The Mission of Building a Biblical Worldview
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Section 1 The Mission of Living out a Biblical Worldview
Carl Trueman Concedes in his article “Six Ways Christians Can Respond to Our Strange World” that:
“The world has shifted underneath our feet. Cultures’ new notions of selfhood have challenged traditional Christian views, leaving one in a hostile place where it’s dangerous to challenge the new status quo.”
The challenge we face is understanding one's biblical worldview through the lenses of scripture and how we apply it to our present culture.
The Bible, too, has a worldview. Because it is God’s revelation of himself, the Bible gives us insight into God’s way of seeing things. The Bible is the final authority. “The supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.”
Therefore, we should seek to adjust our worldview to God’s, that is, to the biblical worldview.
If the Bible is relevant for all aspects of life – and is – then the biblical worldview must govern how we see every aspect of our lives, make decisions, and even our attitudes daily.
If the Bible is relevant for all aspects of life – and is – then the biblical worldview must govern how we see every aspect of our lives, make decisions, and even our attitudes daily.
Developing a Biblical Worldview
WHAT A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW IS NOT
It is not just a set moral system.
It is not just a set moral system.
Traditional morality, where people are friendly, honest, hard-working, and exercise good manners and taste, is not a bad thing in and of itself. These values are commanded for a person living a Godly life. However, the Christian lifestyle is much more than just moral respectability.
It is not a radical form of morality.
It is not a radical form of morality.
Others identify a Christian worldview with a more radical morality.
Ron Sider’s Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger called Christians to devote time and resources to world hunger, but others have called believers to devote themselves to missions or something else. This looks attractive partly because it emphasizes the radical difference between how Christians should live and how most of the world lives.
Living a biblical lifestyle will put one on a different path from most people. However, not all are called to sell everything, move to Africa on a mission, or abandon their conventional job to become full-time pastors.
It is not a political statement.
It is not a political statement.
Some have identified a “biblical worldview” with a particular political position or stance. Such stances are undoubtedly a part of one's worldview. However, it is a mistake to identify one's political beliefs or favorite issues with their biblical worldview. The Bible should be our primary means of viewing politics rather than letting politics shape how we read the Bible.
It is not identified solely with a particular doctrinal position.
It is not identified solely with a particular doctrinal position.
Doctrinal positions include Calvinism, Dispensationalism, and a particular view of eschatology or sanctification. The Bible alone is far richer and more complex than an ‘ism.’
WHAT A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW IS
A biblical worldview is comprehensive.
A biblical worldview is comprehensive.
It includes everything related to the doctrines, values, priorities, and understanding of how the world works that the Bible commends and promotes. It looks at the modern world through the lenses of the Bible rather than looking at the Bible using the lenses of the modern world.
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW PARADIGMS AND METHODS
The quick overview
The quick overview
We are familiar with schemes like “Creation, Fall, and Redemption. Such an approach helps one understand the overarching story of the Bible. I would suggest that such a method is viable for discovering the overall framework of scripture.
However, a fully formed biblical worldview will require much more than this. It will require deeper thinking than creation, fall, and redemption.
FRAMEWORKS IN WHICH WORLDVIEWS ARE UNDERSTOOD
The atomic worldview
The atomic worldview
The atomic worldview is what most Americans ascribe. Like billiard balls on a table, everyone is a unit separate from everyone else. They touch and interact, but in the end, they do not affect one another very much.
The oceanic worldview.
The oceanic worldview.
This method says that all things are underlying manifestations of reality.
This is what the Hindu worldview is like; all that exists is Brahman. The visible world is an illusion, and we must overcome or escape the illusion and be absorbed back into Brahman because we are one with Brahman.
The ocean represents this view well; if you are standing waist-deep in the water and scoop some water into your hand, then let it slip through your fingers, then scoop up another handful, you really cannot tell whether you scooped up the same water of different water a second time. The second scoop of water appears identical to the first and identical to the rest of the water in the ocean, for it is, in reality, one with it.
The relational worldview.
The relational worldview.
