Erdélyi Pál: Jó-e a világ vagy rossz?
The author explores the question, based on Scripture, of the basis for the Christian view that the world is evil and wicked. The most important message of the Old Testament is that the heavens and the earth are the creation of a loving God, that is, they are God’s good works and that God created all things for good. However, the Old Testament also speaks of the created world coming under judgement and God creating a new heaven and a new earth. That is, the world created for good is corrupted because of man’s sin. The New Testament also supports the idea of the beginning and end of the world. In the text under scrutinyi, however, the world no longer means the universe, but rather man, or more precisely the human world. This, according to the New Testament, is not good, but rather “wickedness” (1. John 5:19). The world is therefore nothing other than the sinful entity of humankind, rebellious against God. However, the Scriptures are not about the world, but about the works of God. And so the world is the object of God’s love (John 3,16), and Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world.
Keywords: world, goodness, creation, sin, redemption, cosmos, aion