What is the Death Adam and Eve Died?

This is the fifth in a series of articles where we look further at the events of the garden as described in Genesis 2 and 3 through the lens of the new creation in Christ.

Seeing Beyond the Traditional

If one presupposes that God’s will and purpose for creating Adam and Eve was initially one of perfection and completeness as he places them in a protected garden where his divine holiness could dwell among them in that state, then the traditional view of “the fall of mankind” seems an appropriate one. It is said that the result of this fall has released incalculable evil upon humanity through the weakness of our original parents.⁽¹⁾

For the authors of the original books of the Old Testament and the many commentators which followed, this is a reasonable and expected conclusion, since they were ignorant of the mystery of God in Christ. They would not have fully understood nor anticipated the new creation in Christ to be inaugurated by the Son of Man and the Lamb of God.

Yet for the Christian, clinging to this traditional view is equivalent to preferring the letter of the law over the spirit of the law. Just as Yeshua came to magnify and fulfill the law, likewise he came to bring humanity out of the physical/natural realm and into the glorious spiritual realm; completing humanity’s creation into the image of the Son of God.

The Christian is equipped with insight not available to the authors and commentators of the Old Testament. The Christian possess and awareness of the mystery of God manifested in the very body of Christ over these last two millennia. Together with God’s Holy Spirit given to them through various gifts, they have ears to hear and eyes to see. Christ’s Spirit can lead them into understanding the deeper meaning of humanity’s first creation through his work to complete the new creation in which he leads many sons and daughters from dust to glory.

To achieve that understanding one must be willing to temporarily set aside the traditional view; if necessary to sacrifice it on the alter that is the work of God in Christ. There are numerous presuppositions at the root of the traditional view of the events of Genesis 2 and 3, but in this article we’ll address only a few:

• The idea that Adam and Eve were initially created perfect, holy, and pure.
• That Adam and Eve possess immortality, contingent or otherwise, which they forfeited through disobedience.
• The consequence of God’s command not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil brought death or even spiritual death upon the world.

Perfect, Holy, and Pure?

If one presumes that God’s intention was to create Adam and Eve as complete extensions of his own divine likeness; holy, perfect, and immortal, then the traditional view of their fall makes sense. Yet when we set aside these assumptions and view the narrative through the lens of Christ’s new creation we have an altogether different story. We see that God’s will and purpose was to begin with imperfect, incomplete, and mortal beings, and from this seed of the dust bring about a glorious body – the fruit of the earth.

• Humanity will have all the attributes of the elohim⁽²⁾ except immortality. In addition, God imparts to them authority over the earth. They will learn to rule not only themselves, but the world overall. (Genesis 1:26,28)
• Mortal humanity can attain immortality and eternal life through a means other than the Tree of Life; a means that will help motivate them to learn that virtue has its own rewards – and immortality will be one of those rewards.
• God will continue in relationship with them through the Holy Spirit, and guide them into fruitful and productive lives, and they will learn that – I alone am God and there is none like me.
• Those of humanity who choose to reject or oppose God will be mercifully destroyed and consumed with fire (Revelation 20:14-15). Without the sacrifice of Christ, the wages of their sin will be death (Romans 6:22-23) – the second death from which there is no hope of resurrection.

As I described in a previous article (Was “the fall” just a possibility, or was it planned?), these three characteristics (imperfect, incomplete, and mortal) were not of Adam and Eve’s making, nor did they come about by anything Adam and Eve did. These characteristics are derived from what Adam and Eve are; human.

• Imperfect in that they possessed free will and self-determination. This combination naturally leads to the possibility of disobedience and even rebellion.
• Incomplete refers to humanity’s created state in comparison to the intended goal described for them as glorified children of God which only comes to them through the work of Yeshua the Christ.
• The mortal condition of Adam and Eve is consistent throughout the story and does not change because of their transgression. Their creation was derived from the dust of the ground and they were made into mortal, living creatures (living souls). They began as dust, and to dust they will return (Genesis 3:19).

Of the Dust, not Immortal

The traditional expectation that Adam and Eve must have forfeited something as a result of their disobedience continues to be an enormous barrier to understanding the will of God to lead humanity into the image and likeness of the Son of Man. In many cases, the item forfeited is assumed to be immortality.

