3.
If physical death is part of the punishment for sin, why do
Christians still die?
It's
questions like this that really alarm me about the theology of
theistic evolution. What is Francke saying? That physical death has
no part in the punishment for sin? If that were true, then
why does the Bible say that there is no remission of sin without the
shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22)? Why does Old Testament Law
establish a system of sacrifices? Most importantly, why did Christ
have to physically die?
We
die physically because we are descended from Adam and we have
inherited his body of flesh. God has redeemed us but it is not so
that we can live an eternity in these clay vessels. The Bible is
clear that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor
15:50) so if our spirits are to be delivered, it will not be until we
are rid of these cursed bodies. Paul lamented to the Romans, “O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?”
(Romans 7:24). I've written before that I believe God put Adam out
of the Garden before he could eat of the Tree of Life precisely so
that Adam would not live forever physically in his fallen state. It
was an act of mercy and not one of judgment.
Conversely,
if sin resulted only in a spiritual death, then why do we die
physically? It's not sufficient to simply say, “well,
that's just the way it is.” If God used evolution to create, then
He would have intended things to die. But why would a loving God
create a world where hunger, disease, famine, disaster, violence, and
bloodshed are the norm? According to theistic evolution, there have
been billions of years of bad, bad, bad, and more bad leading up to
God's pronouncement that everything He created was “very good”
(Genesis 1:31). The idea that God would use evolution to create us
makes no sense theologically and, in my opinion, makes God seem very
capricious. It makes far more sense to believe that physical death
accompanied sin rather than believe there is no connection.
Certainly
there is a spiritual consequence to sin, but there is a physical one
as well.
4.
Why was Eve named “mother of life”?
Francke's
point here is that, if Eve brought death into the world through her
sin, then why did Adam name her Eve because she was the “the mother
of all life.” Wouldn't, “the mother of death” be more
appropriate?
It's
a weak point. First, Eve is ultimately the mother of all the human
race so it seems fitting to describe her as the mother of all who
have lived. Indeed, that is precisely why she was named Eve. God's
command to Adam and Eve was that they should multiply and fill the
earth. Obviously, Adam had that in mind when he named her, “Eve.”
But
Francke seems to gloss over a critical doctrine; God ultimately holds
Adam responsible for the Fall. You will note in Genesis 2 that God
commanded Adam to not eat of the Tree before Eve was created
and warned that when he did, he would die. There's no record that
God repeated the command to Eve. As a matter of fact, Eve misquotes
the command to the Serpent adding “neither shall ye touch it,”
so she is most likely repeating a command given to her by Adam.
Eve's
mistake was that she listened to the Serpent. She believed the lie
that nothing bad would come from eating the Forbidden Fruit. She
admits to God that she was “beguiled” by the Serpent (Genesis 3:13).
There is no record of lying or coaxing before Adam ate. His was a
deliberate act of disobedience.
When
the three stand before God, they each receive a punishment. However,
you will see that God prefaces His judgment on Adam by saying,
“Because
thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the
tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of
it....”
Genesis
3:17.
