Photograph: Mount Hua, China.
Question: Wasn’t the world God created “perfect”? Why, then, are there natural disasters, disease, and death? Did Adam and Eve’s sin introduce danger, animal predation, death, and defects into this world?
Answer: This is a very complex question, involving creation, humanity’s role, redemption, and the last things in Scripture. I am still working through it and would not claim to have a final answer—perhaps I never will1. I am simply sharing the latest results of my thinking. Did God actually say that this world was perfect?
The World God Created Was “Very Good,” but Not Perfect or Ultimate
Let us first look at the passage:
Genesis 1:31 (ESV 2025)
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
God saw that what he had made was “very good” (טֹ֖וב מְאֹ֑ד), but the text does not say that this world was “perfect” or ultimate. Even before human beings sinned, God did not say that the world he first created had no death2, no work, or no pain or difficulty3. Consider these passages:
Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
26 And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
28 Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,
Genesis 1:26 places this commission within God’s decision to make humanity in his image and likeness; verse 28 describes it as God’s blessing and again commands dominion over the creatures. The Chinese Revised Union Version uses terms meaning “manage” and “govern,” while the Chinese New Version uses “conquer.” The Tanakh translation uses “shall rule” (v. 26), “master,” and “rule” (v. 28), where the ESV uses “subdue.”
Genesis 2:15 (ESV 2025)
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
In Genesis 2:15, the Tanakh renders the task as “till” and “tend.” God expects human beings to act as his representatives: to exercise dominion over, subdue or master, cultivate, and care for this world. Something that needs to be subdued and managed is not already under control—it may even be dangerous4—or may become neglected and deteriorate without care. In other words, people were never meant to be idle. They were to have children, manage the earth and its creatures, work and make an effort, and face difficulties and pain along the way. This differs from the belief some hold that work or difficulty began only after human sin. Now consider God’s judgment after Adam and Eve sinned:
Genesis 3:16–22 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
16 I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
17 cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
19 for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
22 Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—
Read Genesis 3:14–24 in full. God curses the serpent above the livestock and wild animals: it will go on its belly and eat dust throughout its life. He establishes enmity between it and the woman and between their offspring, with wounds to the head and heel. The woman’s childbearing pain increases; her desire will be for her husband, who will rule over her. Because Adam listened to his wife and ate what God had forbidden, the ground is cursed: it produces thorns and thistles, and he must eat its plants through toil and sweat until he returns to the dust from which he came. Adam names his wife Eve as the mother of all living, and God clothes them in animal skins. God then sends the man out to cultivate the ground and places cherubim and a flaming, turning sword east of Eden to guard access to the tree of life.
This account shows that human beings originally faced death; they needed to eat from the tree of life to live forever. Would eating its fruit once enable them to live forever, or would they have to keep eating? The text does not answer that question. But read alongside the preceding account and 1 Corinthians 15:45–56, human bodies as first created were earthly rather than heavenly, and therefore perishable. Even a body kept alive by eating from the tree of life would still be different from the heavenly body received at the resurrection.
Some believe animal predation resulted from a curse brought about by this event. Yet in this narrative, only the serpent is cursed for its wrongdoing to eat dust throughout its life; it does not say that other animals were cursed along with it. Elsewhere, Scripture presents a positive picture of predatory animals and their dangerous qualities5. In God’s answer to Job in chapters 38–41, he evidently takes pride in the strength and untamability of his creatures and in the unpredictable forces of the weather.
God also says that this event greatly increases the woman’s pain in childbearing, which at the same time suggests that childbearing would have involved pain even without sin. Notice that the human beings are not cursed, but the ground is cursed because of the man, bringing forth thorns and thistles. Sin makes the cultivation he was already responsible for more difficult; as noted above, this does not mean that there had previously been no pain or difficulty at all. Later, after Cain kills his brother Abel, the ground where he lives is likewise affected by a curse, and he must wander elsewhere6. Yet after the great flood, God says that he will no longer curse the ground because of humanity7. We therefore cannot attribute the world’s entire condition to the events of Genesis 3.
Put simply, in the judgment described in Genesis 3, God does not say that death, natural disasters, all difficulties, danger, and so forth result entirely from Adam and Eve’s one sin. The rest of the Old Testament never mentions this event again, let alone blames them for the world’s death, natural disasters, difficulties, animal predation, and so on.
