Part 2 – http://www.marketfaith.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=9373&action=edit
A person’s worldview directly expresses the way they understand reality to be organized. In practical terms, this means that whatever people believe at a worldview level WILL BE expressed in their daily life.
Think of it this way: Would you act in ways that you believed, in your heart of hearts, did not reflect what is real? For instance, would you jump off of a skyscraper without a parachute? Of course not! You know that human beings don’t have a natural ability to fly. Or would you drink a bottle of poison thinking you were immune? Absolutely not! You know it would kill you. There have been people on drugs who imagined that they could fly, but when they jumped off of a building they met reality. There have been mentally deranged people who believed they could drink poison and not be harmed, and they, too, became very ill or died. In every case, you will live out your life based on what you believe is real, and will avoid attempting to live out a fantasy “as if” it is real. If you wanted to play make believe in a fantasy environment, you might dress up and role play, but you would know it was pretend, and wouldn’t actually do the things that you knew would kill you.
The core beliefs associated with the Christian faith reflect actual reality. Those beliefs can be explained by answering the three essential worldview questions based on how the Bible answers them. The three questions are:
- Who is God?
- What is a human being?
- What is salvation?
The Bible’s answers to these three questions are true, and express ultimate reality.
On the other hand, there are billions of people in the world who live life “as if” non-biblical answers to the three questions are true. And just as living in a fantasy world based on the examples above would lead to physical death, living in a fantasy world regarding faith will lead to spiritual, eternal death.
Most all Christians say they believe the Bible’s answers to the three questions above – at least they give it lip service. But interestingly, there exists a large percentage of self-identified Christians who believe other things. The well known Christian pollster, George Barna, has, once again, demonstrated this to be true based on his latest polling. While about 70% of the population of America self-identify as Christian, only 6% actually hold a biblical worldview. And even among evangelical Protestants (the group that most prominently espouses belief in the Bible), only 21% hold a biblical worldview. The truth is, even most people who self-identify as Christians hold beliefs that do not completely correspond to reality as expressed in the Bible – and they live their lives accordingly. That is why immorality of various stripes is seen among self-identified Christians nearly to the same degree as people who hold other beliefs.
How Does the Bible Answer the Three Essential Worldview Questions?
If we wish to discover the bottom line beliefs that one must hold in order to be a Christian in the way the Bible describes, it is necessary to answer the three essential worldview questions based on what is taught in the Bible. But since seemingly such a small percentage of self-identified Christians understand what that is, making this a core element of a church’s discipleship training is critical. So at this point, let’s take a look at the Bible’s answers to these questions. Obviously, in a short article like this it is not possible to give a detailed explanation of every point that defines a biblical worldview. We can at the very least, however, lay out the basics for the purpose of perspective.
