Topic 3 DQ 2

In the Christian creation narrative, it is believed that God created the word, the first man and woman. Thus, God has the power over human beings to inflict pain and suffering. Besides he has the power to prevent suffering and pain from his people. Nevertheless, the fall of man came when they sinned against the will of God (Isaac et al., 2016). Thus they repaid for their act through pain and suffering. Thus the pain that Christian undergo is symbolic to the provisions from the creation and fall narrative. Nevertheless, the presence of suffering is not the end of man, since they have a chance for redemption (Isaac et al., 2016). One has to renounce their sins, accept God to be redeemed from the pain and suffering. This is the basis for spirituality and good health where man can get restoration from God. Despite this, some people suffer to the point of dying. God assures his people that there is external life after death. Therefore, disease and suffering are the reality and form part of the mortal world of life after death.

Based on the Christian biblical narrative, one can find comfort in the belief that God have the power to heal. Besides the comfort ca be attained if the patient beliefs that God has power over diseases and can heal miraculously (Best et al., 2020). Through this approach, the sick can attach meaning to their pain and suffering through religion and their spirituality. Similarly, religion and spiritual helps the patients to cope with the illness and diseases. Research has showcase the link between spirituality and health. From the creation narrative, human beings are created in the image of God, thus life is sacred and the sick should be treated with love and compassion. This helps in sharing the suffering with the sick and making sure they are hopeful and optimism of the work or God.

The four parts of Christian Biblical narrative are very elaborative about the nature of God and

His love for humankind during sickness and disease.

Creation – God is the ultimate creator; he created the universe and everything in it. The

concept of Imago Dei explains the creation of man in God’s image (Ross, 2013).

Fall – The original sin is the start of the fall of humankind from the love and mercy of God.

Adam and Eve eating the forbidden tree and created original sin as well as death, disease, and

suffering, creating an estrangement from God.

Redemption – due to the love God has for humankind, he sent his only begotten son Jesus to

die for our sins.

Restoration – We look forward to the resurrection of Jesus when he returns, and the final

judgment of all people takes place (Topic 3: Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative,

2019)

After falling short of God’s love and mercy, He gives us the knowledge to manufacture

medications and treatments to help prevent or treat some sickness and disease. We have

redemption from sin when we go to confession and confess our sins and try to lead a life that

God intended for us. We know that if we live a good life and follow God’s intentions, he will

relive us from sickness and disease. The four narratives give us hope and knowledge of the

nature of God, such as never giving up on his creations, provision of everlasting love, and

forgiveness to his creation despite our sins.

Creation- God created his people for a purpose and in his image. When God described both his act of creating and the creation itself as good, it meant that it was valuable, and everything in its original state was the way it was supposed to be. The goodness that remains in the world even after the fall reminds one that God has called humans to live in his world, not to abandon or reject it. (Hoehner, 2020). God knew what he was doing when he created his people. Christians find comfort in that; they know that there is purpose for them.

The fall- Christians believe that sickness is brought by not being right with God. According to the Bible, the fall has universal and cosmic implications. Just as illness in the body can be viewed as a break in the homeostasis of the body’s physiology, the fall and subsequent separation from God broke the homeostasis of creation itself, bringing disease, sickness, suffering, and death (Hoehner, 2020).

Redemption- The restoration of Shalom that is the consequence of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection has several implications for Christian ethics and the Christian view of disease, healing, and death (Hoehner, 2020). Health and salvation have a relationship; they work together for the people. When one becomes sick, people start to pray and ask God for healing.

Restoration- Death is something to grieve. It is not the way it is supposed to be. It is no small test of faith to hold a dying infant or to watch loved ones suffer at the end of their lives. The shortest verse of the Bible, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), says that even though he knew he would bring him back to life, Jesus grieved over Lazarus’s death because of his great love for him (Hoehner, 2020). This is the hardest part for us all losing a loved one. We know that this is a part of life. God loves us and wants the best for us and wants us to live in eternity with him. This is the promise He gave us, and this gives the people reassurance that one day we will meet up with our loved ones.