"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." (Acts 11:26)
In the beginning, God created this world perfect. He created humans to fellowship and be unified with but sin invaded this plan; eventually pushing humans further and further away from God. Therefore, since God is absolutely fair and sin must be punished, He committed this world to death. The curse of this world is the perfect response of a Holy God to the awful rebellion of Adam, Eve, and eventually all of mankind that descended from them. The Bible says that there is nothing physical in this world that can help and, up to themselves, humans have no power to avert the total destruction to which them and this world are heading. However, the Bible also says that God has not given up on His rebellious people but understands and is willing to solve the problem.
People with a material focus looks at this world and are disturbed. All the natural disasters and diseases, all the hate and injustice, all the death and decay is repelling. Not only are they trying desperately to survive, but the anguish and chaos deeply disturbs them emotionally and intellectually. They cannot explain why things are so bad and they have no satisfactory answers. In addition, they experience great frustration because none of their material achievements give them lasting fulfillment. They never find the deep happiness they seek. They hurt but cannot take away the pain; nevertheless, they are compelled to do something to find relief.
Some try to immerse themselves in the pleasures of this world; not just because they want to satisfy their lust, but also because they want to postpone thinking about the suffering and sadness. They hope that somehow things will work out or that their future death will bring some unconscious blankness. Their temporary solutions take many forms.
While some abandon themselves to the base of lust and are driven by the selfish pursuit of money, drugs, sex, and any other physical gratification that answers the call to "get all you can now," others fill their lives on an elevated desire for personal achievement. They are driven by the prideful pursuit of intellectual or artistic acclaim, by the gratification of athletic excellence, or by the self-confidence of hard work that results in accumulated possessions. Some people are consumed by a mindless zeal for "any ideology." They are driven by the self-righteous and ruthless dedication to a political or religious ideal. In a shallow, temporary way, these people achieve their goal through these different desperate solutions. For a while, taking one of these easy ways out numbs them from their sharp disappointment in this world. However, even as they keep themselves busy physically, they experience moments of fear and insecurity. They know that something is terribly wrong, and they're afraid.
Some people with a material focus look at the world and find it quite unsatisfactory. However, instead of surrendering, they try to find the solutions themselves. They courageously wrestle with the meaning and purpose of this world boldly trying to find answers. Some of them conclude that this world is evil and seek to appease or trick God through mysteries and ceremonies; while others conclude that this world is neither evil nor good, and that such moral statements are irrelevant. They think that situations, which seem bad, are just part of a random process of the universe that just happens to temporarily work against them. Some even go as far as to say that the world itself is an illusion and that pain and sorrow are part of our mental perception, which have no reality. Relief for them is found in releasing their mind from this physical existence and achieving a greater level of consciousness. Some conclude, with some merit, that this wicked world must be cast aside for a better one to come but still true to their material focus; they look forward for another perfect material world. They hope for a sort of second chance in another Garden of Eden. Some of the solutions people invent can be quite sophisticated, but they are all just as vain and hopeless as the way of those who abandon themselves to their lust.
God has all the answers in the sense that He helps us understand the misery of this world through His Holy Word. He also has the answers in the sense that He has provided the solution for our misery through His gift of salvation, which has the power to heal His injured people. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thes. 5:9) He has not provided many different solutions for the multiple of mankind's problems. Instead, He offers us one all-sufficient solution as the answer to every problem.
Salvation is the answer to the people who see the destruction and decay in this world and underestimate God's power. These are a bitter and disappointed people. Salvation is the answer to the people who feel that this physical world holds all the answers to their needs. These are a self-satisfied people. Salvation is the answer to the people who are confused by the chaos and evil of this world. These are a fearful people. Unfortunately, most of these people do not see salvation as hope because they are people with a material focus and salvation is spiritual.
Today, the word Christian has been seriously corrupted. It has been pulled and stretched to cover the whole civilized world. Often it has been misused, misapplied, misunderstood, and misappropriated. Many call themselves Christians who have no claim to the name at all. While some say, "All civilized people are Christians," others suppose this word includes Gentiles and excludes Hebrews. On the contrary, there are many Jewish-Christians; and sad to say, there are many Gentiles who are not Christians at all. The concept of Christianity has been distorted to millions who do not know the difference between mere religious profession and true spiritual regeneration.
A Christian is a truly spiritual person who looks at the world and, though saddened, not overwhelmed or consumed by sorrow. We know that salvation is the answer of God to overcome all that is evil. We see in salvation the power of God to overcome sin and death. Why do we have this confidence? A Christian trusts in God's own Word, The Bible, for all the answers. The Bible faces the sin and trauma of this world squarely and honestly. It concludes that the wages of sin due to us came upon Jesus Christ, that, in return, the good due to Jesus may be offered to us. God is able to offer this without compromising His own eternal justice because Jesus has already endured on our behalf all the just punishment due for our sins. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Amazingly, God can make things right again. However, there is another amazing truth to be found and that is, His plan includes the creation of a whole new spiritual Kingdom; united and in fellowship with God. These things are a delight to a Christian. We are Joyful, not just because we live in the new world but we are happy to be part of God's plan. Our focus is let God's will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Through faith and submission, He gives us with His Holy Spirit in preparation for His new world to come. And in His Spirit we can unite with Him until we are fully in His presence. God has a spiritual concern for the souls of His people and this concern results in His Gospel promise of salvation. If you would like to receive it, salvation is just a call away. "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe with your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)