1. Who is God?
General
- There is One True and Living God (Deuteronomy 6:4)
The Bible teaches that there is one, and only one, God – no more and no less. The Christian faith also teaches that the God who is revealed in the Bible is the only true God. - Eternal (Exodus 3:14, Psalms 90:2)
God, has always existed and will always exist. He has no beginning and will have no end. He is “everlasting to everlasting.” - God is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe (Genesis 1:1, Hebrews 1:3)
God’s decision to create the natural universe emerged strictly out of his own purposes and desires. Additionally, there was no necessity for him to establish the material universe the way he did it. He also created the universe in such a way as to be incapable of sustaining itself. It is completely dependent upon him. - God is Perfect (2 Samuel 22:31)
The God who is disclosed in the Bible has revealed himself to be perfect in every way. There is not a single aspect of his being that contains any element of imperfection. He has no character, moral, physical, or spiritual defects. - God is Worthy of Worship (1 Timothy 1:17)
The Bible reveals that God stands in a position above and beyond us as one worthy of our devotion and worship. - God is Spirit (John 4:24)
Although God is spirit, he is an objectively real person. He is not, however, limited to a physical environment. - God is Holy (Leviticus 11:44)
God is holy in that he is morally perfect. We are able to understand the nature of that holiness because he has revealed it to us in the Bible. In fact, the very definition of holiness emerges from God’s actual character. - Trinity (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
As a Trinity, God is literally one being who exists as three separate and distinct persons (three separate centers of consciousness) within that one being. As such, he is a completely unique expression of unity and diversity. As a Trinity, God expresses his personhood in three specific attributes of his essence – Father, Son (Christ), and Holy Spirit. As a Trinitarian being, there is no division of his nature, essence, or being. He is truly, and literally, only one God, even though he has three distinct persons that make up his oneness. - God is a Person (Exodus 6:2-4)
God is the original person, so the definition of personhood is found in him. Human beings are persons because God is a person and we were created in his image. Personhood is a spiritual concept and is characterized by such attributes as spirit, knowledge, creativity, personality, free will, gender, eternalness, dominion, and self-consciousness. - God Is a Spiritual Person (John 4:24)
As spirit, God is a nonmaterial person. The spiritual aspect of God’s personhood, as with mankind, relates to his essential self, not simply to the external form of his existence. He is a person who has many characteristics that cannot be expressed physically. It is noteworthy that the various characteristics that embody his personhood (see above) are all spiritual characteristics. - God Is an Objective Person (Psalm 139:7-10, Romans 16:25-26)
God is a real, literal person. If, indeed, spiritual reality actually exists, (which it does) that reality is, itself, objective. Thus, God does not require a physical body in order to be real. He has revealed himself as a real person whom we can know in an actual, tangible, personal relationship – even if it is not physical. - God Is a Purposeful Person (John 6:38-40)
As we read Scripture, we come across literally dozens of places where we find a reference to the “will of God.” Every one of these is an overt expression of some kind of purpose God wants accomplished. - God Is Personal Person (Hebrews 1:3)
God is totally sufficient within himself, and this includes a quality that allows him to exist as a person with the relationship need fully supplied. We see this in his existence as a Trinitarian being. In fact, the very purpose for the creation of mankind was for relationship. But we must be sure to understand that this was not because God needed another being in order to have that kind of interaction. - God Has a Particular Character
God is a certain kind of person that can be described based on character traits—which he has revealed to us in the Bible. These character traits are expressed as:
Love (1 John 4:8)
Holiness (Psalm 99:9)
Mercy (Daniel 9:9)
Giving (1 Timothy 6:17)
Grace (Eph. 2:8)
Kindness (Psalm 25:8)
Righteousness (Daniel 9:14)
Justice (2 Thessalonians 1:4-10)
Patience (2 Peter 3:9)
God the Father
- Creator (Genesis 1:1)
As Father, God is the originator of everything that exists in the natural universe. He created it and set it in motion. Additionally, he is the author of life. He is a living being, and without him having inserted life into the natural universe, it would not exist here. - Sustainer (Psalm 147:7-8)
The Father is personally responsible not only for creating the natural universe, but also for maintaining its existence. Without his direct intervention in this arena, it would totally disintegrate. - Interaction with Mankind (Ephesians 3:14-15)
The very reason the Father created man in the first place was for relationship with himself. That relationship is not automatic, however. We must ask to be his child based on his requirements. - Personal Relationship with Mankind (John 1:12-13)
God, as Father, created mankind for personal relationship with himself. This relationship becomes a personal reality when an individual acknowledges and repents of his own sin, and invites Christ to enter his or her life.
