Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

First, I would say that the presence of suffering, disease, evil, and death in the world are all consequences of sin (disobedience to, and rebellion against, God), rather than things originally caused or intended by God. If humanity had not yielded to the deception of Satan and disobeyed God, those conditions would never have existed.

Also, that fallen condition is general in nature. Its consequences are not imposed as a result of individual sin (as the apostles thought in the account cited in the question, and as also might be concluded through "natural" human reasoning).

But although God did not cause the fallen human condition, He is capable (as Jesus said) of using even the results of that condition to display His works, as He did in the case of the healing that Jesus performed on the blind man. 

Most importantly, although all of humanity deserved (and continues to deserve) only God's wrath and eternal punishment as a result of its sin, God, in pure grace (undeserved favor), love, and mercy, still made it possible through Christ's incarnation, atoning death, and resurrection, for those who place their faith in Him to live eternally in His presence, where the effects of sin will be forever done away with.

March 13 2020 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report