Questions about time often arise in discussions of Genesis and Earth's age. Could billions of years have elapsed before the "in the beginning" of Genesis I? When did time start? Science and Scripture suggest some answers. As one of the seven fundamental quantities of physics, time is essential to our existence. It sets "the stage on which reality plays out. It permits possibilities to become real and allows causes to produce effects. Over time, we observe matter change state or form. People grow, learn, and get to know one another and God. Because of time, we humans get the privilege of experiencing the present, remembering the past, and hoping for the future. We can define time as duration characterized by changes in what something is or has. For example, an ant can pick up a bit of leaf and thus change what it has. After it dies, its nature changes over time from that of an ant to that of essentially dirt. Time and change go hand in hand. But God does not change. He already knows the future, including theoretical futures. If He changed who He is, He would cease to be perfect and thus cease to be God. He cannot learn anything new because He already knows everything.
Time could not exist without God, yet He does not need time. Humans require time to exist. My potential to be a different me becomes the actual me only through time. Over time, we change what we have, such as gaining knowledge or strength. And
God can change what we are, like from a sinner to a saint. These descriptions help address the question of how time began. "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible." Time may not be visible, but its effects are. Time is tightly tied to changing states of visible and invisible entities. Without time for the ant to decay, its essence would not
change. Without time for a girl to learn the gospel, she would not have the opportunity to repent of her sin and trust Christ. Thus, time, space, and matter either all exist together or none exist. When Time Began: Genesis 1: 1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth:' Clearly, no created entities existed before that moment. And without material or immaterial entities, how could anyone notice the passage of time? So, it looks like "the beginning" marked the first moment of time.
Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the
Institute for Creation Research and
earned his M.S. il1 biotechnology from
Stephen F. Austin State University.
Time could not exist without God, yet He does not need time. Humans require time to exist. My potential to be a different me becomes the actual me only through time. Over time, we change what we have, such as gaining knowledge or strength. And
God can change what we are, like from a sinner to a saint. These descriptions help address the question of how time began. "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible." Time may not be visible, but its effects are. Time is tightly tied to changing states of visible and invisible entities. Without time for the ant to decay, its essence would not
change. Without time for a girl to learn the gospel, she would not have the opportunity to repent of her sin and trust Christ. Thus, time, space, and matter either all exist together or none exist. When Time Began: Genesis 1: 1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth:' Clearly, no created entities existed before that moment. And without material or immaterial entities, how could anyone notice the passage of time? So, it looks like "the beginning" marked the first moment of time.
Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the
Institute for Creation Research and
earned his M.S. il1 biotechnology from
Stephen F. Austin State University.