The question whether humans were mortal before the fall only comes up in a religious, and more specifically a Judeo-Christian, context. That is not just because the notion of the fall refers to the Bible, but also because from a secular point of view it is obvious that humans must have been mortal all along….

Describing the state of humans before the fall as mortal or immortal can easily lead to misunderstanding. As with many other questions, labels by themselves are not enough. In brief, most of the confusion is due to the presence and function of the tree of knowledge and the tree of life in the Garden of…

Were humans mortal before the Fall? As a biblical exegete first (rather than a theologian), my methodology in answering this question is to analyze the specific relevant OT and NT Scripture and, as much as possible, avoid speculation. A few presuppositions are in order. First, I believe that the Scriptures are inspired by God and…

In this forum we are considering the question, “Were humans mortal before the fall?” I am going to argue that the answer to the question is of no theological consequence. My reasons have to do with, first, the reticence of the biblical material on the subject; second, with the kind of description we have in…

I believe the Bible testifies that humans could die before the fall, and I also believe contemporary evolutionary science potentially suggests humans were dying before the fall ever could have happened. But I also believe that Christian theology (in light of Holy Scripture) has always made important links between the fall, human sin, and death…

It has been a common (though not universal) assumption in the history of Christian thought that humans were created immortal, and only lost their immortality with the entrance of death as the consequence for sin. This is, however, a misreading of the biblical data, which suggests that humans were created mortal with the possibility of…

We were once immortal. Not that we possessed the independent or self-generated ability to live forever. Only the triune God enjoys that honor. As human creatures, we are always dependent on God—in him we live and move and have our being. If not for his providential hand, our lives would be snuffed out in a…

Biologists have long recognized that many organized structures in living organisms—the elegant form and protective covering of the coiled nautilus; the interdependent parts of the vertebrate eye; the interlocking bones, muscles, and feathers of a bird wing—“give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose.” Before Darwin, biologists attributed the beauty, integrated complexity, and…

One of my first encounters with this question took place in college physics class. My lab group was assembling an experiment on circular motion and figuring out what to measure using the messy pile of equipment on the lab bench. We got it set up, made our measurements of radius, velocity, etc., then did some…

“Is purposive, intelligent design detectable by the scientific investigation of nature?” My brief answer to this would be, “I don’t know.” However, since you probably want something more substantial, I need to explain my position. My answer will be both theological and scientific (and yes, the question of Intelligent Design can be a scientific question)….

As a chemist, I turn naturally to the evidence of the past that is amenable to geochemical or biochemical analysis, and integrate that with other lines of evidence. This evidence tells a story with order and even direction. Geology, Biology, and the Story of Data The rocks give a timeline showing how the environmental chemistry…

Is purposive, intelligent design detectable by the scientific investigation of nature? Surely, the answer to this question is an unambiguous “yes.” If we learned anything from Archdeacon William Paley on natural theology, if you come across a watch in the wilderness, you can be damn sure that it didn’t just happen. Someone, somewhere, thought it…