WHY IS THERE DISEASE, SICKNESS, SUFFERING, PAIN AND DEATH IN THE WORLD?
The short answer is because of the consequences of mans disobedience = SIN
To answer this question we must first understand where disease, sickness , suffering,, pain and death came from, and where it started.
We must look at the beginning of creation where what God made was perfect good.
Genesis 1:31 And God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good. NAS
God had created a perfect, sinless world that was very good.
There was no disease, sickness , suffering, pain and death. All of nature including the animal kingdom, plant kingdom and man were without sin and thus no sickness, suffering, pain or death.
Earth was a paradise where none of these things existed.
God gave one rule/command Genesis 2:16 – 17
16And the LordGod commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die(NIV)
God didn’t want an automaton so he gave man a free will, freedom to choose to obey or disobey his revelation and commands. He allowed Satan who had been kicked out of heaven to roam the earth and present an outside influence, a temptation to man, a choice.
In Genesis 3:6 FALL OF MAN AND NATURE
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Because man disobeyed God’s clear commands and gave into the temptation of Satan in the garden of Eden, sin entered the world and upon mankind as well as nature and the animal kingdom.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned
Genesis 3:16-19 God says now there will be sickness, suffering, paind and death and nature will no longer be perfect but be cursed. We can imply this means disease as part of this.
The sins we have committed against his infinite majesty be punished with both temporal and eternal punishments, of soul as well as body. We cannot escape these punishments unless satisfaction is given to God's justice God is just. He demands obedience but allows man a choice so that we would not be automatons. His justice demands that sin have a penalty.(romans 6:23)
Adam the first man represented all of mankind and chose to disobey God and thus sin. Angels also had a choice and Satan and about 1/3 of angels also disobeyed and were cast out of heaven and thus we find Satan in the garden of Eden tempting sinless innocent man to not follow God.
SIN IS THE ORIGIN OF DISEASE SICKNESS SUFFERING PAIN AND ULTIMATELY DEATH.
SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES.
GOD SAYS WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.
Also sin had an effect on all of nature , plant and animal kingdom. There would be weeds, thorns and also animals would not be at peace with each other and would experience the results of mans sin.
‘DIVINE PUNISHMENTS OR PERMISSION
Punishment sometimes God does directly punish sin and disobedience
ALLOWS SATAN/DEMONS TO INFLICT SICKNESS, DISEASE, SUFFERING
See the story of Job, demonic affliction possession of the unsaved in Christ and disciples ministry
GOD ALLOWS BUT DOES NOT CAUSE see below
DISEASE AND SICKNESS
Is a result of our imperfectness, our sin nature – genetic disorders, defects, food, viruses, bacteria,
OUR OWN CHOICES AND ACTIONS
Some sickness, suffering, pain and death are because of our own choices
Addictions: Alcohol, smoking, drugs/illegal substances, poisons
Bad diet, lack of exercise
Accidents – trip, fall, drown, vehicle, planes, bikes, choke
Suicides –self harm
OTHERS CHOICES AND ACTIONS
Murder, violence, rape, abuse, drunk driver, crimes, pollutions, accidents – cars, guns,
poor construction, shoddy work
EXTERNAL FACTORS BEYOND OUR CONTROL
Nature - tree falls, lightning strikes, landslides, floods, wind, tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoon, tsuanamis, fires, earthquakes
GOD IS GOOD RIGHTEOUS PERFECT HOLY LOVES US BUT ALLOWS SIN TO RUN ITS COURSE IN MANKIND, PLANTS AND ANIMALS
When Christ returns and rules in the millennium all will be restored.
In the new heaven and earth where will be no more sickness death and pain
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.