God the Son (Christ)
- Christ as a Part of the Trinity (John 20:28)
Christ is God – the second person of the Trinity. Our ability to know a personal relationship with God is totally dependent on Christ being God, as he is the one who carried out the requirements necessary to ensure our salvation. - Christ as a Human Being (Philippians 2:5-7)
God incarnated as a human being to more fully reveal himself to mankind, and to provide the means for man’s eternal salvation. It was Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who was the person of the Godhead who incarnated himself. - The Life of Jesus (Galatians 4:4)
The man Jesus was the very incarnation of God. By his life on earth, Jesus revealed to mankind a deeper understanding of God, and provided the actual means for salvation by his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. - The Death of Jesus (Galatians 3:13)
The death of Christ on the cross was more than a mere physical execution. It was the means by which God provided a way for man to receive salvation from sin. By Jesus becoming a worthy sacrifice, anyone who receives God’s offer of salvation based on the death and resurrection of Christ will have the guilt of sin transferred to Christ and receive God’s forgiveness. - The Resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:5-6)
The resurrection of Christ from the dead in time and space demonstrated that God does, indeed, have power over sin and death. It also seals the salvation of all who give their lives to Christ. - The Ascension of Jesus (Mark 16:19)
After his resurrection, Christ ascended back to his place in heaven. In that position, he serves as the advocate for believers before the Father. - The Return of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
At God’s appointed time, Christ will return bodily and visibly to end the time of the fallenness of mankind. This second coming will usher in the establishment of the new heaven and new earth.
God the Holy Spirit
- The Personhood of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17)
As a member of the godhead, the Holy Spirit has the characteristics of personhood, and is able to personally interact with human beings. - The Holy Spirit’s Relationship to the Trinity (John 16:13-15)
The Holy Spirit is God – one of the three persons of the Trinity. God’s Trinitarian existence is the root of the very concept of relationship. The Holy Spirit is the person of the godhead that personally connects us with God. - The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity (John 14:26)
The Holy Spirit is the person of the godhead who indwells believers to provide for a relationship between God and man. He is the source of all life, the one responsible for revealing truth to those who wrote the Scriptures, the illuminator of the minds of humans enabling them to understand the truth of Scripture, the convictor of those separated from him by sin, the Comforter who gives strength, peace, and guidance for living life, and the one who works in the lives of believers to call and equip them with gifts for service. - The Work of the Holy Spirit in the World (John 14:26)
Following the ascension of Christ, the Holy Spirit is the person of God who most actively interacts with mankind as we live our lives in the material world. - The Work of the Holy Spirit with Non-Believers (John 16:7-8)
God, by the Holy Spirit, works directly in the hearts of nonbelievers to convict them of sin and urge them to turn to a relationship with him. - The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Believer (Romans 8:11)
The Holy Spirit is the person of God who indwells every believer. It is this indwelling that provides the opportunity for individuals to experience an interactive personal relationship with God as we live our lives.
2. What is a human being?
Made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27)
Human beings have the characteristics of personhood because we were made in the image of God.
Fallen (Genesis 3)
Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world. This affected the operation of the material universe and tainted human nature, creating a situation where mankind became separated from God.
3. What is salvation?
Entry into a personal relationship with God by personal faith in Jesus Christ. Christian salvation is characterized in the Bible as a process consisting of three parts.
- Part one of the salvation process is called justification (Gal. 2:16-17). It occurs at a point in time when an individual formally invites Christ into his or her life, and God declares the sinner not guilty of sin based on the substitutionary death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- Sanctification is the part of the salvation process whereby believers grow in spiritual maturity based on a continual strengthening of the personal relationship they have with God (Rom. 12:1).
- Glorification is the part of the salvation process that occurs at physical death (Phil 3:20-21). This is where the effects of the Fall are stripped away, and believers are able to dwell in the very presence of God for the rest of eternity.
The Essence of a Biblical Worldview
An explanation of a biblical worldview is nothing more than the Bible’s answers to the three essential worldview questions. It is critical to know these answers because they define the essential essence of the Christian faith itself. They are the essence of the Gospel message, define the parameters of the Christian faith, and help distinguish between what is essential and what is not essential regarding the faith. It is only as Christians have a solid grasp of these core essentials that they are in a position to stand confidently in their faith as they confront a society that is determined to push them aside.
© 2020 Freddy Davis