Why Is There Death In This World?

       One of the hardest questions to answer for people at a funeral is why did this individual have to die? Death, no matter your age, is tough to deal with. We often ask where was God when this person died. Sometimes death is expected. There are answers such as the person just got older, there was a terrible disease, or an individual did something to hurt himself/herself. Other times death is not expected. There are times when an unexpected accident happened or an individual did evil and killed people.

         The entire book of Job is about suffering. Job lost all of his wealth and his children. Job suffered some serious health issues. Why did Job suffer? Satan believed that Job would deny God and would stop following Him if Job suffered enough pain. Satan was wrong. Job remained faithful to God. Yet, Job still questioned God as to why all this happened to him. In the book of Job, God did not tell Job about His battle with Satan. All God did was tell Job about how mighty God is and how little about life Job really knew. After this conversation, Job praised God. It was trusting in God that helped Job find comfort.

         The Bible tells us plainly why there is death in this world.  Romans 6:²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Death is in this world because of sin. In Genesis 2, God warns Adam that if he sinned, death would be the punishment. When Adam and Eve sinned, death was part of the punishment they received (Genesis 3). Before Adam and Eve sinned, there was no death, no disease, and no destruction on this earth. God said that this world was very good (Genesis 1). It was a good world until it was infected with sin.

         Today, the world is infected with sin and death and destruction are a part of our every day life. This is sad and tragic. If sin were not in this world, there would not be any death. I am not saying that the person's personal sin necessarily caused their death. Babies die and they do not sin. No, I am saying that we live in a world where sin exists. Where sin exists, death exists. We die because we live in a world infected with sin. Since we deal with sin, we have to deal with death.

         This does not bring us much comfort. But that is why we have to learn the lesson of Job. Job wrestled with the issues of suffering and death before he simply surrendered and put all of his trust in God. We have questions about suffering and tragedy that we cannot always answer. God does know the answer. Better than that, God has the solution. We have to learn to trust in Him.

         One day God will put an end to all sin, all death, and all suffering. He will do this when Satan and everything that causes sin will be thrown into hell. He will recreate paradise.

         Revelation 21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

         God will rescue us from death. If you want to escape death, believe that Jesus is the Christ, confess Him as Lord and Savior, repent of our sins, and be baptized. You can then receive a paradise without sin, without suffering, and without death. If you refuse, then the other reality is that you will have an eternity of suffering and the second death. We may have to deal with death on this earth, but we do not have to live with death forever.