The resurrection of the body, writes one seventeenth-century Christian theologian, is the “peculiar treasure” of the Christian church. The resurrection is peculiar because it is not a product of unaided reason but relies upon a definitive revelation in Jesus Christ. Our only confidence that our bodies are destined for glory—and not mere dissolution—lies in the…

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…

The shadow of suffering and death casts widely over human life, not only in the midst of toil and the hope for a brighter tomorrow, but also in the intellectual struggle for the belief in a sovereign and benevolent God. While many issues wax and wane with the passing of time, the seeming futility of…