Was man created by God to die?
On the contrary, Jehovah warned Adam against disobedience, which would lead to death. (Gen. 2:17) Later, God warned Israel against conduct that would lead even to premature death for them. (Ezek. 18:31) In time he sent his Son to die on behalf of mankind so that those who would put faith in this provision might enjoy everlasting life.—John 3:16, 36.
Psalm 90:10 says that the usual human life span is 70 or 80 years. That was true when Moses wrote it, but that was not so from the beginning. (Compare Genesis 5:3-32.) Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is reserved for men to die once for all time.” This, too, was true when it was written. But it was not the case before God passed judgment on sinful Adam.
Why do we grow old and die?
Jehovah created the first human couple perfect, with the prospect of living forever. They were endowed with free will. Would they obey their Creator out of love and appreciation for all that he had done for them? They were fully capable of doing so. God told Adam: “As for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.” Using a serpent as a mouthpiece, Satan enticed Eve to violate Jehovah’s command. Adam did not reprove his wife but joined her in eating that forbidden fruit. True to his word, Jehovah passed sentence of death upon Adam, but before executing the sinful pair, Jehovah mercifully permitted them to bring forth children.—Gen. 2:17; 3:1-19; 5:3-5; compare Deuteronomy 32:4 and Revelation 12:9.
Rom. 5:12, 17, 19: “Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned—. . . . By the trespass of the one man death ruled as king . . . Through the disobedience of the one man many were constituted sinners.”
1 Cor. 15:22: “In Adam all are dying.”