On its own, the narrative of Genesis 1-3 portrays eternal life (immortality) as something to be gained, not lost. Humans are never spoken of as immortal.⁽³⁾ This can be derived from the narrative itself by looking at the role and expectation God had for his created children:

• They were created male and female (Genesis 1:27), made for reproduction
• They were given dominion over the rest of the physical creation (Genesis 1:26)
• Capable of fulfilling the first and primary command: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28)
• The man and the woman were made for each other to reproduce within the bonds of marriage (Genesis 2:23-24)

Each of these circumstances were applied to Adam and Eve according to the will and purpose of God. Each of these circumstances aligns and equips them with the ability to succeed in fulfilling the first command. These circumstances also contradict any idea that Adam and Eve were created first as immortal, divine-like beings. The reasons for this become evident when one stops to consider that reproduction is not a characteristic of any elohim possessing immortality.⁽⁴⁾ In fact there is severe judgment upon those elohim who sought to reproduce through human women; a situation which significantly increased the corruption of humanity and resulted in a global flood.⁽⁵⁾

Another variation of the traditional view of their being created immortal, is something referred to as contingent immortality. In an article about Romans 12, Dr. Heiser defines contingent immortality.

I believe Adam had “contingent immortality” (he’d keep living as long as three things held true: (1) he ate from the tree of life; (2) he didn’t do anything stupid to kill himself; (3) he didn’t sin and get expelled from the garden).⁽⁶⁾

Even the idea of contingent immortality contradicts the basic circumstances noted above, which is why I don’t agree with Dr. Heiser in this case.⁽⁷⁾ It’s also based upon the expectation that Adam and Eve forfeited something valuable as a result of the transgression. If instead we let the text speak for itself in the context of what God reveals about himself in the person of Yeshua the Christ, we’ll notice that the focus shifts from what Adam did to what Adam was. According to the narrative, God created Adam and Eve in his likeness, but clearly that initial likeness was incomplete. Being physical and made from dust, one wouldn’t expect Adam to be able to ascend to the heavenly domain where God abides, so God creates a walled garden as his temporary dwelling place on earth.

It’s reasonable to ask what is it that keeps Adam from being able to go where God dwells – especially if he was created complete in his likeness to God and immortal? The Apostle Paul provides the answer for us in the context of God’s kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:50) – flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Clearly it was Adam’s physical nature, being made of dust, which contributed most to this “perishable” condition. Even though God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, it did not change Adam’s fundamental and perishable condition. He merely became a living creature (living soul). One that was still subject to death and decay and would eventually return to the dust from which he was created (compare Genesis 2:7 with 3:19).

Nothing has been added to the Genesis narrative except the clarification by Paul that humanity was created perishable, which agrees with the creation of Adam from the dust of the earth. God later confirms this after their transgression when he forewarns them about what lies ahead for them outside the confines of the garden – for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. This perishable condition existed for them before and after the transgression, indicating it wasn’t their transgression that brought this condition about.

God makes it obvious to them what they are as they depart into the greater world he has created for them; you are dust. He didn’t say “you’re an immortal spirit dwelling in this physical shell.” He didn’t say “I made you immortal and due to your transgression, you’re now made of dust which can decay and die.” God’s statement of truth is that – you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Now at this point we have a choice. We can believe what God claims to be the case, or we can believe something else. If we choose to believe what God claims, it leaves us with one clear conclusion about the condition of Adam and Eve. Though they were created in God’s image; male and female he created them, they are incomplete in that image in at least one sense; they are perishable and lack the “imperishable” nature necessary to dwell in God’s kingdom, his heavenly realm. It was always God’s will that Yeshua, the Son of Man and the Lamb of God, would fill the gap from dust to glory.

In Dying you shall surely die!

