Since God is the one who gave us life, and he wants us to have an abundant life and eternal life—if he loves us, why is there cancer? For that matter, why do we ever experience sickness and pain? Why do we have times of suffering? And why do we die?

Before answering these questions, for the sake of those who are not familiar with Christianity, I will share answers to questions about some of Christianity’s most foundational teachings that are necessary to understand in order to address the question above…

What is the origin of the universe and mankind?

God (who is eternal, spaceless, timeless, immaterial, powerful, personal, intelligent, loving, just, gracious and merciful) created the universe and he created us. The reality in which we live is God’s creation. You might say it is his story and he wrote us into his story.

Who are we?

We are part of God’s creation. Were it not for God wanting us to exist, we would not exist. He calls us his “masterpiece” (Ephesians 2:10). We—each and every one of us—are loved by God. Our body is made of matter, but we are more than merely matter. God created us with a body and a soul. He gave us a mind with the capacity to know things. Although we are not privy to all knowledge, we can know what we need to know for our existence here on earth. It is also important to note that God gave us a free will.

Why do we exist?

Let’s first address the question: Who is in a position to define the meaning and purpose of human life? The creator alone makes every decision about his creation. I didn’t create this universe. I didn’t create humanity. I didn’t create myself. Therefore, I am not in a position to declare the meaning and purpose of my life. No human mind was behind the creation of the universe. God, our creator (not us, the created) is the only one who can say why we were created. We can discover why God created us, but we (the created) do not get to define why we were created. What do we learn from God’s revelation to us about the over-arching reason why we were created (the purpose of our life)? God created us so we could know him and live eternally in a loving relationship with him.

What happens to us when we die?

Our body will one day die, but as noted above, we are more than just our body. Although our body will die, our soul will live forever—either in God’s presence or separated from God.

So, what does God reveal to us about why there is cancer?

The answer to this question begins with an understanding of one of our previously-mentioned God-given characteristics—our free will.

In order for us to have the capacity to love God, it is necessary that we have free will. Love always requires freedom since love cannot be forced. It must be chosen. We cannot make someone love us. We also cannot make a person want to respond in love…

I remember a time when I was a child and had done something that prompted my mother to demand I apologize to my brother. In the most sarcastic and least sincere way, I told my brother, “I’m SORRY!” Then my mother reprimanded me: “Say it like you mean it!” she said. She made me repeat those words several times until they had the sound of sincerity, but my heart was far from sincere. Love is a heart decision that can only be made with a free will.

However, free will can only exist if we are presented with at least two options. A person cannot choose to love if they are only presented with one option (the option to love). To be able to choose love, we must also have the option not to love (to be unloving). We have the capacity to love only because God gave us a free will that allows us to choose—either to love or not to love.

As pointed out by J. Warner Wallace, “Free agency is a dangerous but necessary precursor to love… A world in which love is possible would be a dangerous place. Love requires freedom.” This same principle applies to good and evil. Good is only good if the option of evil exists. Therefore, if we want a world in which love and goodness are possible, then the possibility of hate and evil must exist. Otherwise, without options and the ability to make choices, we would be mere robots, incapable of love. By God giving us the gift of free will and options, humanity has always had the ability to choose love. As C. S. Lewis noted, “[F]ree will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth living.”

So, we have free will and from the beginning of humanity we could have chosen to acknowledge who God is. That choice was available to us. We could have acknowledged him and loved him as he (our Creator) deserves. We could have given him his rightful place in our lives—resulting in the relationship with him for which we were created. But this is not how we responded to God. Sadly, all of us have missed the mark. (This is known as “sin.”) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Sin is so prevalent in our world that we have all become desensitized to it in varying degrees. We might be nonchalant about sin, denying the actual harm it causes. We may even celebrate sin. But, God takes sin very seriously. He hates sin with a passion. He understands it for what it is. Sin is the root cause of all that is wrong in us, in our relationships and in our world. In the same way that we hate cancer because of the damage and death it causes, God despises sin.

Although we have a free will and are thereby free to choose, we are not free from the consequences of our choices. When we experience something undesirable like cancer, pain, suffering, or death (or we witness others going through these experiences), these are all natural consequences of sin—sometimes our own sin, sometimes the sin of others, sometimes the source of the sin is not evident to us—it is simply part of living in a world that is infested with sin, a world that is broken in every way.

So, here we are on planet Earth. Things are not as they should be. Not as they could have been. Not as we wish they were. Deep down we know this is not how life was meant to be—we feel it. Cancer feels wrong. Pain and suffering feel wrong. Death feels wrong. Because all of this is wrong. This is not what God wanted for us.

God is not to blame for the world we have created as a result of our wrong choices. Had we never sinned, there would be no such thing as cancer, pain, suffering and death. Had we never sinned, Jesus’ death on the cross would not have happened. If Jesus had stepped into a world where we had chosen to genuinely love God he would have been worshipped and celebrated by all of humanity instead of rejected, tortured and crucified. We would have eternally known and enjoyed life as it was meant to be.

