Some have asked...If God created everything good and with a purpose, why are there disease-causing bacteria and viruses in the world? [Spirituality & Religion]
The intent with that question, is of course, to blame God for all the evil in this world. Man cannot place the blame on God, as he usually does, for the conditions on this earth (diseases, tsunamis, war, murders, etc.). In the beginning, all was absolutely perfect, because God is perfect. That is, He is incapable of error. Further, just because God is omniscient, knowing all things, past, present, and future, do not mean He caused these atrocities. You know Oswald killed Kennedy, but you didn’t cause it!
It was only after the fall of man, that we see degenerative changes observed, because mankind sinned and brought death into the world, and is now in bondage to decay (Romans 8:20–21).
One thing God will not interfere with, is the will of man, and history shows exactly what man has done with free choice. He has abused it for ages, even today, then blames God. Such arrogance! God did not force man to spray poison on his crops, that in turn, cause cancer. Nor did He create vaccines that sometimes cause more harm, than good; that caused some to actually develop polio, and even mental problems. And if you don’t believe that, ask the children who were perfect the day before they got the shot.
God did not force people to sin and kill each other. It was not his will that women have abortions, nor steal from each other. All that God meant for good in the beginning, man has put asunder. Sometimes people suffer at the sins of others, which God would never cause, endorse, or initiate. These things go against the very nature and character of God, so to accuse a perfect God of causing these atrocities, is to place blame on a person you don’t know, and where it never belonged.
I’m sure your next question is, “But isn’t God sovereign?”
We need to stop using that excuse to blame God for man’s sins, and exercise responsibility. Man’s fallible reasoning has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word “sovereign,” which basically subscribes that God controls everything. Nothing can happen but what He wills or allows. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines “sovereign” as, “1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Having supreme rank or power. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Excellent.” None of these definitions means that God controls everything.
God has a perfect plan for every person’s life (Jer. 29:11), but He doesn’t make us walk that path. We are free moral agents with the ability to choose. He has told us what the right choices are (Deut. 30:19), but He doesn’t make those choices for us. God gave us the power to control our destinies.
Typical teaching on the sovereignty of God puts Jesus in the driver’s seat with us as passengers. On the surface that looks good. All of us have encountered the disastrous results of doing our own thing. We desire to be led of the Lord, and teaching that nothing happens but what God wills, fits that nicely. However, the Scriptures paint a picture of each of us being behind the wheel of our own lives. We are the one doing the driving. We are supposed to take directions from the Lord, but He doesn’t do the driving for us.
Here is what we know about suffering from Scripture:
Sometimes people suffer because of self-inflicted misery. Humans have long been their own worst enemies. We are a self-destructive people.
Sometimes people suffer at the sins of others, which God would never cause, endorse, or initiate. It is contrary to his holy, perfect nature. Examples are Bathsheba, Daniel, Tamar, Hosea, The Good Samaritan, and Paul.
People sometimes suffer through no human fault at all. The best of God’s saints had their night. This is no indicator of divine disfavor. Life is simply hard.
People get sick and die. This happens to every person, family, and community on earth. There is zero immunity from death. Even Jesus wept at the grief of his friends, who lost a loved one.
Sometimes people suffer because we live on a physical earth involving tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis. Natural disasters are a part of any living, shifting, fluctuating planet. (And the longer we irresponsibly plunder and harm it, the greater it will groan and creak and protest.)
Sometimes people suffer because we have a vicious enemy who hates us and is out to steal, kill, and destroy everything redemptive and beautiful.
Simply stating that God is sovereign is woefully incomplete theology, as Scripture has clearly identified numerous root causes of suffering, some of which are entirely incompatible with God’s character.
Though it is human nature to master all knowledge, we simply must concede that so much of life is a mystery, as is the way God moves and redeems. How can we possibly fathom it all? We don’t always get the answer to WHY this side of heaven, but we do know that God, being love personified, always has our best interest at heart.
I won’t list them all, but here are just a few things we know about suffering and what we should cling to:
1. God is loving. He loves us. He loves our families. He loves creation. He knows our every sorrow, and grieves with us.
2. God is very much paying attention. He is on the move - healing and transforming. He can do this. This is what He does.
3. God doesn’t tempt, abuse, endorse wickedness, abandon, or hate. He did not create evil. Evil came from the sinful desires of man...were found in his own HEART.
4. In our darkest moment, when we are crushed, Jesus is as close as our own breath.
5. He has given us to one another as agents of love and grace and safety.
6. He told us 100s of times to comfort each other, making sure we are cared for.
7. Jesus wept over death and grief.
One thing that always hurts, is one person accusing another of having brought on their illness, because of secret sin in their life. I’ve seen it done. God help the sinner who assumes this, to realize their wrongful judgement. Only God knows the heart. It is not the Body’s responsibility to judge people. We are family. We make food for funerals and try to comfort. We weep with those who weep.
Let’s be gentle with our broken. Let’s hold fragile hearts with loving hands, terribly careful with our theology, using it as a balm, not a bludgeon. May we be slow to judge, and quick to empathize, because life can be so very hard, and until God makes all things new, people are dying for understanding and a cold cup of water in their suffering.
We may not exactly know the why of everything and all that entails, but we know the how: together.
