What do the four parts of the Christian biblical narrative (i.e., creation, fall, redemption, and restoration) say about the nature of God and of reality in relation to the reality of sickness and disease?

What do the four parts of the Christian biblical narrative (i.e., creation, fall, redemption, and restoration) say about the nature of God and of reality in relation to the reality of sickness and disease? From where would one find comfort and hope in the light of illness according to this narrative? Explain in detail each part of the narrative above and analyze the implications.

Re: Topic 3 DQ 2

Creation: The Christian view of creation is the universe and everything within it, but not God. God is the creator. There is nothing in existence that was not created by God. Everything that God has created was created intentionally for a purpose, and everything created is good. God values and cares for all things he has created; therefore, all of God’s creations are just the way they should be. This Christian view concerning illness and sickness would allow a person to know that what is happening is happening for a reason, God’s intention. Knowing that this is all a part of God’s plans and intentions would give a person hope and comfort, knowing that God will carry them through their illness.

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Fall: The fall is referred to as the disobedience of Adam and Eve to God. This disobedience was the rejection of God to rule over them and resulted in Shalom. Shalom is described as the human being dwelling at peace in all his or her relationships: With God, with self, with fellows, with nature (Wolterstorff, 1994)(Grand Canyon University,2019). This break in Shalom has had severe implications on creation ever since, for example, death, disease, suffering, but namely, estrangement from God. I believe the Christian view here is maintaining Shalom and, most importantly, your relationship with God. Even during times of illness, a good relationship with God can and will bring peace, hope, and comfort.

Redemption: So much of the Bible is a record of humanity’s continuous struggle and corruption after the fall, and God’s plan for redemption. This plan of redemption finishes in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, God makes available forgiveness and salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. The death of Christ allowed the estrangement caused by sin and corruption to be made right. Christian interpretation of this, I think, is, it is never too late to build a relationship with God. Because Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for us, we will always be forgiven. This knowledge, especially in illness, will inevitably bring peace and hope.

Restoration: The end goal for God is the restoration of all creation to a state of Shalom. Faith in God, especially during illness, will bring a person as close to Shalom as possible while on Earth. The return of Jesus, the final judgment of all people, and the restoration of all creation will inaugurate the final restoration. During illness, this will bring peace to those that are dying, as they should know they will have final restoration and ultimate Shalom in the afterlife.

Resources

Grand Canyon University. (2019) PHI-413V Topic Overview: Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative

Re: Topic 3 DQ 2

The four parts of the Christian biblical narrative tell the story of a perfect Creator who made us and everything in the world according to His plan and how we as humans disobeyed God, went against His perfect plan and broke that relationship with Him. It also tells how in His great love for us, He made a way for us to be forgiven and brought back into a relationship with Him. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, sin entered into the world which also brought the consequences of death, both spiritually and physically. God is a holy God and could not overlook the act of sinfulness without those repercussions. Comfort comes in knowing that God allowed for us to be redeemed and restored through no works of our own. We can’t do enough to redeem ourselves but God through His Son, Jesus, made that possible. The promise of salvation and spending eternity in Heaven brings peace to those that know and believe in Him (Grand Canyon University, 2019). The reality of sickness and disease are a part of life because of the consequences of sin that is in the world. God doesn’t want to see us hurting but will sometimes allow negative things to happen in order to draw us closer to Him. He gives us peace during the difficult times and the Christian can have a supernatural kind of peace when facing death by knowing He is still in control.

The creation is the first part of the narrative where God has created everything in the universe. Everything God created was perfect in the beginning and was deliberate. He even said in Genesis 1:13 that when He finished all He had made at the end of the sixth day that it was very good. The fall of man was the next part of the narrative. In this part of the story, Eve listened to what Satan told her in the Garden of Eden and went against what God had commanded. This was the first act of sin and she immediately was disconnected from God and the close relationship she had with Him. Adam followed and did the same. They felt naked and ashamed and tried to hide themselves from God because they knew they had sinned. When sin entered the world, it brought separation from God along with pain, suffering, disease and death. God didn’t want to leave humans in such a state as He loved us so much. He had a plan to redeem us. This means He paid the price for sin that we could never pay ourselves. According to the New Testament, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, ESV) and “The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23, ESV).Jesus paid for us by His death on the cross. He was perfect and sinless and He was the only One who could satisfy the debt that we owed for our own sin. Because of this redemption, we can have a relationship with God again and if we choose His free gift of salvation, we are promised eternal life. The peace of knowing that brings comfort even when facing death here on earth. The last part of the narrative is restoration which is something we will have once we get to Heaven. We will never be fully restored to perfection here on earth either in a spiritual sense of sinlessness or in a physical sense of being free from disease or pain. Christians really are a work in progress here on earth (GCU, 2019). What do the four parts of the Christian biblical narrative (i.e., creation, fall, redemption, and restoration) say about the nature of God and of reality in relation to the reality of sickness and disease?

Grand Canyon University. (2019). PHI-413V Topic Overview: Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.