why does the world feel broken?
Few things capture our attention like the natural world.
Its beauty can stop us in our tracks. A sunset that feels almost sacred. The precision of seasons. The complexity of life itself. Across time, cultures, and continents, humanity has stood before the world and asked the same questions.
Where did this come from?
Why does it exist?
And what does that mean for us?
The Bible begins by offering a clear and confident answer. It tells us the world was created by one God, intentionally and purposefully. Not by chance. Not by competing forces. And not by a distant power uninterested in His creation.
The opening words of Scripture are simple and direct:
“In the beginning, God created.”
This statement sets the tone for everything that follows. Creation is not accidental. It is not chaotic. It is not meaningless. It is the result of intention.
created for relationship
According to the Bible, humanity was created differently from everything else. People were made in God’s image, designed not only to live in the world, but to know the One who made it.
The early chapters of Genesis describe a world that is whole. God walks with humanity. There is trust, purpose, and peace. Work has meaning. Relationships are unbroken. Creation itself is described as “very good.”
This matters.
The Bible does not begin with anger, judgment, or rules. It begins with goodness and relationship. With a God who desires connection.
But that is not the world we experience today.
Something changed.
what went wrong?
The Bible describes rebellion entering the story early. Humanity chooses independence over trust. Instead of receiving wisdom from God, people decide to define good and evil on their own terms.
This choice fractures everything.
The relationship between God and humanity is broken. Fear replaces trust. Shame enters the human experience. Relationships between people begin to unravel. Even creation itself bears the weight of the rupture.
The stories that follow feel familiar because they feel painfully human.
Adam and Eve hide.
Cain becomes jealous and violent.
Human pride leads to division and scattering.
The Bible does not sanitize these moments. It does not rush past them or explain them away. It presents them honestly, as real events with real consequences. And yet, it refuses to tell this story as though rebellion is the end.
Something unexpected happens next.
Judgment, mercy, and the beginning of hope
God does not ignore what has gone wrong. Rebellion matters because it destroys what He loves. The Bible is clear that actions have consequences.
And yet, God does not abandon humanity.
After Adam and Eve disobey, God removes them from the garden, but He also clothes them. After Cain murders his brother, God confronts him, yet marks him for protection. After violence spreads across the earth, God brings judgment through the flood, but preserves life through Noah and his family.
Judgment and mercy appear side by side.
This distinction is important.
Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. Again and again, God restrains judgment. He limits destruction. He preserves life when the story could have ended.
Mercy explains why Genesis does not end in chapter three.
But mercy is not the whole story.
grace quietly enters the scene
Grace is different from mercy.
Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve.
It is unmerited favor. Relationship initiated by God, not earned by humanity.
In these early chapters, grace is not yet fully visible, but it is quietly forming. It shows up in God’s continued presence. In His willingness to speak. In His refusal to walk away.
Most importantly, it appears in a promise.
In Genesis 3:15, God makes a commitment that rebellion will not have the final word. Evil will be confronted. Restoration will come. The fracture will not remain forever.
This promise becomes the thread that carries the story forward.
The Bible treats it not as a vague hope, but as a certainty waiting to unfold.
why this is relevant today
The Bible’s explanation for what went wrong is not abstract theology. It speaks directly to our lived experience.
We see beauty and brokenness existing side by side.
We long for connection, yet struggle to sustain it.
We sense that things are not the way they should be.
The Bible does not begin by telling us how to fix the world. It begins by telling us why it needs fixing.
And it insists that the problem is not merely external. The fracture runs through every human heart.
This is not meant to condemn. It is meant to clarify.
Understanding this part of the story prepares us for what comes next. Why rescue is needed. Why mercy appears before answers. Why grace will eventually stand at the center of the story.
The Bible is honest about rebellion. But it is unwavering about God’s commitment to restore what was lost.
That tension sets the stage for everything that follows.
And it invites us not just to read the story, but to recognize ourselves within it.
Paige Peacock Vanosky brings a deeply personal and communal approach to biblical teaching, influenced by her formative years under the mentorship of Dr. Buckner Fanning at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio.
Her foundational principle - drawing circles instead of lines - has shaped her ministry and led to the creation of a Bible study that embraces diverse religious perspectives. This study laid the groundwork for The 30-Minute Bible, designed to provide an objective and approachable exploration of the Bible's narratives, making the text accessible to seekers and believers from all walks of life.