All things in life are interconnected; they exist in relationship to what is around them so that what is done in one place affects the rest. This is the worldview of the Bible and many other traditional, rural, and tribal societies.
The Bible sees us all as interconnected. What is done by one affects all the others, even affecting future generations.
Much of the moral teaching in the Bible is based on the actions of one who affects others in the community.
This is one reason why we need help with the biblical worldview.
We live in an atomic worldview culture and try to read the Bible through that lens, and the Bible presents reality in relational terms. When the Bible says we are all “in Christ,” we tend to see that as meaning we all agree on who Christ is and we all have similar moral and spiritual practices.
Answering the Four Biblical Worldview Questions
Question #1: Who are we?
Question #1: Who are we?
All human beings live in the tension between who we are as created in God’s image and who we are as fallen, sinful people. All Christians have the added dimension of the Indwelling Spirit of God for power and guidance in living as people in whom God's image is progressively restored.
People begin to answer the “who are we” question in the early stages of childhood; however, it continues to grow as we mature, mainly as we grow in Christ.
The Second level question one must answer is, “Who are we in Christ?”
The Second level question one must answer is, “Who are we in Christ?”
What do we mean by the words “I am a Christian,” or “I am redeemed,” or “I am a new creature in Christ?” We must also arrive at this level in the question to live out our biblical worldview.
1. We are Created in the Image of God
1. We are Created in the Image of God
Like many biblical teachings, it’s easy to say, “I am created in God’s image,” without giving it much thought.
The word “tselem " (in Greek) means a “representation of God.”
THE CHARACTERISTICS WE SHARE IN COMMON WITH GOD
His Personality
His Personality
We are beings with personality (mind, will, and emotions).
His Mind.
His Mind.
We, too, are aware of ourselves and the world around us.
We know the condition of our environment and what is happening around us. We evaluate situations, and we know the conditions of things we own.
As Christians, we should seek to conform our thinking to God’s ways as much as possible, given our limitations. We must learn to see things in God’s way, as he has revealed his mind to us in Scripture.
His Will.
His Will.
Will is the ability to “make decisions, to set goals, and to move in the direction of those goals.”
Throughout the Bible, God willed certain things to be so and made them happen. God wills a thing and carries out his will. The most well-known statement is in Isaiah 55:11: “My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish.
We share this characteristic of God’s will. However, it is limited. We make plans and set our intentions, but unlike God, we may not always accomplish what we will. As James 4:13-15 illustrates, we may do something such as move to another city, buy and sell, and make a profit. We are a people who can carry out our will but on a more limited basis than God.
His Emotions
His Emotions
Emotions mark part of God’s personality. God feels outrage (Ps 106:40), joy (Prov 11:20), love (John 3:16), and anger (Num 12:9)—the full range of emotions.
We have the same emotions as God on a lower scale. Just as God loves his creation, we love our families (Duet 14:26). As God feels kindly toward his people, we usually feel kindly toward those around us. As God feels outraged at unrighteousness (Rom 1:18), we are outraged at injustices done in the world. God's image within us also involves our “spiritual and moral integrity.” Who are we? We are moral beings with moral feelings, and we make moral choices.
We are Fallen Creatures
We are Fallen Creatures
There is another aspect to the “Who are we?” question we must face: We are fallen creatures, sinners by nature. This is true of every one of us.
We disobey our creator even though we are dependent on Him for everything. Even though we are created in the image of God, and that image has not been erased, it is now, however, marred by the reality of sin every day. We live in a constant tension between the fact of our creation in the image of God and the reality that arises from our sinful desires.
We are Physical Beings and Spiritual Beings.
We are Physical Beings and Spiritual Beings.
One of the most apparent traits we all share is that we are both physical and spiritual, nonmaterial beings. We have bodies, and our bodies are real and significant. These two aspects, physical and spiritual, are joined together in us within one person. We are not merely spirits trapped in bodies. We are “materialized unitary beings” whose everyday life involves our bodies as well as our souls.
We are Christians.
