Creation was subjected to futility because of him
(Romans 8:20). But who is he? Exegetes have offered two different answers. According to many this refers to God himself. In light of Romans 5:12, however, it is also possible that it is man to whom is referred to here: "sin came into the world through one man and death through sin.” God is not to blame for the fact that the world seems doomed. The blame for this is to be placed squarely on human beings. It was the failure of Adam’s stewardship has brought the earth to the edge of the abyss. Yet none of this happened apart from God’s plan. Through Adam’s desertion, man put the judgment announced by God—death—into effect.
Cranfield1 maintains that it is only God that could have subjected the world to futility. He advances two arguments for this view. Firstly, in Romans 8:20 the verb subjected
grammatically must have the same subject on both occasions, namely God. Secondly, a human being can be instrumental in causing God’s action, but as man he lacks power to subject anything. Over against this we can raise the following arguments: firstly, if the clause which says that God subjected creation to futility, the addition immediately following, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it,
would be superfluous if it was referring to God again. After all, if caused by him the subjection it would quite obviously not have be voluntary. Secondly, the Greek does not say that creation was subjected involuntarily through him who subjected it
(dia, plus the genitive), but rather says because of him who subjected it
(dia, plus the accusative). This points to the fact that what is at issue here is the reason that God subjected creation to futility. And finally, it was the man Adam who subjected the earth that was entrusted to him to the futility of the lies of serpent spoke and therefore also to death (for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die
). That is why God effectively subjected an unwilling creation to futility as the consequence of that sin.2
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope