God never intended sin to be a part of our existence on earth. God never intended for mankind to suffer illness, terror, sorrow or death. We were created to enjoy intimate fellowship with God in a perfect creation that was created with us in mind. In the Garden of Eden there was no death; lions did not attack lambs and bears had no need of salmon. There was no death in the Garden of Eden for Adam, Eve and all of the animals ate the fruit of the field and suffered no defect or decay of body in any way. Death, destruction, decay and evil did not enter the equation until sin entered the creation.
Sin corrupted perfection and spoiled the intended order of the universe in which we live. Paul writes in Romans 8:20, "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it." We live in a broken world in which broken people do corrupt things to one another. We live in a broken world in which cells do not always divide as they should, arteries become clogged with plaque and bodies just wear out and die. We live in a world of confusing philosophies, endless religions and painful separation from God. The world we live in is not "working as intended."
God looked down upon the corruption of the world and had compassion on all of us. The reason Jesus came to earth and died on the Cross was to deliver us from the power and corruption sin birthed when man welcomed it into the Garden of Eden. God loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son to die on the Cross so all who have faith in Him might have eternal life. This world may not be "working as intended" but through Jesus it is being redeemed and remade into the perfection it was meant to always be. Someday the creation itself will be redeemed from the corruption of sin and there will be a new heaven and a new earth upon which all believers in Christ will live.
What a wonderful and loving God we serve!
James
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