Genesis 1

Before the Creation of the World…
God existed in trinity (John 17:24, Hebrews 9:11)
The Son was chosen to be sent (1 Peter 1:20)
We were chosen to be in Christ (Ephesians 1:4)

I believe the account of creation in Genesis 1 has spiritual parallels in the 'new creation'. Check out the NT passages that seem to reflect on Genesis 1 language.

DAY #1
Heaven’s & Earth created (see 2 Corinthians 5:17)
They were formless & void (1 Peter 1:18)
Water & Darkness (Colossians 1:13)
Spirit of God hovering (1 Thessalonians 1:5)
Light begins (2 Cor. 4:6, John 1:5)
Light seperated from darkness (2 Cor. 6:14, Ephesians 4:18)

DAY #2 Expanse b/w waters above & below (John 8:23, Col. 2:13, 3:2, James 3)

DAY #3 Land produces vegetation (Galatians 5:22)

DAY #4 Lights created in the sky (Matthew 5:14-16)

DAY #5 Living creatures (Proverbs 30:24-31)

DAY #6 Man created in God’s image (Colossians 1:15)

DAY #7 God was finished with His work (Hebrews 4:1+9)

*These are the best parallels I know of so far.

And don't forget John 1...
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

Theories of Origins Description
There is a lot of debate about origins. I have read much on these issues. The following 5 theories are most common. In my opinion, the further down the list, the better the theory.

1. Secular Evolution No explanation for beginning
2. Theistic Evolution God initiated and let evolution continue
3. Gap- Theory Huge gap b/w 1:1 & 1:2
4. Day-Age Theory Each day represents millions of years
5. Young Earth 24 hour days & accurate geneologies

Theories of Interpretation

Methods to Truth-Finding
Reason
Experience
Scripture
Tradition

Methods of Interpretation
Literal Interpretation
Illumination of the Holy Spirit
Grammatical Principles
Historical Context
Teaching Ministry
Scriptural Harmony

Interpretations of Genesis 1

Gap Theory Substantial chronological gap between 1:1 & 1:2
What is the state and doctrine of this theory?
1. This is a theory popularized in the 19th century, but is fading with time
2. It attempts to reconcile ‘old-earth’ with a ‘literal’ creation week
3. It theorizes that there is an enormous chronological gap b/w 1:1 & 1:2
4. It theorizes that there was an inhabited earth prior to the creation week
5. It theorizes that ‘Lucifer’ fell during this time and was judged via flood
6. It theorizes that this ‘flood’ explains pop-geology & the fossil record
7. It is based on Genesis 1:1-2, 1:28 (kjv), Isaiah 14 & Ezekiel 28
What are the 3 key problems with this theory?
1. It is based on faulty understandings of multiple Hebrew words
2. It fails the ‘Teaching Ministry’ & ‘Scriptural Harmony’ tests
3. It creates doctrinal dilemmas w/o accomplishing it’s scientific goal

Theistic Evolution God created & used evolution as His mechanism
What is the state and doctrine of this theory?
1. It was popularized in the 19th century, and is gaining momentum
2. It combines popular scientific theories with allegorical interpretation
3. It’s adherents range from doctrines of ‘deism’ to ‘immanence’
What are the 3 key problems with this theory?
1. It stands or falls on the merits of pop-science (Darwinian Evolution)
2. It seems to fail the Literal, Teaching & Scriptural Harmony tests
3. It creates a multitude of doctrinal issues (death before the Fall, etc)

Day-Age Theory Each ‘day’ of Genesis 1 represents an ‘age’
What is the state and doctrine of this theory?
1. It was popularized in the 19th century, and is holding it’s own
2. It combines non-Darwinian pop-science with biblical creationism
3. It suggests that the creations days were actually millions of years
What are the 3 key problems with this theory?
1. It seems to fail the grammatical, teaching & Scriptural harmony tests
2. It creates doctrinal dilemmas (death & ‘man’ before fall, local flood)
3. It generally fails to accomplish it’s goal of appealing to the secular mind

Allegorical Theory Creation Week is not a ‘Literal’ Account
What is the state and doctrine of this theory?
1. It has been growing in popularity during the 20th & 21st centuries
2. It suggests that Genesis 1 is a religious creed establishing the Sabbath
3. Adherents find the ‘gap’ & ‘day-age’ theories inadequate
What are the 3 key problems with this theory?
1. It seems to fail the literal & teaching tests
2. It leaves us with a lack of details about the origin of the universe
3. It is quite possibly a true application w/o being a primary meaning

Young Earth Theory God created the world in six 24-hour days
What is the state and doctrine of this theory?
1. It has been growing in popularity during the 20th & 21st centuries
2. It suggests that Genesis be interpreted as a chronological narrative
3. It, alone, suggests that the earth is less than 10,000 years old
4. It, alone, suggests that Noah’s flood was a worldwide deluge
5. It, alone, suggests that no death occurred prior to the fall
6. Adherents find alternative theories to ‘compromise’ Scriptural authority
What are the 3 key problems with this theory?
1. It fails to match up with popular secular-science in numerous fields
2. Some claim it treats Scripture like a scientific text-book
3. Some reference apparent contradictions if Genesis 1 is taken literally