2:17 passeth away. Literally, “is passing away.” Under the domain of God’s curse because of sin, the “whole creation” is “in pain” (Romans 8:21), under its “bondage of corruption” (that is, “decay”—Romans 8:20), and is literally disintegrating back into the “dust”—the basic elements from which it was formed. Scientifically, this is essentially what is known as the universal law of increasing entropy, a law squarely negating the imaginary evolutionary progress of the world. See also such Scriptures as Matthew 24:35; I Peter 1:24-25; Hebrews 1:11-12; and Hebrews 12:27. There are many others of like import.

2:17 abideth for ever. In contrast to the law of physical decay, God does not change (James 1:17), nor does His Word (Psalm 119:89). Even though their physical bodies are now under the curse, those who do God’s will in accepting Christ will receive new bodies, eternal in character, when Christ returns (Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 21:4; 22:3-5).