We are Christians.
The world is divided into two categories: those who are saved and those who are lost.
If you have trusted Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you may answer with all Christians that you are “regenerate,” – which means that the image of God is being restored in us. This is not an all-at-once occurrence but a continual life-long process.
OTHER ASPECTS TO WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST
* We are a body of Christ people.
* We are a body of Christ people.
* We are forgiven people.
* We are forgiven people.
* We are an indwelt people.
* We are an indwelt people.
Question #2: Where are We?
Question #2: Where are We?
Most people today have no idea where they are in relationship to God and his creation. The “Where are We” question is fundamental; the Bible begins with the answer: God created the heavens and the earth (Gen.1:1).
What Kind of World did God Create?
What Kind of World did God Create?
The world is a product of the love of God that existed before creation, and it is testimony to the greatness of his love that he created us and put us here. This starkly contrasts the mechanistic view of the universe, where everything began with a “big bang.” Such a universe offers no place for love or moral goodness.
The Universe was created to reflect the glory of God. The Universe is the very reflection of who God is and reveals things about His very nature.
This differs from the mechanistic view of creation, where the heavens say nothing but that math works. There is no God in the mechanistic worldview, no one who loves or gives order and purpose to the creation. Indeed, in a mechanistic universe, as Carl Sagan said, “The Cosmos is all that is or ever was, or ever will be.”
God Calls the World Good.
God Calls the World Good.
The world is good, even if our circumstances do not work out. The world is not a place of random events.
Unlike the mechanistic and naturalistic worldviews that see no ultimate value in creation, Christians can and must affirm the essential goodness of it apart from themselves. God is pleased with what He has created because it has value.
1) Moral goodness: Many people, even those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, recognize the value of good morals.
1) Moral goodness: Many people, even those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, recognize the value of good morals.
2) The goodness of Truth: We live in a world where truth matters, a world where we are to think about “whatever is true . . .” (Phil 4:8). He is a God of truth, a God who cares about the truth, and this is reflected in the creation itself. Truth indicates that creation accurately represents itself to us.
2) The goodness of Truth: We live in a world where truth matters, a world where we are to think about “whatever is true . . .” (Phil 4:8). He is a God of truth, a God who cares about the truth, and this is reflected in the creation itself. Truth indicates that creation accurately represents itself to us.
3) Aestheticgoodness: Where are we? We are in a place that is marked by beauty and aesthetic goodness. To understand the aesthetic beauty of God’s creation, we must recognize beauty itself as objective. Not the world’s view, which says, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” So, creation is beautiful because of the character of God.
3) Aestheticgoodness: Where are we? We are in a place that is marked by beauty and aesthetic goodness. To understand the aesthetic beauty of God’s creation, we must recognize beauty itself as objective. Not the world’s view, which says, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” So, creation is beautiful because of the character of God.
How do We Relate Properly to the World?
How do We Relate Properly to the World?
Sin affects our ability to achieve our goals and dreams. The curse of the fall is why things do not always work out as planned.
God has placed us where He expects us to live a certain way.
Question #3 What is Wrong?
Question #3 What is Wrong?
All of God’s creation senses some insurmountable problem with the world that must be resolved. Therefore, we must find biblical ways to understand the answer to the “What is wrong?” question in specific areas of life.
However, all these answers are not universal because they deal with specific aspects of life, not their totality. Part of wisdom is not just recognizing sin as an overarching problem at the root of all other issues. The culmination of all the answers we could come up with comes down to sin in one form or another.
We must understand and take sin seriously to embrace a biblical worldview.
THE UNIVERSAL REALITY OF SIN
THE UNIVERSAL REALITY OF SIN
Sin is everywhere, and it affects everything.
Sin is everywhere, and it affects everything.
Popular culture exalts and idolizes behavior that we know from God’s word is inherently sinful. Every day, when we walk out the doors of our houses, we are bombarded with evidence of the sinfulness of humanity.
