Adam was never Immortal

There's a tenacious belief among general Christianity that Adam was created immortal and after the fall became mortal. It's quite evident though in the Genesis account that Adam was always mortal and had access to the tree of life which would have given him (and thus all humanity) indefinite life.

This tree was included among the food available to Adam (Genesis 2:9, 16), yet after sinning, God banished him along with all his progeny from Eden and from the tree of life (3:23-24). Therefore, if Adam had been created with an immortal body, the tree of life would have been meaningless because he would not have needed it before the fall and could not have access to it afterwards.

Some have said the tree was merely symbolic, but clearly not because the text tells us that after the fall, man could still have lived forever if he had eaten of it. In Genesis 3, God says, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us to know good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever..." and then the text says, "So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life” (vv. 22-24). There is no doubt that the fruit of the tree of life actually had life-giving properties. So, once again, what good was the tree if Adam was immortal before the fall and unable to eat of it after?

It's certain that regular eating of the tree of life's fruit would keep one physically prime, and it seems reasonable therefore that the tree would have healed or prevented any sickness or diseases that would have otherwise occurred (which is why we suffer from them now). This is not mere speculation because according to the imagery of the tree of life in Revelation, this is what the tree was for. Chapter 22:2 says, “On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” To be clear, I believe the tree of life in Revelation is symbolic, but it no doubt reflects the realities of the literal tree that was in Eden.

This also answers a common question about why innocent babies and children can die--it's because when Adam was banned from the tree of life, so was all humanity. Babies, even though they are not sinners, are subject to death because they are mortal like everyone else.

In banishing Adam from the tree of life, God subjected all humanity to inevitable death. But like discipline is both unpleasant and ultimately for a greater good at the same time, death is a necessary sorrow because is not good for man to live forever in a world where sin is present. This was God's attitude in Genesis 3:22-24 "[T]he man has become like one of Us to know good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever..." and, "He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” God saw that it was not good for humanity to live forever in this fallen world. However, according to God's eternal purpose, Christ has come to redeem man from both sin and death. Yet it will only be those who come to Christ: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). While all humanity begins "in Adam," God's people will be a redeemed humanity "in Christ" (notice it says "those who are Christ's").

Human nature has never changed. Man has always been mortal. It is God alone who posses immortality (1 Timothy 6:16).

• Adam was always mortal

• The tree of life enabled man to live forever

• After the fall, God banished all access to the tree of life

• When Adam brought sin into the world, he brought death on all humanity

• All innocent people (babies, invalids, etc.) are mortal and subject to death

• All "in Christ" will be redeemed in soul and body