The Gap Theory – What is it? Did anything happen in between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?

featured article image

TL;DR:

The gap theory is an attempt to explain the fossil record by inserting a long chronological gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. However, the Bible does not say what, if anything, happened between 1:1 and 1:2.

from the old testament

  • Genesis 1:1–2 states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The gap theory is the view that God created a fully functional earth with all animals, including the dinosaurs and other creatures we know only from the fossil record. Then, the theory goes, something happened to destroy the earth completely—most likely the fall of Satan to earth—so that the planet became without form and void. At this point, God started all over again, recreating the earth in its paradise form as further described in Genesis. The gap theory, a view of old-earth creationism, is also called gap creationism and the ruin-reconstruction theory. The gap theory is distinct from alternative old-earth creation views, such as the day-age theory.
  • Genesis 2:4 summarizes chapter 1 and introduces a more detailed history of the creation of man and woman: "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens." This verse and it's context is about creation, not re-creation. Thus, the gap theory is contrary to Scripture. No verse of Scripture teaches an earlier creation.

from the new testament

  • The foundation for the gap theory is not found in the New Testament.

implications for today

The proposed gap between the first two verses of Genesis has been called "dinosaur space," a convenient place to dump the fossil record along with millions or billions of years. The gap theory gained popularity in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth centuries. It paralleled the emergence of modern geology. Christian scientists could account for long ages of geological history while still affirming a recent six-day creation week. Acceptance spread even more when it was referred to in the notes of the 1917 Scofield Reference Bible. However, the gap theory has declined in popularity today, partly because it lacks explicit biblical support and is an unwarranted insertion into the text. The theory fails to provide a coherent explanation for the fossil record, as the catastrophic event would have destroyed all life, leaving no fossils behind. Contemporary geologists and astronomers do not accept the gap theory.

understand

  • The gap theory suggests a long period between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
  • The Bible does not support the gap theory as no events are indicated between the first two verses.
  • The gap theory has declined due to lack of biblical support and failure to explain the fossil record.

reflect

  • How does your understanding of Genesis 1:1-2 impact your view of the creation narrative?
  • How do you reconcile the apparent age of the earth with the biblical creation account?
  • What is your response to theories like the gap theory that attempt to explain scientific observations, and how do you balance faith with knowledge?

engage

  • Why do you think some Christians are drawn to theories like the gap theory even when the Bible doesn't explicitly support it?
  • How can we address the tension between modern science and the biblical creation account?
  • What are the implications of inserting human assumptions, like the gap theory, into Scripture, and how might this affect our understanding of God's Word?