Because the world rarely calls out “sin,” we miss the depth of the problem. We begin to adopt some of the languages of the world for what the Bible calls sinful things, such as a misstep, a mistake, a wrong move, etc. Seeing things God’s way requires us to pay serious attention to what the Bible teaches about sin.
Sin is the fundamental problem behind all of the issues
Sin is the fundamental problem behind all of the issues
Our problems, problems in the larger community, and problems worldwide result from the same problem sin. We must accept this if we will ever reach our world Biblically.
There is no such thing as someone who does not sin, who does not, at some level, rebel against God.
We understand that it starts early, as even some secular studies on human nature have shown. Small children learn quickly to say, gimmie, gimmie, that’s mine! Sharing and concern for others are not bound up in the heart of a child but, instead, rebellion (Proverbs 22:15).
Types of Sins:
Types of Sins:
Sin comes in many forms. The Bible describes it in different words: depravity, error, missing the mark, iniquity, guilt (in the sense of actual wrong-doing, not guilty feelings), godlessness, and ignorance. Other terms include perversion, transgression, wickedness, and treachery.
Perhaps the best word used to describe sin is “rebellion.”
The ultimate result of the rebellion is continual deception.
The ultimate result of the rebellion is continual deception.
Sin gives the wrong answers to the worldview questions.
For example:
The person who gives in to materialism might answer as follows:
1. Who are we? People who are happy when they own a lot of things.
2. Where are we? In a world that advertises all kinds of good things to hold and promises happiness through them.
3. What is wrong? I cannot afford these things. God has not allowed me to prosper that much.
4. What is the answer? Rebel against God and take what I want, using credit even if I cannot repay it.[12]
The person involved in sexual sin:
1) Who am I? Someone with deep-seated sexual drives.
2) Where am I? In a world that offers sexual pleasure in abundance.
3) What is wrong? Waiting for marriage takes too long, and God’s restrictions are too harsh.
4) What is the answer? I rebel against God, do what I want, and worry about the consequences later.
Eve, after listening to Satan, might have answered the questions like this:
1) Who am I? A person who wants to grow in knowledge of all things.
2) Where am I? In a garden that offers everything that I need.
3) What is wrong? One fruit that will “make me wise, giving me knowledge of good and evil” is denied.
4) What is the answer? Rebel against God, take the fruit, and become the person I want to be.
Giving the correct answer to the “What is Wrong?” question requires much more than being able to quote 1 John 1:9 or even sharing the Roman road effectively.
It is living in awareness of how sin affects every facet of life, every relationship, and every social institution you encounter and learning how to deal with the natural world considering this reality.
What is the Answer?
1) Some questions are answered within the problem itself.
1) Some questions are answered within the problem itself.
For example, what is 2+2? The answer lies within the problem itself. You do not have to look outside the question to find it.
2) There is another problem that does not include an answer within the problem itself.
2) There is another problem that does not include an answer within the problem itself.
For example, if you turn the ignition on your car and nothing happens, you have a problem.
A quick investigation of the vehicle reveals that you are out of gas. The answer to the problem is to take a gas can, go down to the gas station, and fill it with gas.
The answer to the problem is not contained within the car. You must bring in something from the outside to solve the problem.
A solution from the outside must be a grace solution. That is, it comes in and solves the problem freely without merit.
A solution from the outside must be a grace solution. That is, it comes in and solves the problem freely without merit.
At the outset, the car illustration appears to break down. However, the car cannot pay anything for the gasoline, so someone else must pay the cost or penalty for the gas. Therefore, victory is not earned but freely given.
The solution became real at the cross.
The solution became real at the cross.
REPENTANCE and FAITH are the two key indicators that someone is living the biblical worldview.
REPENTANCE and FAITH are the two key indicators that someone is living the biblical worldview.
Repentance, or Metanoia in Greek, is a change of mind but has an emotional element attached. The term includes a change of desires, habits, and ways of thinking. In classical Greek, the element of regret or grief is present at repentance. We read about “Godly grief’ producing repentance in (2 Cor. 7:10).
Note: a show of excessive emotions and tears is not necessary or even an indicator of true repentance.