This Present World Is God’s Design, Not a Miscalculation
Consider another passage about creation:
Romans 8:19–23 (ESV 2025)
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Who subjected creation to futility? Who is “the one” (NRSV, NIV: “by the will of the one who subjected it”; ESV: “because of him who subjected it”; NASB: “because of Him who subjected it”)? Notice that the Chinese Union Version, Revised Chinese Union Version, and Chinese New Version place the “hope” that belongs to verse 20 in verse 21, making “creation” the subject of “hopes.” But in light of the Greek (οὐχ ἑκοῦσα ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὑποτάξαντα, ἐφ’ ἑλπίδι) and the major English translations, the one who hopes should be the same one who “subjected creation to futility.” In context, this should be God himself—hence the NASB’s capitalized “Him.” If it were the devil who subjected creation to futility8, he would not be hoping for creation to be freed from its bondage to corruption. Consider also the perspective of the writer of Ecclesiastes:
Ecclesiastes 3:10–14 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart,
14 God has done it, so that people fear before him.
Read Ecclesiastes 3:10–14 in full. Human beings cannot fathom God’s work from beginning to end. The writer finds nothing better than joy and doing good throughout life, and regards eating, drinking, and enjoying one’s toil as God’s gift. What God does endures forever: nothing can be added to it or taken away.
In other words, when God created everything, it was not perfect from the outset, nor was this a world in which everything went wrong because of Adam and Eve’s single mistake. The so-called “Fall” is not a biblical term, and it is never mentioned as such in the Old Testament. Christ’s coming was therefore not a remedial plan devised because human sin caught God by surprise; it was God’s plan from the beginning9. Yet God hopes for humanity to be freed from bondage to corruption, so he sent Christ to bring redemption and will renew heaven and earth when Christ returns.
The Truly Perfect World Is the Future New Heaven and New Earth, Where God Dwells with Humanity
The truly perfect world, without pain or death, appears after Jesus returns and judgment takes place, when the new heaven and new earth arrive:
Revelation 21:4 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
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,
Read Revelation 21:1–4 in full. John sees a new heaven and new earth after the first have passed away; the sea is no more. The holy city, new Jerusalem, descends from God, prepared like a bride for her husband. A voice from the throne announces that God will dwell with humanity: they will be his people, and he himself will be with them as their God. The former things have passed away.
Isaiah 11:7–9 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
7 and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;
Read Isaiah 11:6–9 in full. The wolf dwells with the lamb, the leopard lies with the young goat, and the calf, lion, and fattened calf are together, led by a little child. Cows and bears graze together, with their young lying together. A nursing child plays over a cobra’s hole and a weaned child reaches toward an adder’s den. The earth is filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Why Didn’t God Give Us a Perfect World from the Beginning? How “Good” Is This World?
How good is a world with natural disasters, disease, danger, and death? Why didn’t God give us a perfect world from the outset?
As explained above, I believe this was God’s design from the beginning. He did not leave human beings with nothing to do, but shared his rule with them so that they could manage this world, overcome difficulties, and face dangers. In doing so, they would also learn to fear him and recognize their own smallness. He gives people free will to follow him and wisdom to overcome difficulties. Virtues such as courage, love, diligence, compassion, and sacrifice develop through this process; trust in God and love for him are also demonstrated in adversity. Death prevents those who deliberately do evil from doing so forever; it also leads people to seek eternity and humble themselves before God.
My own experience climbing Mount Hua helped me understand something about the dangers posed by creation, natural disasters, and disease. Mount Hua is steep, perilous, and beautiful, but a lack of care can cost you your life. Imagine a “perfect” Mount Hua—perfect, that is, in terms of personal safety. It would have to become very low, or have protective stone or wooden railings all along the route. But even these would not stop someone climbing over them to take a photograph from the best angle. What if the barriers were high enough that even adults could not climb over them? Then they would block the beautiful view. In fact, Mount Hua’s danger is precisely part of its beauty. I saw many steps built by people long ago and marveled at their perseverance, courage, and wisdom—qualities likewise called forth by the mountain’s danger.
