People will often ask, "Why would a good and perfect God allow bad things to happen?" This question seems all the more relevant today as all of humanity is suffering from the current COVID-19 pandemic.
When God created the world and everything in it, He declared that is was "very good."1 This often leads people to ask, “Why is there suffering and death in this current world, if God created everything to be "very good"?
We find the answer to this question in Genesis 3, where the Bible records the Fall of Mankind. When mankind decided that they would go against the direct will and command of God, the whole of creation was itself also cursed.2
As a result of man's sin all of creation began to fall into a state of corruption. Corruption leads to broken biological systems, organisms displaced from their original environments, and other traits used for unintended purposes. Together, these biological corruptions, and more, lead to disease and death. Viruses and bacteria now accumulate random mutations, and can become more or less virulent.3
We know that viruses often don't cause symptoms in the host and environment which they were designed for.3 E. coli (Escherichia coli) is a type of bacteria that is found in our intestines, and most strains of E. coli are beneficial to our digestive tracts, but when certain strains of E. coli find themselves outside of the digestive tract, illness may occur.
It is important for us, as Christians, to remember that God created everything in a “good” state, and due to man's sin we should not be surprised that situations like the COVID-19 pandemic will happen. We should see this situation as an example of the fact that we live in a fallen world.4
While during suffering it may be difficult to "look on the bright side," we must remember that this is all temporary, and one day Christ will come again and restore the perfect world that once was.5
And what a glorious day that will be. But in the meantime, we must make sure to always be a willing witness for Christ.6 As believers, we have the unique perspective that one day we will all be made whole. This "blessed hope"7 has been imparted to us by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins. Be sure to spread that good news to others around you who do not share in the same hope that we have.
References
1. Genesis 1:31.
2. Genesis 3:17-19.
3. Thomas, B. RNA Virus Origins Fit Genesis Creation. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org April 1, 2020, accessed May 6, 2020.
4. Romans 8:22.
5. Revelation 21:4.
6. 1 Peter 3:15.
7. Titus 2:11-14.
*Benjamin Trotman is Guest Services Associate at the ICR Discovery Center for Science & Earth History.
