Creation Science Rebuttals -

Certain: Death Before Adam?

17 April 2006

     The 17 April 06 daily feature for the young earth creation science ministry Creation Moments claims that death prior to Adam is contrary to Scripture.

     The Creation Moments author says that if God created by evolution, "it means that there were many generations and billions of deaths before the first man appeared."  He says Scripture says "the whole plan of salvation rests on the fact that there was no death before the first man." 

     He is right in that there were billions of deaths prior to Adam.  However, salvation has nothing to do with this death.  All the deaths prior to Adam were strictly physical deaths.  There was no spiritual death involved.  Therefore, the animals that died could not have sinned and incurred spiritual death. 

     When one obtains salvation from Christ, he is obtaining redemption from this spiritual death.  Although physical death is significant to us, it cannot separate us from God.  Romans 8:38-39 says,

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

     Paul says that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  He is referring to people who are already Christians.  What can separate us from God?  Our sin.  If we do not seek Jesus Christ as our savior, then we will go to hell.  This is the only way to be separated from God.  As Paul mentions, physical death cannot separate us from God.  Salvation is not dependent upon the absence of death before Adam.

     The Creation Moments author appeals to 1 Corinthians 15:22 as proof of his point.  This verse says,

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

     This is a perfect picture of spiritual death.  While it is true that Adam started the process of physical death for mankind, physical death is not what we need redeeming from, for physical death cannot separate you from God.       We all inherit a sin-nature from Adam, and are born sinful.  This is what it means by all dying in Adam.

     For more on this issue, see the Death Before Sin article section.  Rest assured that you can believe in animal death prior to Adam, and be a Christian, believing in long ages and an inerrant Word.

     Want to learn more about creation science?  Are the claims of young earth creation science ministries truthful?  Visit the young earth creation science ministry rebuttal home page for more truth in creation science.