Is Illness Part of Divine Purpose?

 

Engineer Ong Geok Soo, my dear brother-in-law, who works in Singapore asked me this question in his WhatsApp Chat:  

My dear brother doctor,

I am confused and is begging for your wisdom. Are people getting sick is part of the divine plan? If so, finding a cure for it is going against the divine plan?

-          OGS

That’s a very challenging and profound question for me to field.  Let me try to explore it thoughtfully, balancing the perspectives from theology and medicine.

I think there is theological perspective of a divine plan for sickness in this question. Many religious traditions, including Christianity, believe that God has a divine plan for all creation. Within this framework, sickness is often viewed as part of the fallen world, a consequence of human imperfection and the introduction of sin (Genesis 3). However, interpretations of the purpose of sickness and its relation to the divine plan can vary.

We can ask, if sickness as part of the fallen world.  In Christian theology, sickness, suffering, and death entered the world due to the Fall of Man (Genesis 3), marking a divergence from God’s original intention for a perfect creation. These afflictions are seen not as part of God's ultimate design but as a result of human disobedience and the brokenness of the world. We can look at sickness as trials and tribulations for spiritual growth.  Some view sickness as a trial that can lead to spiritual growth. It is sometimes interpreted as an opportunity to trust God more deeply, to build perseverance, or even to bring people closer to the divine. Suffering may test and refine individuals, leading them toward a more profound understanding of their faith (James 1:2-4).

We look at God as Healer:

 The Bible also speaks of God’s healing power. Jesus performed miracles of healing (Matthew 4:23), and scripture often emphasizes God’s desire to restore health and well-being. In this light, curing diseases or seeking remedies may be seen as affiliated with divine will, rather than contradicting it.

The question my brother-in-law asked, is finding a cure going against the divine plan? I think of healing as part of God’s Plan. Many theologians would argue that seeking a cure for illness is not going against the divine plan but is actually part of it. In Christianity, for instance, believers are called to exercise compassion, care, and healing for one another. Jesus’ ministry is filled with acts of healing, showing that caring for the sick is deeply aligned with God’s character.

There is also the element of human agency and co-creation. By this I mean God endowed humans with intelligence, creativity, and the ability to seek solutions to problems, including disease. Many believe that medical advancements and healing practices are an extension of God’s gift of wisdom and ingenuity to humanity. Theologians often speak of humans as co-creators with God, tasked with improving life and alleviating suffering.

Role of Medicine: 

There is also the role of medicine.  Medicine, from this view, can be seen as a tool through which divine healing is manifested. Cures, treatments, and advances in medical science could be viewed as God working through human beings to alleviate the consequences of the fallen world. The pursuit of a cure, therefore, is not contradictory to divine will but a fulfilment of humanity's role in caring for creation.

Another aspect to consider is the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human free will. In many religious traditions, it’s believed that while God may allow sickness and suffering as part of the world’s brokenness, He also gives humans free will to respond to such situations. Seeking healing is a moral duty. Humans are moral agents, and seeking cures for diseases can be seen as fulfilling a moral responsibility to care for one another. In this light, finding cures is not resisting God’s plan but participating in His plan by acting out of love and compassion for others.

Holistic Health: 

We can integrate prayer and medicine together holistically.  Many people see no conflict between faith in God’s will and the use of medicine. Prayer and medical treatment often go hand in hand. Healing, whether through divine intervention or medical discovery, is often seen as part of God’s plan for restoring the brokenness of the world. In modern times, the balance between faith and medicine is often seen in religious institutions that run hospitals, clinics, and medical research centres. These institutions view their work not as contradicting the divine plan, but as fulfilling a mission to heal and serve in God’s name. Medicine is often seen as a gift from God to be used wisely to alleviate suffering.

There exist also Divine Providence and human action. By this I mean while faith teaches that God is ultimately in control, human action—including medical research and treatment like I did during my 40 years of working life is seen as part of how divine providence unfolds for me.  The search for a cure becomes a means through which God works to restore health and wholeness.

Faith Healing:

Other traditions in medicine are faith in healing. Many religious traditions also maintain that healing can come through prayer, divine intervention, and miracles. In such cases, medical cures are often seen as complementary to faith-based healing rather than opposing it. From the philosophical point of view, we ask, does sickness have a purpose? In answering that, some theologians and philosophers grapple with whether sickness has a purpose within the divine plan. There are two general viewpoints that arise:

Sickness as meaningless suffering.  Some believe that sickness is simply part of living in an imperfect world. It is not "planned" by God in the sense that it is willed upon individuals, but it is allowed because of the fallen state of creation. From this viewpoint, healing (whether through divine intervention or human effort) is always part of the ultimate good.

Second, sickness as a mystery.  Others see sickness as part of a divine mystery, where human beings cannot always understand God’s purposes. While sickness can seen as arbitrary or cruel, faith often calls individuals to trust that God’s plans, even when not understood, are ultimately for good (Romans 8:28). God works in ways we cannot fully understand.  From this perspective, seeking healing is not resisting God’s plan but trusting that God works through both suffering and healing.

Thus, the question my brother asked, is finding a cure going against the Divine Plan?

My best answer is, finding a cure for sickness is not generally seen as going against the divine plan in most theological interpretations. Instead, it is often viewed as part of human stewardship and compassionate action, in tune with the spiritual call to alleviate suffering and promote healing.

The existence of illness can be understood as part of the brokenness of the world, but the response—whether through prayer, medical intervention, or compassionate care—reflects the divine qualities of love, mercy, and healing. (I shall write about Love and Charity later)

In this way, faith and medicine work together, and human efforts to cure diseases are seen as participating in God’s ongoing work to restore creation to its intended wholeness.

I hope this clarifies with God Guidance

Brother JB