top of page
Writer's pictureBible Brian

3 verses before compromise


A fact about Old Earth compromise that should surprise exactly no one is that Old Earthers very rarely refer to the Bible in defence of their beliefs. One exception is 2 Peter 3:8, which says "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Old Earthers love this verse. If God sees days differently, that must mean He communicates them differently too. When God says that 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), maybe He didn't actually mean 6 days. Right?


Wrong. The objective observer will be able to explain that 2 Peter 3:8 is part of a larger passage, starting at verse 1 and "ending" (at least as far as the thought in question) at verse 9. The whole point of the passage is addressing the fact that people will eventually use the fact that Jesus is taking so "long" to return mean He is not coming at all. They mistake God's patience for God's non-existence. When Peter reminds the reader that God can see a day as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day, he isn't saying "when God says day in Genesis, He actually means millions of years", He's saying "listen, God can afford to wait, and because He doesn't want anyone going to Hell (v9), He will".


But the most interesting part of this passage, at least as far as it pertains to the origins debate, is what Peter says about these same scoffers who claim Jesus isn't coming back. "For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water." (NKJV). In other words, the proof that Old Earth compromise is wrong, along with a prophecy that Old Earth compromise will come to exist, is right there, just 3 verses earlier.


Now of course, it doesn't say "one day, people will show up saying Genesis doesn't say God created in 6 literal days", but it does affirm that the Earth was created by the word of God, that it started as water, and that a flood destroyed the world that existed in the past, both things which are denied by the Evolutionary narrative with which Old Earth compromisers seek to bring the Bible into line with their own dogmas. It's never just the 6 days they disagree with, there's always additional disagreement, especially the global nature of the flood.


When reading the Bible, context is key. The Bible was not written so we could draw our own conclusions and read them into it, but rather so we could discover God's conclusions by taking them out. If you're going to do the former, there is a weakness in your faith, and it is a weakness that likely will not end with compromise on Creationism. Serious moral issues, correct doctrine, and even the Gospel itself become unsustainable if you are not willing to take the Bible as it is written.

8 views
bottom of page