Mike Riddle, Creation Training Initiative (CTI)

Should Christians really care if the earth is young or old (billions of years)? A common claim by some church leaders is that the age of the earth does not matter.   This claim however, demonstrates a lack of biblical knowledge.   First: if the earth is old this means there would have been millions of years of death and disease before Adam and Even and the Fall. It teaches death before sin, which means sin was not the cause of death. This undermines the very reason Jesus had to go to the Cross and die for our sins. So, it is important because it is a gospel issue. Second: an old earth changes the character of God. In Gen 1:31 call called His entire creation “very good”. Did God really call death, disease and destruction very good?   Third: In Commandment 4 of the 10 Commandments God wrote down on the stone tablets that He created everything in 6 days. Millions of years calls into question the truthfulness of the 10 Commandments.   Fourth: In Mark 10 and Matthew 4 Jesus states that man and woman were created from the beginning of creation and not after millions of years. Jesus, the Creator of all things, believed in a young earth.   Therefore, the age of the earth is an important biblical issue.