The Bible starts off with God creating the world, bringing Adam and Eve to life, giving them tasks and walking with them. However, in the biblical account this does not stay that way for very long. Eve deceived by the Serpent eats the fruit of the forbidden tree and Adam, knowing better, follows her lead. The result is what is historically called the Fall of humankind. There were several curses that came about due to the Fall. These curses demonstrate areas of brokenness in our world. The four areas of brokenness are:

1) Abundance: God called Adam and Eve to work the garden, through which they had abundant resources (Gen. 1:28) for their well-being. With the Fall, work has become difficult and these resources became scarce (Gen. 3:17).

2) Relationships: God created Eve as it was not good for people to live alone. We were created for fruitful relationships. With the Fall, these relationships became contentious (Gen. 3:16).

3) Creation: God created a world that was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). With the Fall, humankind’s relationship with the rest of creation became antagonistic (Gen. 3:17-19).

4) Spiritual: Adam and Eve were created to be in relationship with God. With the Fall, this relationship was injured (Gen. 3:23-24).

These four areas of brokenness can be referred to in contemporary language as our economic (the provision of goods and services to humankind), social (relationship and community with one another), environmental (creation and our relationship to it), and spiritual (our unique relationship with the triune God) parts of life. All of these areas are broken.

God is on a mission to reconcile all four of these areas of brokenness. God’s mission of reconciliation has come to us through Jesus Christ, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Christ], and through [Christ] to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:19-20).

Christ, humbly came to earth and called us to be His colleagues, in God’s mission of the reconciliation of all things, to bring forth the Kingdom of God, and to ensure that God’s will is “done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is a BIG mission and followers of Christ should be humbled that we have the privilege of participating in it.

Generally, when we talk about God’s mission, there is a focus on the spiritual aspect of the world’s brokenness, namely our fractured relationship with God Himself. Churches everywhere, rightly emphasize that Christ is the remedy for this injured relationship and through Him can come peace. May we never dismiss or underemphasize this foundational purpose for life.