I have taken a lot of heat for daring to assert that II Pet 3:8 might
mean what it says, that is, a day is like a 1000 years to God. Some
want to make it mean that God has no regard for time. I take it more
literally in that I believe that Adam dying at 930 years of age would
satisfy God’s penalty that in the day that he ate of the tree that he would
die (Gen 2:17). If 1000 years is as a day, then 930 years would qualify as
a day also and Adam died physically in the day that he ate of the tree. The
big deal with Gen 3 is that men die physically because of Adam’s sin. Men
do not die spiritually because of Adam’s sin, at least not directly. However, every man dies physically as a direct result of Adam’s sin. Denny
says that Rom 5:12 is regarding spiritual death because Adam and Eve
hid themselves from God. While it is true that they hid themselves from
God, the big point of Rom 5:12 is the problem of physical death. Spiritual
death did not pass upon all men as a result of Adam’s sin because we don’t
inherit Adam’s sin, nor are we forced to sin. Millions of people die every
year without sin–idiots and babies. They die sinless. Therefore, they are not separated from God. Like Paul says, he was alive to God once, then sin revived, and he died (Rom 7:9). Paul was a baby born without sin. Then sin came alive in Paul’s life and he died to God.
However, spiritual death is not what Paul has in view in Rom 5:12. He is
talking about the problem of everyone dying physically, for THAT is the
universal problem that Adam has brought upon men. It is a universal problem
initiated by the first man. It has a universal solution by the second man, Jesus.
(In Jesus, who is last, he will be first. The Jews who were first God’s
people will be saved last (Rom 11:26)). Adam who was first is after the
second man, Jesus (Eph 1:21)). It is at the resurrection that Christ’s last
enemy is destroyed (I Cor 15:25-26), and that enemy is physical death. Our
bodies literally come forth from the grave. Our flesh literally rises as
Christ’s flesh rose. We literally come to life again in substantial,
material bodies (Rom 8:11)
Christ, the second Adam, is the righter of what Adam wronged. Adam brought
the curse. In Christ who was cursed for us (Gal 3:13) we have release from
the curse (Rev 22:3). Because of becoming sin for us and being cursed for
us, Jesus accepts personal demotion from equality with God (I Cor 15:28, Php
2:6). To me, the permanent effects of Christ’s humiliation make me more sad
than the temporary effects of the cross. He has to bear the consequences of
our iniquity through eternity. That is a really raw deal. Not that having
a name that is above every name for eternity (Eph 1:21) is bad, mind you,
but it is really crummy that Christ has to accept a position inferior to
equality with God for eternity. I really hate it that He had to do that. I
love Him for it, but I hate it that saving me cost Him so much.
