Q: Why does our synod hold that each of the days of creation were normal 24 hour periods of time?”
A: Three main reasons usually are listed: 1) At the end of each day in Genesis chapter 1 we have the expressions “evening and morning were the first (second, etc.) day.” This description fits the divided 24 hour time slots we experience today. 2) The Hebrew word used in the Genesis account is YOM, a word which designates the normal day rather than eons of time. And 3) Exodus 20:11 tells us that when God set up the Sabbath Day worship in the time of Moses his purpose was to commemorate the six day creation. To this day around much of the world the seven day week system is in effect, giving continual testimony to the factual and Scriptural account of a normal day span for each. creation day.
Numerous church bodies today which atone time held to normal day spans for creation no longer do so, because they find it appealing to accommodate any who wish to hold to the theory of theistic evolution. But any evolutionary theory, whether theistic or atheistic, does a complete injustice to the pure words of Scripture which repeatedly portray a universe created out of nothing in a very short period of time by the indescribably almighty, miracle-working power of the spoken word of our Creator. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible,” (Hebrews 11:3).
We could also add that the frequently quoted reference, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years . . .”(2 Peter 3:8), is not to be used in reference to the account of creation. The context of that verse shows it is speaking of the unexpected moment when God will bring about the final day of the world. With God, the time for bringing on that day knows no “slowness” or “quickness,” since from his perspective that determined day is a time-free reality. In the creation account God records facts of history in human temporal terms.