What's wrong with the world? Why can't we have world without evil and suffering?
What if someone said, "I don't think there are any good movie directors, because all the movies I see are lousy." That's a somewhat logical argument, right?
The argument implies that good movies are possible.
That's just the sort of argument that's often used to discount the existence of God. People will say, "I don't believe in a God, because this world is so awful." The implication, whether the person realizes it or not, is that a good world is possible.
A good world?
So, how do we arrive at that good world? Through evolution? In an evolutionary model, we are supposed to be improving. Maybe, if we evolve long enough, we will finally have a good movie. But if we are improving, why do we have more wars, more crime, more injustice, more divorce, more abuse? In a way, our movie seems to be getting worse, not better.
Maybe that's the truth we don't like to face. We can't usher in a good world, because we are bad movie directors. We are flawed, sinful beings. Greater intelligence and technology do not solve the problem of evil, crime, greed, and deceit. The human heart is the problem, no matter how much we "evolve." We are self-centered and self-promoting -- which evolution (survival of the fittest) actually encourages.
Questions about this world
One question to ask is, is this world pleasing to God? The Bible tells us that "all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."1 The world runs on lust of the flesh ("I need that"), lust of the eyes ("I want that"), and the boastful pride of life ("I'm special; I deserve that"). Isn't it possible that these three attitudes are the cause of most of the problems in our world? And isn't it possible that these things are not pleasing to God?
A second question to ask is, is God fully running the show? The Bible says yes and no. God is sovereign, but he also gives us freedom to make choices. He's not policing our every thought and action. This freedom of choice can lead to a bad movie. Add to this that, while God is "the King of all the earth,"2 for some reason the Bible still calls the devil "the ruler of this world."3 So we see again that while God is sovereign, he allows for free will among beings.
A third question to ask is, is this world God's kingdom? The Bible says no. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world."4 At this moment in time, God's kingdom is invisible and spiritual. Even though he is King over all of us, not all of us have allowed him to be the King in our hearts and lives. Those who have are part of His invisible kingdom (even if they live in the world, which is not his kingdom).
The good world...
So God's actual movie hasn't been shown yet. But there will come a day when "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ."5 In that day, we'll see a much better movie, for a better director will be manning the helm. God has plans for a better world, and it won't look anything like this one. He is a good movie director. Here's a sneak preview:
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."6
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