Jesus is so good and He loves you. One day, because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, the age of death will be over, and we will stand beside our Lord with no more pain, no more tears, no more suffering and no more disease. Cancer will be gone. Lungs will be restored. Depression will be turned to endless joy, and we will finally see clearly the works of the Lord.
It was only after the fall of man, that we see degenerative changes observed, because mankind sinned and brought death into the world, and is now in bondage to decay (Romans 8:20–21).
One thing God will not interfere with, is the will of man, and history shows exactly what man has done with free choice. He has abused it for ages, even today, then blames God. Such arrogance! God did not force man to spray poison on his crops, that in turn, cause cancer. Nor did He create vaccines that sometimes cause more harm, than good; that caused some to actually develop polio, and even mental problems. And if you don’t believe that, ask the children who were perfect the day before they got the shot.
God did not force people to sin and kill each other. It was not his will that women have abortions, nor steal from each other. All that God meant for good in the beginning, man has put asunder. Sometimes people suffer at the sins of others, which God would never cause, endorse, or initiate. These things go against the very nature and character of God, so to accuse a perfect God of causing these atrocities, is to place blame on a person you don’t know, and where it never belonged.
I’m sure your next question is, “But isn’t God sovereign?”
We need to stop using that excuse to blame God for man’s sins, and exercise responsibility. Man’s fallible reasoning has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word “sovereign,” which basically subscribes that God controls everything. Nothing can happen but what He wills or allows. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines “sovereign” as, “1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Having supreme rank or power. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Excellent.” None of these definitions means that God controls everything.
God has a perfect plan for every person’s life (Jer. 29:11), but He doesn’t make us walk that path. We are free moral agents with the ability to choose. He has told us what the right choices are (Deut. 30:19), but He doesn’t make those choices for us. God gave us the power to control our destinies.
Typical teaching on the sovereignty of God puts Jesus in the driver’s seat with us as passengers. On the surface that looks good. All of us have encountered the disastrous results of doing our own thing. We desire to be led of the Lord, and teaching that nothing happens but what God wills, fits that nicely. However, the Scriptures paint a picture of each of us being behind the wheel of our own lives. We are the one doing the driving. We are supposed to take directions from the Lord, but He doesn’t do the driving for us.
Here is what we know about suffering from Scripture:
Sometimes people suffer because of self-inflicted misery. Humans have long been their own worst enemies. We are a self-destructive people.
Sometimes people suffer at the sins of others, which God would never cause, endorse, or initiate. It is contrary to his holy, perfect nature. Examples are Bathsheba, Daniel, Tamar, Hosea, The Good Samaritan, and Paul.
People sometimes suffer through no human fault at all. The best of God’s saints had their night. This is no indicator of divine disfavor. Life is simply hard.
People get sick and die. This happens to every person, family, and community on earth. There is zero immunity from death. Even Jesus wept at the grief of his friends, who lost a loved one.
Sometimes people suffer because we live on a physical earth involving tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis. Natural disasters are a part of any living, shifting, fluctuating planet. (And the longer we irresponsibly plunder and harm it, the greater it will groan and creak and protest.)
Sometimes people suffer because we have a vicious enemy who hates us and is out to steal, kill, and destroy everything redemptive and beautiful.
Simply stating that God is sovereign is woefully incomplete theology, as Scripture has clearly identified numerous root causes of suffering, some of which are entirely incompatible with God’s character.
Though it is human nature to master all knowledge, we simply must concede that so much of life is a mystery, as is the way God moves and redeems. How can we possibly fathom it all? We don’t always get the answer to WHY this side of heaven, but we do know that God, being love personified, always has our best interest at heart.
I won’t list them all, but here are just a few things we know about suffering and what we should cling to:
1. God is loving. He loves us. He loves our families. He loves creation. He knows our every sorrow, and grieves with us.
2. God is very much paying attention. He is on the move - healing and transforming. He can do this. This is what He does.
3. God doesn’t tempt, abuse, endorse wickedness, abandon, or hate. He did not create evil. Evil came from the sinful desires of man...were found in his own HEART.
4. In our darkest moment, when we are crushed, Jesus is as close as our own breath.
5. He has given us to one another as agents of love and grace and safety.
6. He told us 100s of times to comfort each other, making sure we are cared for.
7. Jesus wept over death and grief.
One thing that always hurts, is one person accusing another of having brought on their illness, because of secret sin in their life. I’ve seen it done. God help the sinner who assumes this, to realize their wrongful judgement. Only God knows the heart. It is not the Body’s responsibility to judge people. We are family. We make food for funerals and try to comfort. We weep with those who weep.
Let’s be gentle with our broken. Let’s hold fragile hearts with loving hands, terribly careful with our theology, using it as a balm, not a bludgeon. May we be slow to judge, and quick to empathize, because life can be so very hard, and until God makes all things new, people are dying for understanding and a cold cup of water in their suffering.
We may not exactly know the why of everything and all that entails, but we know the how: together.
Jesus is so good and He loves you. One day, because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, the age of death will be over, and we will stand beside our Lord with no more pain, no more tears, no more suffering and no more disease. Cancer will be gone. Lungs will be restored. Depression will be turned to endless joy, and we will finally see clearly the works of the Lord.
