iouae
Well-known member
Thanks for the clarification. That makes more sense.
I'll state it a different way. There's no evidence in the bible that anything died before the fall. That doesn't mean nothing died, it only means the bible doesn't talk about it.
In addition, the bible talks about death entering the world because of Adam's sin. It is not clear from that whether "death" means "human death" or just any kind of death, but it seems pretty clear that no humans died before Adam sinned.
Finally, if "creation groans" because of Adam's sin, what does that mean?
[Rom 8:19 KJV] For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
[Rom 8:20 KJV] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope,
[Rom 8:21 KJV] Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
[Rom 8:22 KJV] For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
[Rom 8:23 KJV] And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body.
Something new is going to happen to creatures when the sons of God are revealed (red).
The whole creation is subject to this "pain".
We also which have the first fruits of the Spirit (Christians and also the children of God who are not fully revealed) are also still groaning.
What are we waiting for? the redemption of the body, or a body that does not die.
If all creation is groaning together and waiting for the same thing, it is at least a good possibility that the rest of creation will experience some kind of change to the way things work. I submit that at that time, perhaps creation will not be subject to death anymore.
I don't think that's the same thing as saying that animals will be redeemed, or that animals will be resurrected. But it could be that animals will no longer die.
To understand Paul, one has to read the context.
I don't believe Romans 8 is speaking about any creature other than man. Paul speaks of the flesh versus the spirit, speaks of being carnally minded, speaks of redemption of sons of God etc. Romans 8 promises nothing to animals. And when it speaks of the whole creation groaning, I believe this refers to all mankind, created fleshly, groaning, including us with the ernest of the Spirit. From the context the "whole creation" is not the whole earth, whole cosmos, or even all creatures, but the "whole creation" only is referencing humans made of flesh.
The Greek word for "whole" in "whole creation groaneth" (Rom 8:22) is "pas" and is usually translated "all".
So here again we have a problem with including what in the "all". Here the "all" refers to all mankind, or all human flesh and there is nothing in Rom 8 to suggest it refers to all other creatures.