Question: John Piper, in a discussion on creation, tries to draw a distinction between the creation of man, which was recent, and the universe, which could be much older....What do you think? | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

Question: John Piper, in a discussion on creation, tries to draw a distinction between the creation of man, which was recent, and the universe, which could be much older. He comments, “So that [view] has the advantage of saying that the earth is billions of years old if it wants to be—whatever science says it is, it is—but man is young, and he was good and he sinned. He was a real historical person, because Romans 5 says so, and so does the rest of the Bible.” What do you think?

Response: You’re asking for our opinion as to whether the days listed in Genesis 1 were literal days or long periods of time. We believe that the Scriptures are unambiguous in their meaning that these are 24-hour days.

We think that Piper’s statement is a compromise that seeks to find a nonexistent middle ground to “balance” all the views that Christians may hold. He lays stress upon the (brief) time that “man” has existed. Yet the Lord distinctly told Moses, “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day...” (Ex 20:11).

This seems to be critical, for Jesus said in John:5:46, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.” What did Moses say? Moses wrote that the “heavens and the earth” (and man) were created in six days. God directly confirmed this in Exodus and again in John. Was the Creator confused? Certainly not!