Got the flu, why did God create viruses?

[peacechild4]

peacechild4, let me summarize:

According to you, God did not create viruses, he placed a curse on the world that included sickness and murder when we became sinful.

We are all affected (infected?) by this curse regardless if we are 'religious' or not. Jesus took on this curse for us when he died for our sins, but Christians today still deal with God's curse from the Old Testament even though Jesus died 2000 years ago. These Christians haven't quite figured it out.

Those that do have it 'right' are not sharing their message (although my question was 'do those that do have it right avoid the curse?' not 'does anyone has it right?'). Although we can be on the right track, the devil still can cause us pain.

Is this correct?

YES

You still haven't answered my questions:

Do Christians get sick (due to God's curse) as much as non-Christians?

My views.. but yes the same.. when we are not aware of what God has said.. His promises.. His way of living... His blessing for those who follow Him.. We are going to be affected the same as everybody else..

If we follow the bible more closely, do we reduce disease?

Yes if following the bible means we have heard what God says and are living in agreement.. We become blessed in all we do.. and in our body..

What does the devil gain by causing us to become ill? I can't see that causing someone to sin.

I can see that sickness, pain and suffering robs us of life, health and joy and precious resources.. It also stops people from fully carrying out Gods work.. It often leads to death which is a quicker way of bringing someone to hell if they haven't heard the good news.. It shortens their opportunity to hear and accept the good news..

But in saying that.. God still is able to use our disabilities, sickness and pain to do His work.. I think of Joni Eackleson.. who is in a wheel chair.. she has a world wide ministry to disabled people and all who hear her testimony.. Even trials and suffering bring good for us.. in Gods hands.. but many are totally overwhelmed and are bound by their illness.. Especially the illness of depression..

If Jesus died for our sins, and we accept him completely, why are Christians still affected by God's curse of murder, sickness and evil?

Well for one we still live and function in the world.. so we are subject to all that the world faces..

Jesus did die for our sins.. and that knowledge.. and just being born again will bring us to heaven.. But it does not assure us of victory here on earth in the now because we are still bound in our bodies which are subject to weakness.. Satan will try to take our lives from us at every opportunity.. making it difficult for us to be about doing Gods work.. Don't you see.. that if satan can murder, steal health and make it difficult.. if the person does not rise up in God they are going to struggle and fight and how many Christians have fallen and it has publicly hurt the cause of Christians.. When we are bound and therefore not do the good God intended for us.. we are stopping others from coming to that freedom Christ brings..

Knowing that health belongs to us as well as all other needs taken care of.. means through the troubles we all have.. And Jesus said in this world we will have troubles but to take heart He had overcome the world.... Our confidence in God gives us strength beyond our own to rise up and be overcomers through Jesus and we are able to rely fully on His promises and receive that which is ours through Him.. We can be bold when someone seems to be dying.. and refuse to give in.. death has lost its sting.. I have heard many stories of the near dead being returned to full health.. even the dead being raised to life..

What is stopping God's people from realizing this? Don't you realize this?

Satan blinds us and we cannot see.. Satan steals the word from us because we don't realise he is a thief and are not on guard against his tricks.. Our lack of knowledge of what God has laid up for His people to be overcomers..

But the truth sets us free.. Oh Yes I realise this.. and more I am aware of this.. the busier I want to be about spreading the truth.. encouraging the weak.. healing the sick and praying for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven..



What truth is that? Please ellaborate.

My answers in purple above.. sorry it has taken me some time to get back to you.. I wanted to think on this and pray some before answering!!

 

[DoctorW]

I'm not so sure. The way I see it, sickness is a necessary aspect of evolution. It's not a question of why there are viruses, it's a question of why our immune systems can't block everything. Sickness kills the weakest of a species and only allows those with healthy immune systems to reproduce. Therefore, the entire species is benifitted as, collectively, their immune systems improve with each subsequent generation. No need to involve original sin or god or the devil, just pure logic. I haven't had time to read this article, but it seems very interesting:

talkdesign.org/faqs/Evolving_Immunity.html

As for murder, I'm not sure we need to involve satan to explain this one, either. The most logical explanation is that people that murder do so out of a purely human reason (greed, lust, rage, etc.) or psycological problems (no, I don't believe they are possed). In addition, millions and millions of people have been murdered by christians (the Crusades, Inquisition, Northern Ireland, etc.) both recently and in the past.