Repentance is an act of the intellect and will
Repentance is an act of the intellect and will
Intellectually, it changes the way you think. (Rom. 12:2) As an act of the will or volition, it is a change in the choices one makes. As far as emotions are concerned, they reject past beliefs and behaviors.
Faith is both a one-time event and a lifestyle
Faith is both a one-time event and a lifestyle
It is a decision made at a specific time to trust Christ. But it is also a decision we choose to make every day. By faith, one decides that God’s words accurately depict seeing things as they are and, in turn, show us how to live.
Jesus Christ is the answer to the problem, and He is the answer to sin in the hearts and lives of every human who lives and breathes on Earth.
Applying the Worldview Questions from an American Perspective
Most Americans have adopted some secular humanism that guides their day-to-day lives despite professing a belief in God. (only 4% of Americans profess to either be atheists or agnostics).
America is a melting pot for many religions and subcategories of religions. Within those categories, we are told that 16.1 percent of Americans claim no religious affiliations at all.[16]
Today's challenge in discussing “The American Worldview” is the level of religious and cultural diversity and the extent to which the secular influences worldview. It has become part of everyday culture to ask whether there is a common culture in America.
The question we must ask is how do we live biblically in a decidedly not biblical world?
The question we must ask is how do we live biblically in a decidedly not biblical world?
What is the difference between the American worldview and the biblical worldview?
1. The American worldview is primarily atomic,while the Biblical worldview is relational.
1. The American worldview is primarily atomic,while the Biblical worldview is relational.
Americans want to make their own decisions about life, while the Bible teaches faith in God and complete dependence on him.
Some might say that not all of America is entirely individualistic. Which, in part, is true. The places where the relational worldview exists have seen the Bible's influence on traditional American culture (American rural culture has drawn specific values from the bible as a result).
Audrey Hepburn is often credited with saying, “If you need a helping hand, it’s at the end of your arm.” The Bible, on the other hand, values cooperation. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
2. The American worldview is decidedly secular. The biblical worldview places a high value on living in a relationship with God.
2. The American worldview is decidedly secular. The biblical worldview places a high value on living in a relationship with God.
Our worldview should be formed and shaped by who God is and what He has done.
3. Americans see problems that they have internally between their minds and emotions. (e.g., depression) – as only psychological problems. They do not see them as spiritual problems.
3. Americans see problems that they have internally between their minds and emotions. (e.g., depression) – as only psychological problems. They do not see them as spiritual problems.
Americans look at the world around them through secular eyes. They fail to discern the reality of the fall in how people behave. They would assume a serial killer has psychological problems, not a moral or spiritual problem.
The Evolutionary Paradigm in the Worldview Questions
While many Americans reject Darwin’s entire program, most believe in some modified view of evolution.
Who are We?
We are the highest form of evolution. No other life form is higher than humankind. We are the pinnacle of development that has gone on for eons.
We are the highest form of evolution. No other life form is higher than humankind. We are the pinnacle of development that has gone on for eons.
Evolution allows us to be moral relativists. If we are responsible to no higher being, then the basis of our morals must be found in the individual.
Evolution allows us to be moral relativists. If we are responsible to no higher being, then the basis of our morals must be found in the individual.
Where are we?
We are in a universe that is not only in motion but is unfinished.
We are in a universe that is not only in motion but is unfinished.
An unfinished universe is one where nothing is “final,” including morals, principles for wise living, and anything else. If everything is in process, then so is every idea. Nothing is ever quite “nailed down.” This may be part of why we live in a world where divorce is more common than ever.
“Before evolution became common currency in our culture—a recent event, marriage was seen as a “finished” thing, something accomplished, to be lived out “for better or worse,” and both sides were committed to making it work.”
What is Wrong, and What is the Answer?
Evolution does not directly answer these question since it does not recognize the importance of purpose.
Evolution does not directly answer these question since it does not recognize the importance of purpose.
This would assume something that “ought to be” and desire a way to make things right or bring them into a proper state.
