Why Is the World in Such a Mess?

The Creator’s Character

The scriptures affirm that the Creator is entirely fair, upright, and faithful. One ancient prophet described His actions as perfect and His ways as just, without a trace of injustice. Another writer portrayed Him as deeply compassionate and merciful. Wrongdoing does not originate from God, nor does He cause it.

A first-century disciple clarified that trials do not come from God. He is not tempted by evil, and He does not tempt anyone to do wrong. God does not lure people into corrupt acts. So where does the blame lie for the harm we see?

Where the Blame Lies

Part of the responsibility rests with us. That same disciple wrote that people are drawn out by their own desires. Desire can grow into sin, and sin leads to death. We often act on cravings that pull us away from what is right.

We also bear the burden of inherited sin. It stirs wrong urges, intensifies their pull, and leads to painful outcomes. That inherited flaw has ruled the human family like a king, pushing us toward harmful choices that ripple outward. Corrupt individuals can influence others, too, teaching and pressuring them into the same destructive path.

The main source of wickedness is Satan. He introduced evil into our world. The Messiah called him the wicked one and the ruler of this present world—that is, flawed human society. Most people unknowingly follow his lead, ignoring God’s good ways. One inspired letter says, “the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one.” Another record says Satan and his spirits mislead the entire earth, bringing trouble and grief. When we look at the scale of suffering in the world today, we can see why much of the blame rests on him!

There’s another cause of hardship we often overlook: time and unforeseen events. The Messiah once spoke of a disaster where a tower fell and killed eighteen people. They weren’t worse than others—they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Similar accidents still happen. A loose brick can fall and strike a passerby. Illness can strike a home without warning. A family can lose a parent in a moment. These are not punishments from God. They are tragic, unplanned events in a broken world.

God does not cause suffering. He intends to clear the earth of wickedness and those who cling to it. Through the Anointed One, He will undo the works of Satan. The greedy, hateful system we see today will pass away. He will wipe away every tear, ending pain and sorrow. We might ask why He hasn’t done this already. The answer begins with the story of the first man and woman.

An Issue That Touched Everyone

Early in human history, an event raised a profound question about God Himself. It wasn’t a small matter, and it couldn’t be settled instantly.

The Creator made the first man and woman perfect and placed them in a garden paradise. He gave them a priceless gift that set them apart from animals: free will. They could choose to love, serve, and obey their Maker—or choose independence, ignoring His guidance.

To give them a chance to show love for Him, God set one clear limit. They could eat from every tree in the garden except one. If they ate from that tree, they would surely die that day. Their future—and the good of their family—rested on that choice.

The account says that Satan used a serpent as a voice. He asked the woman whether God had really set such a limit. When she repeated the command, Satan said she would not die. He claimed their eyes would be opened, that they would be like God, knowing good and bad for themselves. The fruit looked appealing. She ate and gave some to her husband beside her, and he ate too. They misused their freedom and crossed the only boundary they had.

This was no small act. Satan denied what God had said. He implied that humans didn’t need their Maker to decide what is good or bad. He challenged the rightness of God’s rule. The question raised was the legitimacy of God’s sovereignty. How would God respond?

Why Was Time Needed?

God could have removed the three rebels at once—Satan, the man, and the woman. He certainly had the power. But power wasn’t the issue. Satan wasn’t claiming to be stronger. He claimed that God didn’t have the right to rule or that His way of ruling wasn’t the best.

All free creatures were affected by that claim. They needed to see that free will must be used within the moral and spiritual limits set by the Creator—just as we must respect physical laws like gravity. Step off a roof, and we fall. Ignore God’s guidance, and we get hurt. Everyone needed time to witness the results of a path apart from God—to see the truth with their own eyes.

Think of two fathers. If they argue over who is stronger, they can lift stones and settle it quickly. But if the question is which father truly loves his children and runs the better home, strength proves nothing. Words also fall short. Time must pass. People must watch, compare, and judge the outcome.

What the Years Have Shown

Thousands of years have passed since Satan raised that challenge. What has history shown?

He told the woman she would not die. That claim, in effect, called God a liar. If God were untrue in that warning, how could anyone trust anything else He said? The years have answered. The first couple aged, felt pain, and died. Their children inherited mortality. Death spread to us all. Time has revealed Satan as a liar and God as the God of truth!

Satan also made a tempting claim: that humans could decide good and bad on their own, that their eyes would open, and they would be like God. He sold independence as the better way. Has that promise held up?

Empires have risen and fallen. We’ve tried kings, councils, parliaments, dictatorships, and everything in between. We’ve made great advances in science and technology. Yet people still hurt one another. Long ago, a wise observer wrote that people rule people to their harm. Another wrote that it doesn’t belong to a person to direct their own steps. History supports those words. Without God’s guidance, we drift—and our talents become tools for greed, pride, and violence.

What This Means for Us

The time allowed has answered the challenge against God’s rule. The Creator is the rightful Sovereign of the universe. His way is not only lawful—it is good, kind, and wise. Those close to Him in the heavens praise Him for bringing all things into existence and upholding them by His will.

Where do we stand on His rule? Do we accept His right to guide us? If we do, we show it by living by the wisdom in His Word. God is love, and His commandments spring from love—not harshness. He does not withhold anything good from us.

We can trust Him with all our hearts. We can look to Him in all our ways, not to our own limited insight. When we do, He makes our paths straight—one step at a time.