Appendix A: How Did Suffering Come Into Our World?
In the beginning, God created the universe and gave the earth to man, appointing him as “assistant ruler” over the earth (Genesis 1:26). Adam and Eve ruled the earth under God’s authority. There was no sin and, therefore, none of sin’s awful results. Pollution was nonexistent. Nature was helpful, not hostile to man. No hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, tidal waves, or volcanic eruptions threatened man’s survival. Death and disease were unknown. There was no fear that one of Eden’s luscious-looking fruits might secretly contain some fatal poison. For both humans and the world of nature, it was truly paradise.
But at some point in this idyllic life on a perfect world, the evil one entered the scene. Satan, who had rebelled against God in a prideful struggle, followed by his army of demons, had set up a rival kingdom against God.
And planet earth became his headquarters. As C. S. Lewis imagined it, earth became “the silent planet,” isolated and alone in the universe.
Mankind was enticed to sin, to eat the forbidden fruit, and as a result a curse fell upon man—and all of creation. (See Romans 8:20–23.) The whole realm of nature became subject to futility and frustration, to the endless cycle of change and decay. It seems quite possible that before this time, all animals may have been vegetarians. Now they fed upon one another, and violence brought about the law of the jungle.
Just as thorns and thistles attacked the earth, sickness and weakness attacked man’s body. As we read through the book of Genesis, the human lifespan (once immortal) became shorter and shorter. No longer did people live hundreds of years as the early generations did. Illness and disease infested the world. Deformed babies and mentally-handicapped children became a fact of life.
And worst of all—the whole process ended in death.
Plants died.
Animals died.
People died.
Yes, sin brought its own special consequences and results. Satan became the king of planet earth, the “god of this age,” the “ruler of the kingdom of the air,” and the “prince of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; John 12:31).
Where then does disease come from?
Disease is just one of the many results of man’s sin, along with death, sorrow, guilt, and disasters of nature.