text

Why is it important? (pp. 27-32)

Discussion question

How does an acceptance of ‘millions of years’ of Earth history affect the message of the Gospel? (See also pages 29-30, 52.)

Text

Why ‘Long Days’? (pp. 31-32)

Discussion questions

1. What is the main reason some people believe Genesis 1 speaks of long ages?
2. How did the various ‘church fathers’ view Genesis? (See also Q&A: Genesis – Church Fathers and Reformers.) Choose one leader and write a paper discussing his views of Genesis.
3. What is meant by the term ‘special revelation’? What is ‘general revelation’? Why is it inappropriate to refer to ‘general revelation’ as the ‘67^th book of the Bible’? (See ‘General and Special Revelation’ and ‘The Canonisation of “Nature”’ for more information.)
4. Why is it improper and unwise to use the findings of secular ‘origins’ science to interpret Scripture? See:
   • Millions of Years and the Doctrine of Balaam
   • A Low View of Scripture
   • The Slippery Slide to Unbelief.

Text

The ‘Days’ of Genesis One (pp. 36-40)

Discussion questions

1. Look up the word ‘day’ in a Hebrew lexicon . Which Hebrew word refers to normal-length (approximately 24 hours) days? Which Hebrew words refer to long periods of time? What other Hebrew words are translated ‘day’? Which Hebrew word for ‘day’ is used in Genesis 1? (See also How long were the days of Genesis 1?)
2. Why is it important to consider the context when determining the meaning of a word?
3. How do we know the ‘days’ referred to in Genesis 1 were normal-length and not long periods of time?

Text

Why Six Days? (pp. 40-41)

Discussion question

What is the basis for our month? Our year? The seasons? The seven day week?

Text

Objections to Literal Days in Genesis 1 (pp. 41-50)

Discussion questions

1. In your own words, explain why the first three days of Creation should be considered ordinary days, even though the Sun was not created until Day 4. (See also How could the days of Genesis 1 be literal if the sun wasn’t created until Day 4?.)
2. What is significant about God creating the Sun on Day 4, rather than on Day 1?
3. Why should 2 Peter 3:8 not be used to justify the idea that the creation days were long periods of time? (See also 2 Peter 3:8.)
4. How would you respond to someone who claimed that you were limiting God by believing that He created in six Earth-rotation days?
5. Why should Genesis 2 be considered complementary to Genesis 1, and not contradictory? (See also Do Genesis 1 and 2 contradict each other?)
6. What kinds of animals did Adam name on the Sixth Day? (See also Naming the animals: all in a day’s work for Adam.)

Text

Other Problems with Long Days and Similar Interpretations (pp. 51-52)

Discussion questions

1. List three reasons (apart from the words of Scripture, itself) for why the days of creation could not have been long periods of time.
2. How does the evolutionary order differ from the biblical order of Creation?

Text

Long-age Compromises (pp. 27-28)

Discussion questions

1. What is ‘theistic evolution’? What are some theological and scientific problems with accepting this idea? (See also Q&A: Genesis – Theistic Evolution.)
2. What is ‘progressive creation’? List some theological and scientific problems with this view. (See also Q&A: Genesis – Progressive Creationism.)
3. Why must those who do not take Genesis straightforwardly accept a local—rather than global—Flood?

Text

Does it really matter? (pp. 27-31, 52)

Discussion questions

1. Why is it important to accept that the days mentioned in Genesis 1 are regular length?
2. What should our attitude be toward Scripture?

Additional Resource:

15 Reasons to Take Genesis as History (booklet)