During my early years in elementary school (over 50 years ago!), the “classroom teacher” represented the standard of law, order, and absolute authority. My 1st-4th grade teachers were older women who probably started teaching shortly after the Civil War. They loved us as students, and I greatly respected—and feared—each of them. Discipline was rigidly maintained with “stay-after-class” assignments, and when justified, by vigorous paddlings in front of the class that both pained and humiliated the guilty perpetrator. They patrolled the playground in search of misbehavior. Their teachings were chronicles of truth. It was a rigid environment for this young boy who much preferred to be outdoors.
One morning, my third-grade teacher taught us a history lesson that captured my imagination for years. She lectured about a Spanish explorer who discovered the New World—Christopher Columbus. The brave ship’s captain persisted in his quest for a shorter trade route to Eastern Asia, and to “prove” his theory that the earth was not flat. His crew threatened mutiny after weeks at sea, terrified that their vessel was about to sail off the edge of the world and be lost forever. I sensed the excitement of the voyage, the dread of the sailors, and their relief upon discovery of a new world. I’ve shared it and taught it to my daughters. There is only one problem.
Most of it was a fable.
My teacher had received faulty information, and perhaps you were taught the same story. An immensely popular but largely fictional “biography” of Christopher Columbus written in 1828 by Washington Irving1 sourced the false information. Her account of the voyage and discovery of America was incorrect, and I innocently accepted what was taught. More seriously, I repeated her story without confirming the details. And it begs a question that was asked about 2000 years earlier by a man named Pilate:
“What is truth?”
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Columbus’ True Understanding
Columbus2, his sailing peers, and most educated Europeans understood that the earth was spherical. Educated Europeans in the 15th century studied classical Greek writings. Aristotle proposed that the Earth was spherical in the 4th century, B.C. Eratosthenes calculated its circumference in the 3rd century B.C. to be 44,100 km (27,391 miles), a value within 10% of today’s measurement (24,890 miles). Columbus and the sailors of his day used celestial navigation devices such as sextants, which were based upon a spherical earth. He set sail in August 1492—not to “prove” the earth was round but to establish a direct route to eastern Asia and a trade monopoly for Spain, with a 10% share of the profits.
How many times have you asked the same regarding Creation?
On one end of the spectrum, we hear that the earth is less than 15 thousand years old and the earth’s surface—the geologic strata (layers), fossils, and everything included—are simply the remnants of Noah’s flood. The flood is claimed to have catastrophically scoured and reshaped the earth’s landforms less than 10 thousand years ago. And some claim this is what the Bible teaches—and only this.
On the other end, we hear that the earth is a 4.5 billion year-old planet—a mere speck within a single galaxy that includes millions of other stars (suns). Our galaxy, in turn, is a mere speck among billions of other galaxies—a galactic matrix that forms our 15(+)-billion-year-old universe. Scientists claim the physical evidence is obvious, “Just Look!”
The two views could not be further apart, literally, in time or space.
So, what’s the answer? Are all scientists cold and unwavering atheists, duped by their own observations? Or, does Scripture literally describe a very recent earth that God simply spoke into existence?
What is “truth?”
Pilate asked Jesus that question while examining Him prior to the crucifixion. Pilate then left the room, returned to the mob outside, and said, “I find no guilt in Him.”
You won’t find guilt, or falsehood, in “truth.”
Pilate’s Question
Jesus had previously replied to Pilate, “. . . I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice (John 18:38).” Interestingly, Jesus never responded to Pilate’s “Truth” question.
Today, vicious arguments cloud many churches over the topic of “science vs. creation.” Dozens of books are available. Technical data are introduced to defend each side’s argument. With such controversial and opposing “facts” on the table, a Scriptural definition of “truth” seems like the obvious place to begin. Let’s “pull up a stool,” have a seat, and talk about truth.
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Dairy farms were uncommon in our area of Texas, but the image of a farmer sitting on a three-legged stool while milking a Jersey cow is quite common.
Have you ever considered that stool? Why three-legs?
