Death and Sin

Note in the following text:

* sin, death entered the world through one man, spread to all
* Adam's sin was different in kind from those over whom sin reigned
* Adam is a prototype of Christ
* The sin of the one (Adam) brought condemnation for all
* Likewise, life-giving justification is brought through the one (Christ) for all

^{HCSB Rom 5:12} Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. ¹³ In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to one's account when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One.

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man's trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like the one man's sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. ¹⁷ Since by the one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. ¹⁹ For just as through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Note in the following text:

* Death came through a man (Adam)
* The resurrection of the dead comes through a man (Christ)
* Death is the last enemy to be abolished.

^{HCSB 1 Cor 15:20} But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. ²² For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, the people of Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be abolished is death.

Note in the following text:

* It is our physical body which will be resurrected

^{HCSB Rom 8:11} And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.

Note in the following text:

* The creation itself has been subjected to futility
* The creation itself eagerly waits, hopes to be set free from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of God's children
* The creation and ourselves groan, waiting
* We are waiting for the redemption of our bodies
* It is in this hope we are saved

^{HCSB Rom 8:18} For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God's sons to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope ²¹ that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God's children. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. ²³ And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ Now in this hope we were saved, ....

Note in the following text:

* It was Jesus' physical body that was raised (which could be touched, could bear scars, could eat, had flesh and bones (other passages show that the tomb was empty, and that he could be hugged, could holler to his friends, walk, cook (and apparently catch fish), change his appearance, pass through solid walls, pop into and out of existence, and fly, presumably into space, without a space-suit, and return (yet to come))

^{HCSB Luke 24:36} And as they were saying these things, He Himself stood among them. He said to them, "Peace to you!" ³⁷ But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸ "Why are you troubled?" He asked them. "And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." ⁴⁰ Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet. ⁴¹ But while they still could not believe because of [their] joy and were amazed, He asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" ⁴² So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, ⁴³ and He took it and ate in their presence.

Note in the following text:

* When we are resurrected/changed, we will be like Jesus

^{HCSB 1 John 3:2} Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.

Note in the following text:

* Because Adam disobeyed God ...
* the ground is cursed
* painful life-long labor will be required to gain food
* the ground will not cooperate
* food will require farming
* sweaty work will be required to gain food
* his body, formed from dust, will return to dust
* (previous verses list other changes - devolution of the serpent to a "less evolved" state; hostility between the woman and the serpent; the proto-gospel; intensified labor and anguish for mothers; a desire for a husband, even though it means being dominated by him)

^{HCSB Gen 3:17} And He said to Adam, "Because you listened to your wife's voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'Do not eat from it':
The ground is cursed because of you.
You will eat from it by means of painful labor
all the days of your life.

¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

¹⁹ You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow
until you return to the ground,
since you were taken from it.
For you are dust,
and you will return to dust."

Note in the following text:

* Paul's flesh is sold into sin's power
* The entity named "Paul" does not do what he hates; it is sin living in him that does so
* Nothing good lives in Paul's flesh; he has the desire to do good, but not the ability
* There's a principle: he wants to do good, but evil is within him
* The law of sin is in the parts of his body
* His body is a body of death
* Because of his flesh, he is a slave of sin

^{HCSB Romans 7:13} Therefore, did what is good cause my death? Absolutely not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am made out of flesh, sold into sin's power. ¹⁵ For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. ¹⁷ So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. ²¹ So I discover this principle: when I want to do good, evil is with me. ²² For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God's law. ²³ But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.

Conclusion:

It is our physical bodies which will be resurrected and/or changed, and they will still have a physical component, although they will be different (being "physi-spiritual"). They will not be subject to death the way our current bodies are. Jesus removes that curse of death, which was brought into the world by Adam.

Adam and Jesus are unique; humans who have sinned since Adam do not sin in the same way as Adam. Adam is the prototype; Jesus is the antitype. Jesus did not have the corruption within him that the rest of humanity has, which the rest of humanity inherits from their parents, and therefore his obedience/disobedience was like that of Adam's. His obedience, and lack of corruption, freed him from natural death. His death came at the hands of an external corruption; his internal incorruptibility repaired the damage; he triumphs over death.

Jesus' father was incorruptible. That part of the male seed which passes on corruption was not passed to Jesus.

It may be that some sort of corruption is also passed on through the mother; this may be what gave Jesus his full humanity. But the incorruptibility of his father was the "dominant gene", and is the "gene" that was thus expressed in his body.

There is a type of "sin", a corruption, that lives within the corpuscles of our bodies, that is separate and apart from a person's will, but which influences the person to act against his will.

There is a type of sin, which is the action itself, which brings guilt.

Thus, there are two types of sin: 1) a sin of condition (corruption), and 2) a sin of action

We inherit the first type of sin, and commit the second type.

Jesus did not inherit the first type, nor did he commit the second type.

He was the antitype of the first Adam, free from corruption, free from guilt, able to make a conscious choice to obey or not.

The first Adam disobeyed. All humans have since, by physical means, inherited the curse he brought into the world, becoming victims of Death.

The second Adam obeyed. All humans now have access, by means of spiritual faith, to the freedom from that curse, becoming victors over Death.