In Romans 5:12 the apostle Paul wrote: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." In 1 Corinthians 15:21–22, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." In Genesis 3:22–23 we read: "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." Adam was sent out of the garden so he could not live forever. In other words, he would have to die.

But what about the animals? Was death a part of the created animal world? There are a number of reasons why I believe animal death as well as human death did not occur before the Fall.

(a) Could animals have died from old age? Before the Fall animals could not have died of old age because Romans 8 reminds us that corruption and decay entered the world only with sin. Death by old age would have meant that animal bodies would have been wearing out and corruption would have existed. This would not fit with the description that before sin everything in Gods creation was "good." Isaiah 51:6 tells us that after sin "the earth shall wax old like a garment." In Romans 8:22 we read that because of sin "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Thus, it is obvious that the whole of creation, which must include all living creatures, has been subject to "the bondage of corruption" (Rom. 8:21) only as a result of the curse because of Adams sin. Death from old age, therefore, only began with the curse.

As we live in a world where everything wears out, it is difficult to understand how aging could not happen in the pre-Fall world. However, we are shown a glimpse of the solution in Deuteronomy 8:4. God reminded the Israelites that during their wanderings in the wilderness their "raiment waxed not old" upon them, "neither did thy foot swell these forty years." Clearly, this was an unusual, supernatural preservation provided by God for His peoples particular circumstances. We do not see this happening today. Our clothes wear out quickly. However, when God sustains something totally, this wearing out does not happen. It is obvious that before the Fall everything had been created "good," and nothing would have worn out.