Humankind can never “save the world.” There are many reasons, but the most obvious is because no one can agree what the “perfect” world should look like. Is it a Christian world, a Muslim world, a secular world?

Can imperfect humans create anything perfect?

Simply put, no.

God never asked us to create a perfect world, because only a perfect being can create perfection anyway.

What then, is our job if not make the world a better place—assuming we could even agree what “better” looks like?

The answer is as simple as it is difficult:

And [Jesus] said to [the disciples], “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:15-16 (ESV)

Bit of a swerve: I could have stopped at verse 15, so why did I include verse 16 which says those who don’t believe will be condemned?

Because the Good News Jesus expects all believers to proclaim must include the warning of what happens if someone refuses to accept Jesus and his sacrifice. If we don’t, we will pay an even greater price (see Ezekiel 3:16-21).

So while we’re not expected to save this world, God does expect us to fill the new world with those who might otherwise never see it.