Are we too hard on the world? After all, isn’t there good in the world? What should be the proper perspective of a true follower of Jesus Christ?

Perspective

What does the Bible teach about the state of the world? Did Jesus and the apostles believe the world was all bad? 

When Christ came He did not come doing His own will or speaking His own words. He came bearing the words and fulfilling the will of the His Father in heaven (John 14:10; 5:30). Jesus admonished His disciples to believe the word of God to become truly free: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’" (John 8:31-32).

Jesus was the word of God incarnate—in the flesh. Later, He taught them the definition of truth: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The words of God expressed in the Bible are truth! Through Scripture, God reveals things we could not otherwise know. The Bible was given by divine revelation as God’s servants were inspired and moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).

The two trees

There were two trees in the garden of Eden—one was called the Tree of Life and the other the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. One pictured revealed knowledge from God, which would lead to life. The other represented good and bad knowledge acquired by human self-discovery and would ultimately lead to death.

In Genesis chapter three, Moses was inspired to record the incident when Adam and Eve took of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God had warned them not to take of the fruit of this forbidden tree in Genesis 2:16-17: “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

Not all knowledge man has discovered is bad; there is some good. Music is an illustration of this. Some of the music man has developed is inspiring and uplifting, but other music can express the evil characteristics of human beings and degrade human behavior. Some discoveries of science serve the needs of many people. On the other hand, those same discoveries may be used to develop weapons to kill people in wars. Some plants we might discover can be used to help make people well, but others can be used for poison and cause illness or even death. 

Are there decent people in the world? Yes, there are those who strive to live worthwhile lives and strive to be good citizens. There are many who call themselves “Christians.” However, do they truly obey God’s laws and follow Christ? Not really—they do not completely follow Jesus Christ’s words and keep His laws. Should we hate them and the rest of humanity? We certainly do not hate anyone. What we hate is sin and evil, not the sinner.

What did Jesus say about the world?

The Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save it, but He also said the words of God will judge us if we reject what He said (John 3:16; 12:47-48)! Later He prayed to the Father:

“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:13-16).

Jesus said His followers are not of this world. The Bible warns us to come out of the world, which means to cease rejecting what God says we are to do, and break off from being a part of this world and its ungodly ways. Jesus told His disciples, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:16).

What did the apostles write about the world?

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18: “Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.’”

John, as the last survivor of the of the original apostles, wrote: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

Woe to us as God’s called-out ones, His church, if we are not a watchman to warn this world (Ezekiel 33:1-9). It is our duty through the preaching of the gospel of the coming kingdom of God to witness to and warn the world to repent (Matthew 24:14). This is what we are actively doing in the United Church of God! 

As prophesied, in the last days the world will be going through turbulent times. God doesn’t desire to see anyone who wants to worship Him perish. Revelation 18:4 implores and warns us to heed Him: “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’”