Similarly, the speed and strength of fierce animals such as lions are precisely their glory. Throughout history, many people who do not believe in God have nevertheless marveled at nature’s power and wonders. I thoroughly dislike cockroaches, yet they too turn out to be remarkable creatures, and the world cannot do without them10. God made a world for us to govern, but he did not ask us to wipe out all other species. Anyone familiar with how ecosystems work knows the harm this would cause. God calls people to work in this world and live responsibly, without arrogance: to care well for the world, show compassion, and give to those around them who are in need.
God also wants his creatures to participate in the process of creation. Otherwise, he would not need to command them to “be fruitful and multiply” (1:28); he could simply have created enough creatures at the outset. If the purpose is to train human beings to develop a character like God’s, this world may already be “very good.” Yet God has something better prepared: the future “new heaven and new earth” for all who believe in him and rely on him.
Conclusion
This present world is not perfect, but it is a good environment in which people can learn from God and follow him. God has given us authority to govern the earth well. We should do our best to fulfill that responsibility, continuing to protect the environment and species, treat disease, and reduce injury and loss of life. Through it all, we should also learn about God’s nature and learn to fear him, as Scripture says:
Romans 1:19–20 (ESV 2025)
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Related Questions
Are Infants and Children Sinless?
Why Did God Create the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? (Chinese)
Why Didn’t God Create the New Heaven and New Earth from the Beginning?
Are We Born Guilty Because of Adam’s Sin?
Will We Still Sin in the New Heaven and New Earth?
Was It Worth Giving Humanity Freedom If It Led to So Much Evil?
Reference Book
Death Before the Fall: Biblical Literalism and the Problem of Animal Suffering — Ronald E. Osborn; foreword by John H. Walton.
If you have other questions about the Bible or faith, you can ask them here.
Footnotes
1
Like Job’s response to God in Job 42:2–3: he acknowledges that God can do everything and that no plan of his can be thwarted. He admits that he has spoken without understanding about things too wonderful for him to know.
Job 42:3 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
3 Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
2
In fact, fossil evidence already shows that many living creatures were born, suffered disease, and became extinct before human beings appeared on earth—including the dinosaurs familiar to us.
3
The Bible does not explicitly describe the world before human sin as entirely without pain, danger, or death. Later Christian theology and literature offer many idealized depictions of Eden, a famous example being John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Such depictions should not simply be equated with the account in Genesis itself.
4
The talking serpent (3:1) was itself among the creatures Adam and Eve were to exercise dominion over, yet they ended up being tempted by it to disobey God’s command.
5
Psalms 104:21–31 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
29 when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
31 may the LORD rejoice in his works,
Read Psalm 104:21–22 in full. When the sun rises, the animals retreat to lie in their dens.
Read Psalm 104:24–31 in full. The psalm praises the LORD’s manifold works, made in wisdom, filling the earth. The great sea teems with creatures large and small; ships sail there, and Leviathan—a sea creature whose name is transliterated in the Chinese text—plays there as God made it to do. All look to God for food in its season. They gather what he gives; his open hand satisfies them. His hidden face alarms them, and taking away their breath brings death and a return to dust. When he sends his Spirit they are created, and the ground is renewed. The psalm prays for God’s enduring glory and delight in his works.
Job 38:39 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
39 Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
Read Job 38:39–41 in full. God asks about feeding lions crouching in their dens or lying in ambush, and about providing prey for ravens whose young cry to God and wander for lack of food.
6
Genesis 4:11 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
11 And now you are cursed from the ground,
Read Genesis 4:10–14 in full. God asks Cain what he has done: Abel’s blood cries out from the ground, which has received it from Cain’s hand. Cain is cursed from the ground; his cultivation will no longer bring its yield, and he must become a fugitive and wanderer. Cain protests that his punishment is more than he can bear: driven from the ground and hidden from God’s face, he fears being killed by anyone who finds him.
7
Genesis 8:21 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
21 I will never again curse the ground because of man,
Genesis 8:21 describes the LORD smelling the pleasing aroma and saying this in his heart, despite the evil intent of the human heart from youth. He also says he will not again strike down every living creature as he has done.
8
C. S. Lewis holds this view.
9
Matthew 25:34 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
34 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
In Matthew 25:34, the King invites those on his right, blessed by his Father, to inherit that kingdom.
Ephesians 1:4 (ESV 2025; excerpts)
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
10
What If There Were No Cockroaches?
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.