Why Are There So Many Problems in the World?

Recent events have caused us to pay close attention to the current situation in the world. Newspapers are full of bad news, and prisons are full of criminals. Society is corrupt, people are suffering from sickness and poverty, and we are riding on an economic rollercoaster. Intelligent people try to tackle these problems, but everywhere we look there are more problems. Why are there so many problems in the world, and what is the solution to these problems?

This surely is a big issue, and one that concerns many thoughtful people. We first have to realise what the real root of every problem is. Satan rebelled against God (Ezekiel 28:12-17) and deceived man so that sin entered into the human race through Adam (Romans 5:12). Just as we inherited genes from our parents, so we also inherited sin from Adam. There is no man who does not sin (Romans 3:23; 1 Kings 8:46), and from sin comes death (1 Corinthians 15:22). Now the whole world lies in the evil one (1 John 5:19) and is manipulated and abused by him. God loves man, but Satan hates man and has brought afflictions such as wars, natural disasters, man-made calamities, and all kinds of diseases to the world (Revelation 12:12).

But the good news is that God has already prepared the solution to all these problems. This solution is Christ in His two comings. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:14). On the cross Christ dealt with our inward sin, the gene of sin, by becoming sin on our behalf and condemning sin in the flesh; and He also dealt with our outward sins by bearing them on our behalf to satisfy God’s righteous requirement (Romans 8:3-4). Because of this we can receive a new life, and are regenerated with the gene of God (1 Peter 1:3).

Christ settled the problem of sin in His first coming; however, at that time He did not touch any social, political or environmental problems. It may have been a surprise that He did not proclaim Himself as king or try to overthrow the Romans, even though He had the power to do so (John 6:15). This shows that His purpose was to save man. When man is saved in Christ, spontaneously many other problems are solved (Romans 5:10). In Christ there is no distinction of status or discrimination of race (Colossians 3:11).

Although we see sin itself still causing problems in the world, this does not mean that God is oblivious to these problems or that we must find a way to solve them by ourselves. The problems of this world will be fully dealt with in Christ’s second coming. The book of Isaiah tells us that when He comes, He will settle injustice, wars, sickness, and famine. In the new heaven and new earth, there will be no death, tears, sorrow, crying, pain or suffering (Revelation 21:4; 7:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:54).

All of our hope rests in the coming of our Lord. When He comes, all problems will be solved. Instead of focusing on problems, we can turn our eyes upon Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). He has already taken care of the problem of sin and today we can receive Him as our Saviour and as our new life. To do so, simply open your heart to the Lord and pray:

“Lord Jesus Christ,
I need you to solve all my problems.
Thank You for dying to save me.
I open to receive You as my new life.
Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

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