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NASB | Romans 5:12 ¶ Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 5:12 ¶ Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned. |
Subject: Did sin bring death into the world? |
Bible Note: Mr. Mel, I have given this subject much thought over the years. In my opinion, the death spoken of in this text (Rom. 5:12) cannot be physical death if life before "the fall" was physical life as we now know it. According to some scholars, death begins the moment life begins. In order for life as we know it to be sustained, living things must constantly die. Big animals eat little animals; little animals eat insects and plants. Big fish eat little fish; little fish eat plankton and algae, etc. Even plants need the decaying matter of other organic things in order to live. It is my understanding that the cells in the human body are constantly being replaced by new cells in the cycle of life and living -- old cells die and new cells take their place (with the exception of certain brain cells). Apparently, the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden was the source of man's "eternality" before the fall. After the fall, the Lord drove man from the Garden and prevented him from having access to the Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9, 3:22-24). My understand of the Bible message of Salvation is that Jesus Christ, by virtue of His sinless death on the Cross and subsequent resurrection from the dead, opened up the way to the "Tree of Life" (compare Rev. 2:7, 22:2,14); and as a result, whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). In summary, I don't believe the scripture supports the position that there was no "physical" death before "the fall". Blessings! |