A three-legged stool is the most stable platform on any unlevel surface. The stool offers a great visual for the definition of Creation truth—three New Testament verses form the three Scriptural legs that every legitimate Creation model must honor. And, just like the stool, the framework collapses if only one Scriptural “leg” is removed. The three elements follow:
Jesus Christ
John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
In this pivotal quote, Jesus declares Himself as the ultimate expression of truth—the critical foundation of the Creation debate. Colossians 1:15-17 also references Jesus’ role as “creating all things.” This vital truth confirms that our universe had a specific beginning, through a Divine Beginner, with a beautiful plan for mankind’s salvation. The universe did not just naturally “appear.”
Christ as Creator
Colossians 1:15-17 provides a rich source of information about Jesus’ role during creation. These verses speak of Jesus as:
- the first-born (most important) of all creation;
- by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible; and,
- in Him, all things hold together.”
The Word
John 17:17 – “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.”
The second leg of our stool includes God’s word as “truth.” His written Word—the Bible—includes important verses scattered throughout the Old and New Testaments that speak of Creation. The account is NOT restricted to Genesis. For example, compare Genesis 1:1-2 with Isaiah 45:18. Genesis 1 suggests that God spoke both heavens and earth into existence; whereas, according to Isaiah He spoke only the heavens into existence and crafted the earth into a planet uniquely habitable for life.
This important distinction does not conflict with Genesis 1. God willing, we’ll discuss this extensively in a future blog. Isaiah records that God labored to make earth a perfect planet for life. A viable Creation model must correctly capture and integrate ALL of the Word’s Creation verses.
The Word and Creation
In Genesis 1:1-2, God spoke and “poofed” both heavens and earth into existence. (The Hebrew verb “bara” speaks of creation “out of nothing;” hence, my choice of “poof.”) According to Isaiah 45, He “poofed” only the heavens into existence, but laboriously crafted and fashioned the earth into a planet uniquely habitable for life (the Hebrew verb “yatsar” used by Isaiah with the earth implies, “to sculpt or fashion, as pottery from clay”). Statistically speaking, it’s extremely unlikely to have all of life’s requirements so perfectly fulfilled on a single planet. God specifically “sculpted” the earth for future life.
The Creation
Romans 1:18-23 – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness . . . of men who suppress the truth . . . for God made it evident to them. 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 important third leg of our stool seems to be the one most commonly overlooked. It directly links truth to “what has been made” or, in other words, to nature. God plainly states that His own invisible attributes – His power and divine nature – are clearly evident through Creation. Those attributes may overwhelm our limited and simplified concepts of God, as the tornado did with mine. Psalm 19:1 repeats this theme and teaches, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is
The Creation as “Truth”
Have you pondered this concept?
God refers to creation itself as truth because it reflects His attributes. But, Paul’s reference to “being understood” goes beyond our admiration of a beautiful sunrise. It requires an honest and unbiased observation of nature’s details, and a rational explanation of what we observe. Paul’s challenge to “understand” is what reveals God’s “. . . eternal power and divine nature” and it often blows-up our limited and simplified concepts of God.
declaring (testifying to) the work of His hands.” Meditate upon how the expanse (empty space) of heaven testifies to the work of God’s hands . . .
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Our Creation stool spans a divided landscape, and our models are often dangerously limited by at least one missing leg. But another threat creates turmoil and may even disrupt one’s faith. It’s the insertion of man’s errors that lead to contradictions between the three truths.
Truth is truth. Scripture will never contradict Scripture, and truth expressed by nature should never contradict the truth revealed in Scripture. Luke was an early Christian author and physician. He wrote the Book of Acts and praised the Bereans:
- “Now these (Berean Christians) were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
The Bereans verified the teachings they received against Scripture. We should follow their example and ask, “Is this truth?” when faced with Creation conflicts. I believe the Bereans would not only search Scripture but would also examine the “truth” exposed in nature to verify that the two align.
Have you investigated the historical origins of the Young Earth and Old Earth models? Have you studied their Scriptural and technical claims? Or, have you simply accepted the words of a lecturer as “truth,” as this 3rd grade child did with Columbus? I spent the next forty years believing a lie and sharing it with others. Please don’t do the same.
How stable is your three-legged Creation stool? Are you a noble Berean? Investigate the models, and then “Just go look!” at His Creation. In our next blog, we expand the analogy of our three-legged stool and carry it to a deeper technical level.
1Wikipedia: Washington Irving
2Wikipedia: Christopher Columbus