Is all human illness caused by sin in the person’s life?
Is all human illness caused by sin in the person’s life? At first we may look at that question and find it absurd. Of course not. Who would believe that?
Yet, our own sin does cause illness in our lives. The decisions we make. The choices of how we act and behave. The friends we choose. All of these affect our lives and our health.
Plus there are many who believe in the concept of karma or people “getting what they deserved” or that through the “laws of attraction” we bring on positive or negative things into our lives. There are even some (Christian Science) who believe that disease is a mental error rather than physical disorder, and that the sick should be treated, not by medicine, but by a form of prayer that seeks to correct the beliefs responsible for the illusion of ill health.
But if we have learned nothing else from Bible Study Fellowship, we hopefully have learned that the answer to challenging questions is not found in what others think, it is found in the bible. So what does the bible says.
In John 9:1-3, we see this played out with Jesus and His followers:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
We also see it in Jesus’ words in Luke 13:1-5:
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
In not so many words, Jesus makes it clear, “I TELL YOU, NO!”
1. No, this is not “karma” or people just getting what they deserve. If that was the case, we would all get eternal death as the just payment for our sins. The thought that we deserve something divine because we try to not do bad significantly over inflates our ability not to sin.
2. If we look at others and think they must have done something to deserve what has happened to them, we need to recognize the problem is not with them it is with us. Instead of falling into a trap of thinking we must be better because we haven’t been struck with illness or death, we should fall on our knees and repent. They may be sick, but with that attitude, we will surely perish.
God allows illness. We seldom understand why and often cannot see how it brings Him glory, but because we don’t grasp it does not mean it is not real.
My Answers:
7.
They were not affected. No swarms of flies will be there (where they lived)
8.
a.
Each time he is giving Pharaoh, as the representative of all non-jews, an opportunity to repent and turn to Him
b.
He is patient, full of grace, and has a desire to bring all of creation back as His children
c.
His heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go
9.
a.
People got sick, affected people directly, including the magicians in Pharaoh’s court
b.
Not in that person but sin is the cause of illness in the world. John 9:1-3, Jesus heals bilnd man, “who sinned, man or parents”, Jesus, “Neither, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
The Notes are Good 