 The way back to the relationship with God for which we were created…

 Jesus said…

“I am the way, the truth and the life.”  (John 14:6)

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

 In the world in which we now live, although sin (and sin’s consequences) will never be fully eradicated, nor will any person ever become totally sinless (I John 1:8), God who is merciful and loves us invites us to return to Him. God provided a way for us to be restored to the relationship with him for which we were created.

Two thousand years ago Jesus (who is God in human form) entered our world. He came to live among us. He taught us many truths, he showed us what a sinless life looks like, and he ministered to the needs of many. But his primary purpose for coming was to make it possible for us to be reconciled to himself.

When Jesus came, he knew how mankind would respond to him. He knew he would be killed. Yet, he came willingly. Knowing that his crucifixion was soon to come, Jesus made this statement referring to his life: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and take it up again.” (John 10:18). He carried out his mission. Jesus’ death not only exposed sin for what it is, most importantly, his death atoned for the sins of mankind.

What prompted Jesus to willingly sacrifice his life for us? Romans 5:8 answers this question: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The good news is that Jesus’ crucifixion is not how his story ends—and hopelessness for our sinful condition need not be how the story of our lives end!

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  (I Corinthians 15:54-55)

Three days after his crucifixion, Jesus was resurrected. His resurrection confirmed that he was not just another human, not just a prophet. He is who he claimed to be—God—our God—the One without whom we would not exist. This is the event on which Christianity is based.

Through Jesus’ finished work on the cross as payment for our sins, and through his resurrection which brought victory over sin and death, Jesus made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and freed from the power of sin, to be reconciled to God, to walk with him here and now, and be with him eternally. God made all of this possible for us. (This is known as the gospel–the “good news”).

Maybe you’re wondering, “How can this possibility become a reality for me?  How can I be reconciled to God?”

Believe

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

What does it mean to “believe” in him? When you believe in Jesus you accept who he is and the gospel message as truth. You also have and express faith, confidence, and trust in him.

Repent

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)

You confess to God that you are a sinner. You repent by being sorry for your sins. You want to change directions—to turn from your sins and to Jesus who forgives you, saves you, and shows you the way to true life.

Profess

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10: 9-10)

What are you to profess? Your faith that “Jesus is Lord.” In saying this, you are acknowledging that it is your desire to yield to him, even when his ways conflict with what you would normally think, say and do. You understand that he, your Creator, knows what is best—what is good and right and just. You are committing to follow him, even when it is not easy. To whom will you profess this? You will want to let people know about your decision. You will want to acknowledge to others that Jesus is your Lord. But your first profession will be to God in prayer.

The choice is yours. What will you choose?

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” (Author Unknown)

I’ll never forget a statement Billy Graham made many years ago as he stood in the center of a packed stadium: “A hundred years from now, none of us will be here.” Whether you are in your teens and likely have many years ahead, or you are in your later years—no one is promised tomorrow. We are here on earth for a short while and then we’re not. But the end of your earthly life is not the end of you. Your soul will live on—either in God’s presence or separated from God.

We have free will. God wants us to be in a loving relationship with him, but he will not force us into a relationship with him against our will. Love cannot be forced. It must be chosen. Some will choose to just not think about any of these deeper questions that life presents us with. But, as author Claire Cloninger said, “If we choose not to choose, even then we are choosing. In effect, we are choosing to let life choose for us.” And, if we let this life choose for us, the default setting in today’s world would likely draw us away from God, not toward him.

Here’s the reality…

Either Christianity is true or it is not. If it is true, the implications of that fact make this the most important decision you will ever make. As C. S. Lewis said, “Christianity if false is of no importance, if true of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” And, the evidence for Christianity being the best explanation for the context of our existence is overwhelmingly convincing when sincerely examined.

What is our origin? Who are we? Why do we exist? And, what happens to us when we die? There are explanations for all of these questions that totally align with reality. Reality is truth, and the answers to these questions have been revealed to us by the one who lived on earth 2000 years ago—who described himself as “the truth.” His name is Jesus. He loves you. Will you love him?

May the choice you make allow you to proclaim these words from Galatians 2:20… “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

 

by Vicki Lynn Gordy

Vicki’s book, A Heart for God: Loving God with Your Whole Heart, can be found at heartforgod.org. (A Heart for God is a Free eBook—available in English and Spanish)

Chapters include:  Truth / Reasons to Believe God Exists / Reasons to Believe the Bible is Reliable / Reasons to Believe Jesus is Who He Claimed to Be / What God is Like / God’s Relationship with Mankind / You Are Invited / Walking with God

Vicki has had breast cancer twice—in 2014, and 2026. Various breast cancer information can be found on her website: vickigordy.com/Breast Cancer.