The Gap theory is known in the Netherlands as the theory of restitution. This theory is somewhere between the theory of creation and the theory of evolution. People who believe in this teaching want to unite creation and evolution.
Contents
- What is the doctrine of restitution?
- The origins of the theory
- Problems with the theory
- Consequences for the Christian faith
What is the doctrine of restitution?
The doctrine of restitution says that there is a gap of millions or even billions of years between verse 1 and verse 2 of Genesis in the Bible.
What do the first few Bible verses say?
Genesis 1 verse 1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the flood; and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light! And there was light.
A little further on in the Bible we read that Adam was created as the first man. The Bible also writes about the fall of the highest and most eminent angel from heaven. This is Satan. The Bible does not say exactly when the fall of Satan took place.
What does the doctrine of restitution say about this?
The doctrine of restitution states that the earth in verse 1 of Genesis was populated with plants and animals. There were also people. The so-called pre-Adamic people, or people before the time of Adam. The doctrine of restitution then says that at the fall of Satan this first creation was destroyed by the flood mentioned in verse 2. The earth was plunged into darkness and therefore became desolate and void. The word was from verse 2 can also be translated as was. From verse 3 the recreation of the earth begins. Hence the name refund. This recreation covers the 6 days described in the Bible.
The epochs of billions of years that the theory of evolution teaches us would have taken place from the beginning of the first perfect earth to the preparations for its re-creation. The fossils found in the Earth’s layers are said to be remains of the first perfect Earth.
There are many variations on this theory. As described here is the most widely adhered to version.
The origins of the theory
The theory of restitution originated in 1814. This was the period when the theory of evolution emerged and when it began to teach that the earth is billions of years old. Thomas Chalmer of the University of Edinburgh devised the theory to suit the geological column of evolutionists in those days. At the same time, he was trying to maintain creation in literally 6 days. There was no theological basis for the theory.
Problems with the theory
The fall of Satan would have taken place before the six days
From a Biblical perspective, this is not plausible. The Bible says in Genesis 1 verse 31: 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Since all was well, it is not likely that Satan had already fallen at that time. Satan’s fall was the result of his sins. He wanted to be the highest God and there was a rebellion in heaven. In his fall, Satan took a third of the angels with him. God cannot possibly speak of a very good creation if this misery had already taken place. In addition, Ezekiel 28 speaks of Satan being in the Garden of Eden before his fall. If Satan had fallen before the six days, the Bible contradicts itself. Therefore, from a Biblical perspective, this is an impossible statement.
Wrong interpretation of the Bible translation
God to Adam:
Genesis 1 verse 18: Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.
When Chalmer came up with this theory, his King James translation included the word replenish where the English word is fulfilled . Replenish means to refill or refill . That implies that the earth could have been recreated. To determine if this is really the case, we need to take a closer look at the meaning of replenish. Nowadays, replenish has the meaning of, for example, refilling a glass of drink. However, in the King James translation of Chalmers’ time this meant something different. This translation was written in 1611. The Hebrew word male was used at that time for replenish. This simply means filling as something is filled for the first time. In 1650, replenish took on a different meaning. Then it was incorporated into the English language. Only from then on did it mean refilling . So the word replenish has changed meaning in the two centuries up to Chalmer. If we now look at the original Hebrew text, it contains the word male , which means to fill . The Hebrew word for refilling is shana . The original text therefore says to fill and not to fill again . Chalmer used a wrong assumption as the basis for his theory.
God would be responsible for evil
When we read the Bible carefully, we see that death came into the world through Satan’s rebellion and through man’s sin.
Romans 5 verse 12: Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death came to every man, because every man has sinned.
However, the followers of the doctrine of restitution believe that death existed before the re-creation. This comes from evolution, which teaches that this is part of the process of improvement. That would mean that God brought death into the world. In addition, the God of restitution is a God who needed billions of years of practice before He could make a perfect creation. This is very contradictory to the Bible which speaks abundantly of an omnipotent, omniscient and perfect God.
Consequences for the Christian faith
People who adhere to the doctrine of restitution do not realize what consequences this has for their faith:
- God would be a bad God because He created a bad earth where death and destruction reign. Man is not responsible for anything because he cannot do anything about the fact that there is sin. God made that. It follows that Jesus’ sacrifice is not necessary.
- Jesus’ sacrifice would no longer be a sacrifice, but a solution by God to cover up his own mistakes. So God is manipulative.
- The new heaven and the new earth would also not come, because we are dealing with an evil God. This can never create a perfect earth.
Let’s contrast this with what the Bible says:
- God made the earth perfect
- Man fell into sin, causing death to enter the world.
- God sent his son Jesus to pay the penalty for the sins of all people.
- This means that the people who accept this have free access to God and to the new heaven and new earth that God will soon make.
The extensive plan of God described throughout the Bible is overthrown with the doctrine of restitution. The doctrine of restitution does not seem to be in any way compatible with what the Bible says.
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