This single statement in God’s second command has created an enormous stumbling block for interpreters of the Genesis 2 and 3 events. This is compounded by the un-resolvable contradiction of the serpent’s claim about them not dying. How can God appear to be wrong and the serpent appear to be right? This is unacceptable, so theology is contorted and bent in order to avoid such a paradox, resulting in more confusion;

• They lost immortality (contingent or otherwise)
• God refrained from executing his judgment, leaving him to appear as re-active and ignorant of his creation.
• Spiritual death – man is spirit (as a characteristic of God’s image), which died when he sinned

When comparing Genesis 3:4 – you will not surely die with Genesis 2:17 – in dying, you shall surely die, the conflict comes from the assumption the serpent is lying since both can’t be true. If we set aside the assumption and accept the text on its own terms, what do we see?

• It’s true that Adam and Eve did not die immediately after eating the fruit. They lived out their natural lives, which, by the way, far exceeded the length of our lives today. So they did not die. That truth appears to be within the context of the first death – the death common to humanity (Hebrews 9:27), thereby leaving the serpent speaking the truth.

If the serpent is speaking the truth, the implication remains that God is lying in the restriction of Genesis 2:17, but this is unacceptable. The solution doesn’t lie in fictitious ideas of spiritual death or that God refrained from executing his judgment upon humanity. The solution comes from looking forward and recognizing which death it is that the Lamb of God would save humanity from; the second death (Revelation 20:6).⁽⁸⁾

By looking to this second death, God was speaking the truth in a larger context than that of the serpent. It could even be said that the author of the narrative was unaware of this context, since it was hidden in the mystery of God in Christ. It’s also possible, but unknowable for certain, that the serpent was ignorant of the second death. His focus was on the natural death (Hebrews 9:27) attributed to all humanity as a product of their mortality. To be aware of the second death, the serpent would have had to also be aware of the mystery of God and his intended salvific work in Christ. This is unlikely given Paul’s claim that God maintains a secret and hidden wisdom only revealed in the work of Yeshua the Christ.⁽⁹⁾

I’ll go so far as to submit that these statements about death were not fully understood by Adam or Eve. In what context could they have any real experience with death. In their innocence, were they even capable of being aware of it? As is typical for the immature, they are left somewhat unaware of the full scope and impact of their decision. This appears to be part of the reason for God’s clarification in Genesis 3:16-19. His statements to Adam and Eve are not to be considered curses. Only the serpent and the ground are cursed. God is clarifying for them the nature of the reality into which they’ve emerged as a result of their decision to pursue God-like knowledge. Again, God is looking at the larger context of humanity’s future and where it will bring them. It’s not surprising that after leaving the garden they would become aware of death every day of their mortal lives. They would even experience it firsthand amongst their own children.

The Value of Choice

The context of God’s command as the consequence for pursuing God-like knowledge is precisely parallel to his work to be completed in Yeshua the Christ as the source of righteousness and eternal life. Both considerations are the product of God’s choosing:

• It’s God’s choice to subject humanity to both the first death (common to all) and the possibility of the second death (limited to some). God does this in the hope provided in the Son of God.⁽¹⁰⁾
  • God created humanity mortal, subject to the constraints of the first death. Dust you are and to dust you shall return. This did not change due to their disobedience.
  • God establishes the basis for humanity’s acceptance of the constraints for the second death through the command – but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
  • Adam’s disobedience, which comes through his choice to pursue the God-likeness for which he was created, subjects mankind to the reality of the second death (in dying you shall surely die).
• The resolution for the first death is inherent in the Godhead’s pre-planned redemption through the Son of God via the resurrection to judgment. There is no choice here.
• The resolution for the second death has two components of free will:
  • The call of God to belief in the Son and to walk in the obedience of faith. This call is determined according to God’s will and purpose.
  • The one who believes must choose to believe and to surrender to the authority in Christ our Lord faithfully. There is choice here also.

Just as Adam’s choice exposed humanity to the reality of the second death,⁽¹¹⁾ likewise choice will expose each person to victory over the second death through the salvation available in Christ our Lord.⁽¹²⁾ Both choices become a necessary part of God’s plan to bring many sons and daughters to glory.

