Death Before Adam?

Does !st Corinthians mean physical death?.

Does 1st Corinthians Mean Physical Death?

Below is a letter that we received in response to the article, "Not from Holy Scripture", written by Dr. Sharp. A copy of this article can be read here: Not From Holy Scripture. It is our hope, as well the hope of the person that wrote this letter, that Dr. Sharp's response will help believers trust the Bible for what it really is, that is God's Word.

1 Corinthians 15:21

In your July-September newsletter, as part of your rebuttal of B. G. letter, you mention 1 Cor 15:21 and the fact that death came into the world through one man. 1 Cor 15:21, of course, is indisputable. But I wonder if it necessarily refers to "physical death" or if it can be more narrowly interpreted to pertain only to "spiritual death," to which the whole of 1 Cor would seem to be more relevant. The greek word "thanatos" used in 1 Cor

15:21 would seem to be more appropriate in this context if used to refer to spiritual death.

Also, I wonder if 1 Cor 15:21 necessarily refers to animals other than man. Since the preceding and proceeding verses speak of resurrection in Christ, and no where in the Bible does it intimate that animals will be resurrected or in need of salvation through Christ, then it is reasonable to assume that the "through one man death" passage might not apply to animals either. To put it simply, there is no reason that animals dying (or being eaten) before the fall should violate 1 Cor 15:21.

1 Cor 15:21 certainly does not apply to plants. Plants die when we eat them. To think otherwise would be incredibly naive. Thus, assuming that Adam and Eve ate plants prior to the fall, we have the death of plants prior to the fall. Then if 1 Cor 15:21 does not apply to plants, it probably doesn't apply to lower animals either.

Mind you, I am on your side. I am not arguing for pre-Adamic evolution, as B. G. might. Only pointing out what might be a hole in your defense.

D. A. of Oklahoma, Phil 4:13

Dr. Sharp's Reply

Dear D. A. of Oklahoma,

Thank you for you e-mail, July 10, 2000, concerning 1 Corinthians 15:21. Your comments were well made and well received. However, in the creation of life, God differentiated between plant life and the spirit of life (Nephesh) (chapters Genesis 1:20, 30 & 2:7). In these verses the words "living creatures" (verse 20), "life" (verse 30) and "life" (2:7), are all from the Hebrew Nephesh, meaning "breath of life." Note also the intent of God for the great flood Genesis 6:17 " ... to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life -thus the reason for taking animals on the ark (Genesis 6:19-20 & 7:2-4.)

There is no argument concerning the specific intent of Paul in both Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:21 -

Man was the primary object of his reference to death. However, in Romans 5:12 b, Paul plainly says through man's sin, death entered the world. There would have been NO death in the original creation . The curse to the earth, animals and man (Genesis 3:13-19) was the result of man's sin - else God would not have pronounced six times that all he had done was "good" (Genesis 1:10, 12, 1, 21, 25 & 31.)

Also note the differentiation Solomon makes between the death of animals and man in Ecclesiastes 3:20-21. This is, of course, the redeemable difference between man and animals - man was created in the image and likeness of the creator and animals were not however, both animals and man had the spirit (breath) of life (Nephesh)... Plants did not have Nephesh!

In 1 Corinthians 15 practically the entire chapter is about physical death and the resurrection of the body provided through Christ. While spiritual life and death is implied, primarily because of the association of life and death to Christ victory over the Cross, it is unmistakingly clear in vs. 3, 6, 12, 13, 16, 18, 20-22, 26, 29, 42, 5057 that Paul is specifically talking about Christ's death and resurrection from the dead, or out physical death (fallen asleep - vs. 20) and hope of resurrection through Christ, or in vs. 50-57, the great anthem of resurrection to the church because of him.

There is no argument that man and animals ate plants - God said in Genesis 1:29-30 that he gave them to be their food. But remember the Scripture is extremely clear plants did not have "Nephesh" life. Therefore, it seems obvious to me that death entered the world through Adam's sin, and not before.

G. Thomas Sharp Ph.D.