What’s Wrong with the World?
In a world of unprecedented progress and global awareness, our planet still faces deep-rooted problems. Deep-down, many of us sense that we live in a broken world. From war and injustice to personal struggles and moral confusion, it’s clear that something is deeply wrong with the world. Humanity has made incredible advances in technology, medicine, and communication—yet conflict, suffering, and division persist.
Statistically our world is not getting better – but it is getting worse. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 1 billion people worldwide now suffer from a mental health disorder, and suicide rates among teens and young adults had risen to over 700000 suicides in 2021 alone.
We live in a world where more than 60 million unborn babies are dehumanized and aborted globally every year.
In the world there is rising divorce rates, declining birth rates, and the breakdown of traditional family structures all over the world.
There is a continuous increase in pornography consumption, human trafficking, substance abuse and human violence.
Furthermore, we notice the normalization of previously taboo or harmful behaviors, often promoted and reflected in entertainment and social media. So value systems and general personal character of humanity continues to worsen in its depravity.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 says: But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Many people search for answers in politics, science, social justice or philosophy with the belief that these worldviews will eventually solve the problems in this world.
However, from a biblical perspective, the root issue is far deeper. Neither politics, science, philosophy or technology can solve the problems in this world.
The Bible teaches that the core problem is spiritual: humanity’s broken relationship with God due to sin.
Romans 3:10-12 says: As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Romans 3:23 says: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
We are all born with a sin nature and we fall short of meeting God’s perfect standards of morality, holiness and righteousness. The sin that is inside us and part of us around the world is the root cause of why our world is broken.
The Effects of Sin on the World
Sin is when we rebel against God by breaking God’s laws or commandments. Humanity’s sin began with the fall of man in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Therefore because of the sin of Adam, all of humanity after Adam became sinners or inherited a sin nature from Adam.
Romans 5:12 says: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
Since the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the problem of sin has had a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual impact on both humanity and the entire world.
- Sin brought rebellion and separation from God, leading to broken relationships, suffering and death (Genesis 3:1-24).
- From sicknesses, natural disasters and climate problems, there is a sense of natural disorder in the world because creation itself is groaning under the curse (Romans 8:20-22).
- People are inclined to choose evil over good (Jeremiah 17:9)
- People choose to worship themselves and follow false idols instead of the true living God who formed all of creation.
- The whole world is under the sway and influence of satan and demonic influences that deceive and tempt humanity (2 Corinthians 4:4)
- Humans reject God’s authority and want to live by their own failing value systems and standards which result in confusion, chaos and moral relativism.
The Solution for the World According to Scripture
The eternal solution to the problems of this world is not found in technology, philosophy, religion, social justice or politics. Our solution is found in a Person – Jesus Christ.
The Gospel presents Jesus Christ as the only solution to a broken world because only Christ offers and eternal solution and presents Himself as the One who can totally remove sin, mend our broken relationship with God and give us eternal life.
John 3:16-17 says: “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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
In John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
1 Timothy 2:3-5 says: This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Since sin has eternal consequences to humanity – God took the form of flesh by becoming a man and living with us as a human being (John 1:1-4; John 1:14). As Jesus Christ this God-man lived the perfect life we should have lived. He obeyed all the laws of God on our behalf.
Christ also taught us the will of God through His sinless life and teachings. He then became our perfect sacrifice by paying the debt for sin that we could not pay with our own merit or works. Christ was crucified and shed His blood on the cross as payment for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him and receives Him through faith as Lord and Savior will have eternal life in the presence of God.
Jesus then resurrected from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion, to prove that He had conquered death and that He alone is the Giver of eternal life to all who believe in Him.
So through Christ’s death and resurrection those who believe in Him are forgiven, reconciled and transformed (2 Corinthians 5:17).
God wants humanity to be saved from the eternal consequences of sin. He offers salvation as a free gift through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). So Jesus paid our penalty for sin so that we can receive salvation for free and not by our personal merit or works.
When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, our relationship with God becomes restored because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. So the world is broken because of sin, spiritual rebellion and rejection of God – but ultimately the world can only be restored through faith in Jesus Christ.
