The Purpose of Death - Part 1 - The Models

The next section of the book continues with the list of reasons why the issue of the age of the earth is not a trivial pursuit based on the purpose of death. This is a very large topic and the responses will be spread out amongst the following topics:

Part 1 - The models
Part 2 - The purpose of animal death
Part 3 - The purpose of human death
Part 4 - The problem of evil
Part 5 - The problem of evil and free will
Part 6 - The problem of evil and a sovereign God

The purpose of death argument goes like this (summarized from CAT-19)

• Why did God send physical death to the world?
• Many people fear death, and non-Christians have a problem with evil and a good God.
• Why would God create a world filled with suffering and death?
• Answer - he didn’t - he created a perfect world free from death.
• Death was a judgment in response to man’s sin (rebellion against God)
• In love, Jesus died in our place and was victorious over death.
• If you adhere to any physical death prior to the Fall, then you undermine the atonement and the Gospel.

There are some problems with this presentation. We do not agree that God created the world from the beginning free from physical death, nor do we agree that all death was a result of sin. However we do affirm the simple Gospel message that Christ died and was victorious over death.

This blog has already shown in other entries that the original creation was not a perfect paradise. It was perfect, but it was so in light of the purpose and plan of the Creator. It is true that many people fear death. And it’s true that many non-Christians look at evil, suffering, death in the world and have questions about the nature of God that would allow these things. These are valid questions that need to be addressed - and we will address these Lord willing.

This argument is distilled into two competing models:

The (CAT) YEC model is this:

• all death was a result of sin
• the purpose of all death was God’s consequence for sin
• death spread to the entire creation
• death is an enemy
• Jesus died in our place and was victorious over death.
• Some day, all death will be destroyed

The OEC model is this:

• Pre-fall animal death occurred from the very beginning and served God’s morally pure purpose
• Human death (spiritual and physical) was a direct result of Adam’s sin.
• Human physical death was brought about primarily by the removal of access to the tree of life.
• Human spiritual death was brought about instantly in response to Adam’s sin.
• Death is an enemy.
• Jesus died in our place, and was victorious over both physical and spiritual death.
• Some day, all death will be destroyed

YEC often fail to distinguish between the two usages of death seen in the scriptures when applied to humans. The OEC model accounts for both types of death. The YEC model lumps them together. Even so, notice the point of agreement. The gospel message is essentially the same since we affirm that human death was a result of the fall. The agreement is this:

YEC: Animal and human death was the result of human sin.
OEC: ...........Human death was the result of human sin.

The only difference is that YEC take it a step further to say that ALL death was a result of sin. So at this point the argument is one of scope – but it is not one that impacts the atonement nor does it impact the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ because we both agree with the base condition.

Now that we’ve looked at the models of death, the following blog entry on this topic will cover the purposes of animal death in our world today.

Notes:
[1] We will not attempt to solve the controversy over election. Whether Calvinistic, or Arminian, or you've never thought about it - Jesus ultimately died for His elect. And the election occurred at the beginning of time itself. Countless saints have wrestled with election - is it God looking through the corridors of time, or is it God's sovereign choice to the praise of His Glory?... We will leave this controversy for another time and another blog...