Conclusions

Since it appears that God’s intent to further humanity’s creation with the addition of morality (the knowledge of good and evil) was for their benefit, he clearly accounted for their choice through the pre-ordained work of redemption available in the Son of God and the Lamb of God. Certainly God was aware of the risk, yet he already accounted for his righteous judgment and their ultimate redemption. This affirms the pro-active character of an omniscient being, and also confirms the extent to which he was willing to demonstrate long-suffering in order to grow his family (Romans 9:19-24). This means the initial creation of Adam and Eve without the knowledge of good and evil, and the availability of it through the tree of exception, is an intentional act. Add to this the clear command that was also intentional, and you have God providing choice as the basis of his relationship with us in all aspects, yet leading us always toward the Tree of Life in Yeshua the Christ (Fourth Gospel 14:6-7).

We cannot overstate the importance of choice. Choice is such a vital component of God’s relationship with humanity that he subjects Adam and Eve to a choice which is necessary for their development as his children even though it must come through their disobedience. Within the spiritual and unseen realm, the Godhead has countless created beings which fulfill various roles in the heavenly realm. Yet not a single one of these glorious beings chose to be in relationship with its creator. However, for his children, whom he seeks to bear in righteousness and great glory, and with whom he’ll dwell in life eternally, choice becomes an essential part of that relationship.

Presuppositions

At the close of each article, the relevant presuppositions that support it will be cited. This enables the reader to gain a clearer and deeper understanding of the context. To learn more about presuppositions, see the About page.

1. The mortality of mankind. Compare Genesis 2:7 with 3:19.
2. The phrase in Genesis 2:17 – in dying, you shall surely die, refers primarily to the second death; the second death removes one from the presence of God forever and from which there is no hope of resurrection. The first death common to man, and from which a resurrection is certain, was established with Adam and Eve’s creation – being made of the dust. This reality did not change after their transgression, but the greater awareness of it certainly did.
3. The Lamb of God, as the source of eternal life (immortality) for humanity was conceived and established before the foundations of the world were set. (Ephesians 1:3-10; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Peter 1:17-21)
4. The pro-active nature of God as compared to a re-active nature.

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Footnotes:

1. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Genesis 3:6; Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, Genesis 3:6
2. In Genesis 1:26a God refers to the plural elohim – Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. According to Dr. Heiser (The Unseen Realm, Chapter 5) this is referring to a divine council made up of many elohim. It is not a reference to the trinity.
3. Joshua John Van Ee, Death and the Garden: An Examination of Original Immortality, Vegetarianism, and Animal Peace in the Hebrew Bible and Mesopotamia, dissertation submitted at University of California, San Diego, 2013; pg 156-165
4. When comparing mortal with immortal, the very concepts of divinity and attendant immortality are antithetical and exclusive of the concepts of marriage and reproduction. Whereas mortality necessitates these in order to continue its existence. Morgenstern, The Mythological Background of Psalm 82 (pg 73, footnote 80). I would add that since Adam and Eve were created male and female – intended for reproduction, their mortality is coherent not only with their nature but in the purpose for which they were created in the first place (Genesis 1:28).
5. Dr. Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers & the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ, Defender Publishing (2017)
6. Dr. Michael S. Heiser, Romans 5:12 – What It Says and What It Doesn’t Say, Part 2; an internet article (Jun 11, 2009).
7. The first two options are derived from the presupposition that this “contingent immortality” is being applied in the physical/natural realm. In other words, it merely extends their physical lives since they could still die if they did something to kill themselves. Clearly this is not equivalent to the “new creation in Christ” which results in a glorification of the physical/natural into the spiritual (imperishable) realm (1 Corinthians 15:50,53-57). It is for this reason that I find contingent immortality a non-coherent possibility because it fails to move humanity any closer to the God-like image. Eating from the Tree of Knowledge did move them closer to that image, though it came through disobedience. Additionally, the language of Genesis 3:22 suggests they had not yet taken from the tree of life.
8. Joshua John Van Ee, Death and the Garden: An Examination of Original Immortality, Vegetarianism, and Animal Peace in the Hebrew Bible and Mesopotamia, dissertation submitted at University of California, San Diego, 2013; Section IV-Human Mortality, pg-167-170 – Van Ee describes the death spoken of in Genesis 2:17 as a death of judgment, where one is killed, and sees this as distinct from the naturally occurring death experienced by Adam 930 years later and referenced to by the serpent.
9. 1 Corinthians 2:7-10
10. Romans 8:20-21
11. Romans 5:12-21
12. Fourth Gospel 3:16-18