Is The Earth 6,000 Years Old or 6 Million?
From 6,000 to 6 million years old there’s a lot of debate about the age of the earth. Here’s something to consider regarding the Christian view – which is most often that the earth is 6,000 ish years old.
In the mid-1600s a man named James Ussher did some math based on genealogies in the bible and his math assumed that no one was going to be mentioned between certain people in those lineages. The birth date for the earth was never mentioned prior to James Ussher and the bible doesn’t explicitly say how old the earth is. More importantly, the book of Genesis was not written so that Christians could calculate the age of the earth, but rather it was written to tell us HOW it was created and by WHO.
In terms of the earth’s age, the main message of the bible that we, as Christians, need to be concerned with is that God made the earth and everything in and outside of it. When we treat the bible like a math problem we end up off track of what’s important, and that is that the world comes to know Jesus as savior and receive eternal life, through faith. Treating the Bible like a math problem is why we end up with all these people claiming crazy stuff like assuming to know when the earth will end, only to make Christians look ridiculous.
It’s perfectly fine to have an opinion on the age of the earth, but I think we digress when we obsess over it and become dogmatic about our view. So whether the earth is 6000, 6 million, or 6 billion years old neither of them would refute scripture. What Christians need to focus on is Jesus and how we can let Him work in and through us.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
