Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 11:1 (Fall 2024)
Article: In The Space Of Six Days
Author: Clayton J. Williams

RPTJ 11:1 (Fall 2024) p. 4

In The Space Of Six Days

Clayton J. Williams

Professor of Old Testament Studies
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Paul said in Romans 8 that “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs until now” (Rom. 8:22, NKJV). In our days, I think it is also true to say that even the doctrine of creation groans and labors too, as it is contested by the world and debated within the church. It is hard to think of a text of Scripture that has been more convulsed by controversy and contorted by critics in the present day than Genesis 1. In this context, it is refreshing and reassuring how the Westminster Confession boldly affirms the biblical doctrine of creation with the same simplicity as Scripture itself:

It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.1

This doctrine is the foundation of the Christian worldview, and the Westminster Confession’s formulation of it remains a bulwark against those increasing challenges that seek to undermine this foundational doctrine.

The Confession has three main emphases here: 1) That creation was the work of all three Persons of the Godhead, 2) That all things were created out of nothing or ex nihilo, and 3) That the work of creation took place “in the space of six days”. In this paper, we will focus on this third point and this phrase “in the space of six days,” under three headings: 1) The origin and history of this phrase, 2) Its use and intended meaning in the WCF, 3) The confessional significance of this phrase today.

Origin And History

We begin with the history of this phrase. “In the space of six days” is not a direct quote of any one verse in the Bible, but it is obviously meant to capture the pattern of Genesis 1 as it counts through six sequential days of creation marked by evening and morning. The phrase itself might sound a bit odd because we do not ordinarily use the word “space” to denote a period of time. This nuance comes from the church fathers who used the phrase “in the space of six days,” for whom the Latin word spatium was commonly used to describe a time period. Irenaeus seems to be the first to use this phrase in the second century, in his work Against Heresies,2 and in t...