If moral values are relative, then what is wrong is that too many people think that values are absolute. However, if moral values are always tentative and evolving, then what is wrong is that the absolute moral structures of the past too often restrain society.
Social justice, for example, is often presented as an unfinished task for which much effort and sacrifice is necessary. Progress is required because the task is incomplete, and each generation must make sacrifices sufficient to guarantee a better world for the next.
Applying the Biblical Worldview in Our Culture
The larger culture appears to influence many churches more than scripture.
The apostle Paul had it correct as he was aware of the pressure for people to think in nonbiblical terms. His words in Romans 12:1-2 are just as relevant to the church today as they were for the church of his time.
Transformation is a long-term process of learning to think and live biblically.
Transformation is a long-term process of learning to think and live biblically.
This is not an instantaneous “experience.” It is not a result of momentary decisions but the beginning of a process.
BARRIERS TO DEVELOPING A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
1. For many of us, a biblical worldview is prevented because it tends to go along with what most people think and do.
1. For many of us, a biblical worldview is prevented because it tends to go along with what most people think and do.
American values that the Bible opposes will not cause us to become biblical in our daily lives.
2. The biblical worldview is hindered by doing the same thing in the same old way.
2. The biblical worldview is hindered by doing the same thing in the same old way.
Many Christians grow spiritually for a few years until they become familiar with the general storyline in the Bible and a lifestyle that is superficially “spiritual” looking.
3. Other Christians can often hinder us from living biblically.
3. Other Christians can often hinder us from living biblically.
We tend to live up to the expectations of our peers. We will coast in our lives if they are “coasting” in their spiritual lives.
4. Beware of those who want to overthrow traditional judgment of value in the hope of finding something more real and solid to base our values.
4. Beware of those who want to overthrow traditional judgment of value in the hope of finding something more real and solid to base our values.
In his essay “The Poison of Subjectivism,” C.S. Lewis prophetically talks about this overthrow of the traditional judgment of values for a new scheme of values.
Just in the past twenty years, we have seen seismic shifts within society on issues such as marriage, sexuality, and the role of government. Such shifts are not isolated to secular society; churches and denominations struggle with doctrinal purity while fighting off the influences of relativism, individualism, and pluralism.
HOW DO WE DEVELOP A WORLDVIEW FOR OUR CULTURE TODAY?
We can all slip into being content with respectability rather than living radically for Christ.
We can all slip into being content with respectability rather than living radically for Christ.
A biblical worldview does not come by accident. It requires intentionality.
A biblical worldview does not come by accident. It requires intentionality.
A Biblical Worldview Will Come By….
1. Exposure to the Bible.
We need more exposure and deeper exposure to God’s word.
We need more exposure and deeper exposure to God’s word.
2. Attending to the teaching of the Bible.
We must improve our biblical skills through regularly listening to sound biblical preaching.
We must improve our biblical skills through regularly listening to sound biblical preaching.
3. Exposure to people who have studied it.
Meditating on God’s word, not merely reading, is the goal that the Bible itself commands. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 77:12; 119:48, 97, 99).
One way to do this is to meditate after others who have given it deeper thought than we have.
One way to do this is to meditate after others who have given it deeper thought than we have.
Changing Your Worldview
The Bible tells you what your worldview should be; as you read its stories, see how various people in the Bible lived out the biblical worldview (or did not).
The Bible tells you what your worldview should be; as you read its stories, see how various people in the Bible lived out the biblical worldview (or did not).
Ask yourself the four worldview questions. Focus on how you live and make decisions in your daily life based on the four questions.
Examine the assumptions you have made about how things work. (you may discover that there are some profound differences between the biblical worldview as seen in scripture and the assumptions you make every day)
As you re-read scripture, discover if there are unbiblical ideas you have assumed are valid.
Be honest with yourself and admit where you fall short of a biblical perspective.
Half the battle is won once you know where your worldview needs to be changed. Remember that the spirit of God is at work in you and will motivate you to change your way of thinking to align with the Biblical perspective.