I know that there are those who will say that those people are not truly christians or they act out of free will granted to us by god, then to them I ask, if god is all powerful and all knowing, why would he allow so many people to carry out such atrocities in his name? In the old testament, he was constantly killing massive amounts of people that opposed him. In the new testament, he sent angels and prophets to cause change in the world. What is stopping him now?

If HE can't protect the world from the slaughter of millions of men, women and children carried out in HIS name, why are we to think that he will answer our prayers and help us get a raise or get over the flu quicker or even help us find a parking spot?

I mean, if anyone is praying for world peace, it doesn't seem to be working...if only we could look to THIS world for the answer and not the next...

 

[San54]

Robinsegg and Peacechild 4 Thank you for the great posts and I agree with you both.I have simply scanned all the other posts as I am feeling feverish and believe God that I Am Not coming down with the flu .

As I looked for a word to stand on as I trust God for my deliverance and healing I was lead to the scripture below... Please read James 5 verses
13-20. For explicit truths to stand on when Christians find themselves in trouble.
james 5:13-2013 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. james 5:13-2014 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: james 5:13-2015 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. james 5:13-2016 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. james 5:13-2017 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. james 5:13-2018 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. james 5:13-2019 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; james 5:13-2020 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
I hope I haven't gone to far off the subject and that the word of God will encourrage those that are genuinly searching for the truth from God.
God bless all.

 

[JonathanDavidA]

To go back to the original question, I believe God did create viruses.

He created Lucifer as well, with the intention to praise and serve Him. But I honestly believe that love forced isnt love at all. So He gave even the angels free will. Lucifer allowed pride into His heart and wanted to be exalted above God, and so he fell. In so doing he deceived Eve into falling to sin as well and Adam followed.

Satan is not God's antithesis as much as he is simply a created being that rebelled against God. Granted a very power being, but a created one nevertheless. I say all this about lucifer to show that God's intention for him was to serve and love Him. Just as I believe God created viruses for a good purpose as well. For what reason I am not exactly sure, but it says God created all things and they were good. (Before sin entered the world)

(Quick side note: For those who say God created evil too, I do not think that is true. Evil comes simply from the absense of the prescene of God. Just as when there is no light in the room, darkness reigns. But praise God that light, always pushes back darkness and never the other way around.)

If God didnt create viruses, im not sure how they got to be here. But again, If God created lucifer who fell, just as he created man who fell, so I think he created viruses that fell to a devious standard because of sin.

Now the question. Why do we get sick. First of all, I have compassion on you and your sickness (Eventhough Im sure your already well after all this time) because I have been through the same thing. I can relate to you in your suffering the flu. So that is one good thing that comes from it. So Christians can experience the same things non-christians experience, that we might have compassion and grow in love for them. And have compassion on our fellow brothers and sisters.

Jesus became a man to suffer the things we go through everyday. We have a High Priest who knows our suffereing and can relate to us, because He went through it all. IF he was willing to suffer, then should we not also go through the honor of suffering with Him?

Secondly, I look to the story of Job.
Job was a perfectly righteous man, as scripture states. But the devil came to God and said Job only serves you because you bless Him. So God allowed satan to take everything from Job to test His heart. In the end God appeared to Job when he was complaining and rebuked him for doin so. (Seems harsh, I know, but remember God only rebukes us because he loves us and is working to change us) so Job is able to say in the end, " I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."

While Job was righteous before God in His actions, He sinned in the end for complaining but he repented. He changed and saw a new vision of who God was. His experience of suffering brought Him to a new level of intamacy with God. In the end God restored everything unto job twice over.

If suffering can bring us closer in our walk with God, then we should embrace it, not rebuke it. (Im talking about day to day trials and suffereings. Im not advocating a child to place himself under an abusive father and think thats good. By no means should we beat ourselves to try and attain Godliness.)

But my point is that there will be suffereing come upon us that we cant change. We can pray and ask God to deliever us from it, and sometimes He will. But ultimaly I think he wants us to be like Paul. When Paul asked for God to remove the thorn from His flesh, God said "no, my grace is sufficient for you", then we need to be willing to accept that. That ultimaltly God's intentions for us are always good, even when we are walking through a valley or storm.

God's power is always with us. Sometimes He uses that power to deliever us and heal, ans sometimes he uses that power to give us the grace to endure our trials and sicknesses. Either way, we have to trust that God's best intentions are for us.

For all things work together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28