I think the issue is not necessarily the second law of thermodynamics
which can be invoked to argue against the abiogeneis of life, but rather
the presence of physical death before the Fall.
One has to question the extent to which we can impose human emotion or
volition onto the non-human world. It is true that man, as part of God's
creation, is made of that same "stuff" of life which is traceable to the
most basic matter of the universe (i.e., "dust of the ground"-Gen. 2:7).
But only man was created in the image of God. Other than the devil
himself, man is the only agent who wilfully turned away from God. When
Paul mentions the creation groaning in travail, awaiting its deliverance
from the bondage to decay when the sons of God are revealed (Rom.
8:19-22), he apparently is using metaphorical language to describe the
solidarity of man with the creation. The redemption of the natural world
from evil and decay is a corollary of the redemption of the body of man
which has been condemned as a result of sin. Paul does not seem to teach
that the non-human world has a will of its own which can turn back to God
by faith in order to be saved (Eph. 2:8). Scientific studies on the
volition of animals are inconclusive.
Adam and Eve were admonished to multiply and subdue the arth, and have
dominion over the animal world before the Fall (Gen. 1:28). This command
seems to involve man's control over the reproduction of other creatures
and their utilization of natural resources. Death is certainly one of the
ways to control population growth. As the Christian biologist Loren
Wilkinson puts it, if animal reproduction was not controlled, the even
"a lone aphid, without a partner, breeding 'unmolested' for one year would
produce so man living aphids that, although they are only a tenth of an
inch long, together they would extend into space twenty five hundred light
years."
Having dominion over animal seems to involve, in part, the subduing of
their activities by selective breeding and elimination. In additon, the
word "subdue" seems to mean more than to reign over. It seems to mean
"conquer and subject." the same word is used in contexts of conquest in
the face of opposition (Zech. 9:15, Josh. 18:1, II Sam. 8:11, etc). It
seems that some principle was already at work in theearth which man was
enjoined to conquer for God. Itmay have been due to the activity of Satan
in his asumed form of the serpent (Gen. 3) God's sovereignty seems to have
overruled this principle since the creation was pronounced good
(Gen.1:31).
Man is described in his original relationship to the rest of creation
as being an eater. Other life forms are also introduced as part of a food
chain:
"I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and
every tree that has fruit with seed in it, they will be yours for food.
And to the beasts of the earth, and all the birds of the air and all the
creatures that move on tbe ground . . . I give every green plant for food.
"(Gen. 1:29-30, NIV)
Although carnivorousness, the eating of animal flesh, is not mentioned
here, this omission may or may not be construed as an argument for
vegetarianism. Animal sacrifice was needed for the skin garments for Adam
and Eve (Gen. 2:21). Abel's animal sacrifice was accepted over Cain's
offering of fruits by the Lord. God also used the ferocious teeth of
Leviathan as an example of the wonders of His creation in His answer to
Job's inquiry (Job 41:14) which implies He included this carnivorous
animal in His original creation. It seems that there is no compelling
reason to justify the claim that animal killing is permitted only after
the Fall. Genesis does not provide a theological ground for
differentiating between the nature of plant and animal life. Biologically,
the modern understanding of the cell theory and the genetic basis of life
has unified the living world. The biochemistry of digestion and decay of
food stuff made of plants or animals is quite similar, barring minor
differences in the varieties of digestive enzymes. Moreover, unless one
completely abandons the fossil record of life, one has to acknowledge the
presence of carnivorousness long before man s appearance. Even if one were
to argue that man's eating was limited to the consumption of only seeds
and fruits, such consumption would necessarily decrease the reproductive
potential of the thing eaten since seeds carried by fruits give rise to
new plants. Therefore, one may postulate that the existence of physical
death in the non-human world is necessary in order to account for the
operation of a food chain before the human Fall. As Wilkinson puts it:
"A dying sun gives heat to a dying plant which gives food to herbivores
who die to feed carnivores, who are eaten before and af ter death by
bacteria who themselves die in incomprehensible numbers."
The understanding of these presuppositions-that one cannot impose human
volition on the non-human world, that man's dominion in the created world
implies his control of the reproductive pattern of the non-human life
forms, and that the food chain necessitates physical death in the things
eaten-seems to lead to the conclusion that physical death was present in
the creation before the human Fall. The usual implications of death-pain,
suffering and condemnation-are not necessarily associated with the
non-human world. Since God utilizes death to maintain life, then natural
selection, which is based on differential fecundity and mortality, could
be one of the processes God employs to bring forth the varieties of life
forms in His creation.
As a result of human sin, the ground was cursed (Gen. 3:17). The creature
is subject to frustration (Rom. 8:20). The food chain, operating
efficiently before the Fall, would now be subject to the same fate;
although we still see many examples of its effective operation
today. Man's immortality was apparently maintained before the Fall by
means of God's special sustenance, perhaps through the Tree of Life. As a
result of man's sin, God's special sustenance was removed (Gen. 3:24).
Death and evil entered the human race. Mankind and the creation need to
be reconciled to God through the Incarnation and Atonement of Christ (Col.
1:20). However, man is to be made a new creation in Christ (11 Cor.
5:17), and is not to be restored to his pre-Fall status. Therefore,
Scriptural references such as Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25, which abolish
predation, seem to be referring to the millennial kingdom or to the new
heaven and the new earth, and cannot be used to refer to the original
creation.
-------------------------------------
Dr. Pattle Pun
Professor of Biology
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL 60187
eMail: Pattle.P.Pun@wheaton.edu
Phone: (630)752-5303
FAX: (630)752-5996
http://www.wheaton.edu/Biology/faculty/ppp/index.html