Just so we’re using familiar terms, a good definition of worldview is: A collection of presuppositions, convictions and values from which a person tries to understand and make sense out of the world and life. It’s a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality—Ronald Nash, Faith and Reason
A Christian worldview begins with seeing things the way God sees them. Jesus said—Matthew 22:29—You don’t understand, because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and you don’t know about the power of God. (NCV) Some startling statistics were released in a study by The Barna Research Group. It summarized that relatively few Americans have a biblical worldview. It suggested that a large share of the nation’s moral and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a biblical worldview. A survey of 2,033 adults discovered that only 4% of Americans have such a view and only 9% of those who called themselves Christians have a biblical worldview. The research defined a biblical worldview as having a firm belief in six specific areas:
1—The Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.
2—God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today.
3—Jesus Christ lived a sinless life.
4—Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.
5—Satan is real.
6—A Christian has a responsibility to share his faith in Christ.
Do you agree with those six statements? Do you have a Christian worldview or is your worldview influenced by secular philosophies? Let’s take a look at those six areas used in the Barna study and try to see them the way God sees them. How do we do that? Simple…see what the Bible says about them starting with the fact…
1. You can fully trust the Bible.
The statement in the Barna study was “the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings” which translates to you can fully trust it. You have to begin here because if you don’t believe the Bible then you can’t refer to the Bible to make the other points. I believe the Bible. I’ve taught several courses on Apologetics where, using secular sources, I’ve proven that it’s completely true. So, I don’t have a problem going to the Bible to see what it says about itself—for example…
2 Timothy 3:16-17—16-17Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. (Message)
John 17:17— 17Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. (Amplified)
Proverbs 30:5a—5Every word of God proves true… (NLT)
A solid belief in the validity of the Word of God is basic to a Christian worldview. Without the absolute truth contained in God’s Word you could declare anything truth at which point truth becomes relevant to the situation. Thank God that His Word is truth and that you can fully trust the Bible which clearly says…
2. You are not an accident.
The statement in the Barna study was “God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today.” If I believe this, then I must believe that man is not the result of random events—pond-scum to people or molecules to man which is the world’s view. Scripture says you were created by a direct act of God. You didn’t evolve into what you are you were created to be what you are. Scripture says—Genesis 1:1a—1In the beginning God created… (NASB) The Bible begins with a simple but profound declaration of faith—in the beginning there was only God—nothing else. Everything else that comes to be, comes as the result of the activity of God—nothing existed until God declared that it would exist. It doesn’t stop there; God didn’t create it then take His hands off and simply watch it like some cosmic science experiment. Exodus 15:18—18The LORD will reign for ever and ever. (NIV) God rules and reigns over His creation and everything that happens in this wide wonderful world happens with His permission. God’s never caught by surprise—He knows all, sees all and is all powerful. This fact is critical to shaping a Christian world view…you’re not alone and you didn’t just happen—you’re here because God wanted you here. God gives you a set of rules to live by and even though you often break His rules by sinning…
3. You have a hope to be with Him forever.
Let’s take two of the statements from the Barna survey and combine them, “Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.” Some who hold to a secular worldview may say, “OK, so what? What does this have to do with me?” The answer is it has everything to do with you. Remember, God made this earth…to include you…and He reigns over it and the One who reigns gets to set the rules. But frankly, you and I break the rules everyday and that’s called sin and the result of our sin is death. The Bible says—Romans 6:23a—23Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death… (Message) So, because you sin you’re going to die both physically and spiritually. You can understand the physical part because we see it every day. It’s the spiritual part we have problems with. That means we’ll be separated from God forever in a place called Hell. You and I need someone who never sinned to pay the price for our sin and that’s where we come to the first part of the worldview statement. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life. Hebrews 4:14-16—14-16Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. (Message) What’s He ready to give you—salvation…eternal life instead of spiritual death. Romans 6:23b—But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (Message) That’s the second part of the worldview statement. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned. Ephesians 2:8-9— 8God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (NLT) Because of all of this you have a hope that you can be with God forever. All you have to do is ask God to give you this gift and He will. But there’s someone who doesn’t want you to have God’s gift. There’s someone who’d rather see you in Hell than in Heaven with God.
4. You have an enemy of your soul.
The Barna survey statement is point blank, “Satan is real.” Scripture gives many examples of Satan’s existence. For example—Job 1:6-7—6-7One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Accuser, came along with them. God singled out Satan and said, “What have you been up to?” Satan answered God, “Going here and there, checking things out on earth.” (Message) Or how about this example—1 Peter 5:8—8Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (Amplified) Satan is real and he wants you to go to Hell. Why? Because that’s where he’s going and he doesn’t want to go alone. Revelation 20:10— 10Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (NLT) One of the primary weapons that Satan will use against you is ignorance. If he can convince you that he doesn’t exist then you won’t watch for him. Another weapon is apathy, “Why should I care about all that…I’m just going to enjoy life.” If the devil can get you to deny or doubt his existence, then you’re his and you’ll buy into the secular worldview instead of doing what you’re supposed to do which is…
5. You must share your faith in Christ.
Again, the statement participants were asked to affirm in the survey was, “A Christian has a responsibility to share his faith in Christ with other people.” This is becomes evident when you consider the rest of the statements as a whole…
We can fully trust the Bible.
We are not accidents but creations of God.
We have a hope to be with God forever if we accept His free gift.
We have an enemy of our souls that wants us in Hell.
So, we must share our faith so others can share in our Christian worldview. If reason won’t work for you and drive you to the streets to share what God has given you, then what about a direct command from Jesus? Mark 16:15—15And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (NLT) If part of your worldview is that Scripture is correct, then you must obey it and it doesn’t get any clearer than “Go and preach the good news to everyone.”
What about the other essential doctrines of the Christian faith…
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
The deity of Christ.
The person and work of the Holy Spirit.
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Or the future return of Jesus Christ…just to name a few.
The statistical numbers would probably much lower if we considered additional essential teachings of the Bible. People who don’t believe what the Bible says about these and other basic fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith don’t have a biblical worldview! Do you have a Christian worldview? If you think you see a flaw in the Word of God, you need to correct your thinking. God’s Word is flawless so the error is in your thinking. If you can’t hold to the statements I’ve covered in this entry, you need to go to God and ask Him to help in your understanding because you’re wrong.
I’m praying for you,
Pastor Greg
