It is proved by astronomical observations that the sun is at
least 5 million years older than the earth.
But Genesis says that it was created on the 4th
day after the earth. Which is correct?
Before addressing your question, I would first like to thank you for visiting The Lighted Way and for submitting your question. The great controversy between Science and the Bible has long confused many. While I cannot possibly address, to the full extent, all the issues your question has raised, it is my intent to reach the heart of the matter. I pray that you will find it an enlightening aid in your quest for a resolution to this controversial issue.
First of all, you may be unaware that your question appears to be based upon a common misconception of science. Many people have wrongly assumed that science is an UNBIASED entity which passes purely factual information on to the public. As I will later explain, it is NOT POSSIBLE for science to be completely objective and wholly without bias. On a basic level, this is because scientists come from either a Creationist or an Evolutionary perspective.
Whichever lense (Creation or Evolution) the scientist looks at the artifact or natural phenomenon through determines the conclusion he must make. Here are some examples:
Scientists observe that it takes many, many years for sedimentary deposits to form the rich layers our earth displays. One of the most magnificent examples is seen in the Grand Canyon (USA). The Evolutionary-biased scientist observes how long it takes to deposit a normal layer of sediment and concludes that the canyon is incredibly old.
Creation scientists, on the other hand, see this same canyon and view it differently. First, consider Mount Saint Helens. When it errupted, a great many years worth of sedimentary deposits were accomplished in a single day! Now the Creation scientist looks at the Grand Canyon, and instead of seeing evidence for a tremendously aged earth, they see proof that indeed Noah's flood did take place. After all, if there were a flood, what would you expect to find? Millions of dead things buried in rock layers all over the earth. Incidentally, what do we find? Millions of dead things buried in rock layers all over the earth. Thus, what evolutionary scientists see as proof of a great passage of time, creationists see as having happened in the Biblical 40 days.
Another example is a famous dinosaur track found in a river bed in Texas. Within this track, there is yet another track, of decidedly human appearance. This is the "artifact". Where it gets interesting is watching what science does with it.
As I have said before, the scientific conclusion is colored with bias. Creation scientists, who believe the Biblical suggestion that the earth is now only a little less than 7000 years old, look at the track as human. Their bias supports the idea that humans cohabited the earth with dinosaurs. So a human-appearing track within a dinosaur track is not at all strange.
Evolutionary scientists view the same track, not even for a moment entertaining the idea that this track could be human. Why? Because their time table states that man hadn't even been thought of when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth. Thus, whatever it was that stepped into the warm mud right after this dinosaur, it COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HUMAN!
Do you see where I am going with this? Let's continue by bringing the comparisons a little closer to your specific question.
Recently scientists have found some interesting anomolies which suggest that perhaps the SPEED OF LIGHT MAY NOT BE CONSTANT after all! Currently, there is a great deal of debate about this issue within the scientific community.
Imagine, just for a moment, that the speed of light was slower today than it was 6,000 years ago... What would that do to our idea of how long it would have taken us to view the light from the stars which we see at night... Well, we'd have to know how much faster it had been to know exactly. But for sure, it would change our dating system dramatically!
For years scientists relied on carbon dating to determine the age of something. Now this sounds all very objective until you know the method employed in this process. The scientist would take in specimin to the lab, first telling the lab people the approximate age the artifact should be. The lab would then test and re-test until the age they came up with was reasonably close to what the scientist had suggested.
You see, the issue here is NOT whether science is an unbiased entity. The real question is WHICH BIAS IS THE BEST BIAS TO BE BIASED WITH ANYWAY?
You asked which was correct, Genesis or Science... You must determine for yourself which bias you espouse. For those who believe the Bible, there is ample evidence in our natural world to support God's creation story. Just look at the miracle of the human DNA. Cells that taste, smell, and see all develop from an ovum and a sperm cell. How do you explain this (considering the theory of Entropy - which states that things get worse or more chaotic the more time passes) if not by Creation?
So you come to the point of choosing your bias (if you haven't already)... Think first about what it means if you decide that parts of the Bible are in error. Titus 1:2 says that God CANNOT LIE.
Christ said to the Pharisees, "Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode NOT IN THE TRUTH, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar and the FATHER of it." John 8:44
Thus if we believe there is even ONE LIE (white ones included), in the Book we know to be God's WORD, we are ultimately equating the traits of Satan's character to GOD!
Isaiah 29:14 - "I (God) will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
1 Cor. 2:20 - "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe (educated person)? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"
Now, the question comes to you, Seeker of Truth. If God said that the sun was created on the fourth day after the earth, and scientists say that it evolved millions of years before the earth, which bias are you going to buy into?
For me, there can be only one answer. God said it, and I believe it. And that settles it for me.
By the way, if you are interested in viewing the scientific data behind these statements, you may see some of them and more in the Scientific video series called "Understanding Genesis". It is a 10 video series which can be obtained through the Creation Science Center in Clearwater FL. You may also be able to order them at the following address (this could be old): Master Books, PO Box 1606, El Cajon, CA 92022. If you are interested in studying this issue further, this video series is one of the best.