In the natural order of creation, there is a built-in tendency toward decay and disorder, as reflected in the principles of energy and mass. This inherent decay means that without effort to preserve it, everything naturally disintegrates over time. A human body, for instance, will cease to function unless it is periodically resupplied with food energy. God has designed this natural decay into creation, compelling us to work against it through preservation and maintenance. This principle of decay and the need for effort to counteract it demonstrate that change, often in the form of deterioration, is an unavoidable part of life as intended by God.

The perspective of decline shapes our understanding of historical movement as a descent from the perfection of Eden to increasing deterioration. Left to our own devices, without God's grace, revelation, or Spirit, what is inevitable is entropy and death, not progress toward any utopia. The cosmos, steeped in the present evil world, will perish along with the misguided belief in godless progressivism that pervades society. This decline is not countered by natural agencies or human intellect, but only through the purposeful direction of God's energy and Spirit, which enables us to overcome entropy and grow toward the image of God. Satan, however, distorts this truth by promoting the lie that progress is automatic and inevitable, sapping the energy, zeal, and commitment necessary to partner with God in this growth.

The world we inhabit is subject to vanity, which signifies futility and, more pointedly, decay. God has built decay and deterioration into this creation, a reality we must confront and manage. This relentless force, akin to the second law of thermodynamics, breaks everything down, rendering it less useful, less beautiful, less productive, and less organized unless maintained. Whether it is the soil that produces food, minerals derived from it, products made from those minerals, or even relationships, everything succumbs to decay without constant effort. God created mankind to work against this decay, to dress and keep what has been given into our possession, implying a responsibility to build up, cultivate, and protect from deterioration. This labor is a constant struggle, as if always going upstream against a force that opposes us, yet it is for our benefit to prepare us for His Kingdom. God learns much about us through our dealing with decay, making it a moral issue that cannot be dismissed. From the time of Adam and Eve, when the earth was made subject to futility and decay began, we have been required to deal with its effects, not as innocent victims of our own sins, but as responsible stewards. God's hope is that this struggle against decay produces good for His Kingdom, shaping us through the process of overcoming and growth.