Everyone, both
Christians and unbelievers alike, have certain world-views. Worldview, by definition, is simply the
“lens” through which an individual views the world. Who is God?
What is the universe? What is the
nature of man? What is the nature of and
solution to evil? What is the basis of
morality and ethics? What happens to man
after death? What is the meaning of
history? Questions like these are
answered by a person’s worldview. When
discussing Biblical beliefs, Christians must base their views on specific
examples from the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.
Thus, these seven worldview questions can be fully summed up in three of
the most important realities of the Scriptures: that God created man and the
earth, that humankind is now fallen because of Adam's act of disobedience, and
that humanity can have everlasting life through Christ's death and
resurrection.
To fully
comprehend God’s power, one must study His power as described in Bible. God’s character is infinite and personal in a
two central ways: He is holy and He is
loving. The Lord’s infiniteness can be
equated to His limitless power and boundless existence. These attributes can be further compiled into
one attribute: holiness. Holiness, as
explained by Paul E. Little in his book Know
What You Believe, “…is the sum total of the perfection of God” (41). Therefore, since God is perfect, He requires
perfect justice to be met through perfect sacrifice. Ultimately, God’s wrath was poured out on the spotless sacrifice of
Jesus the Christ. IN this act, God’s
holiness as well as His love for humanity was displayed. Therefore, God’s ceaseless love reflects His
holiness. John 4.10 states that, “…this
is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the propitiation for our sins” (ESV
Bible). This verse sums up God’s
holiness by showing that God required a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the
world, yet His love was demonstrated by sending His only Son to save His people
from destruction and eternal death.
Thus, God’s justice and His love for His people are vitally important in
understanding His character more accurately.
Just as God
created humankind, He also created the universe and all other creatures. Genesis 1.1 illustrates this truth in the
most simple and understandable manner:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (ESV Bible). Not only does Scripture say that God did
indeed create the earth out of nothing, it declares that, “…God saw everything
that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1.31). In addition to the physical universe, the
Bible mentions a spiritual realm. These
are primarily the kingdoms of good and evil, heaven and hell. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers
over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
places” (Eph. 6.12). This verse compares
the material world and its weak power over Christians to the authority of the
Devil. Clearly, God created the world –
both material and spiritual – in the beginning and for His sole glory.
Mankind, God’s
significant creation, was originally created as flawless image-bearers of His
character, but are now fallen creatures because of Adam’s sin in the Garden of
Eden. The
Westminster Confession of
Faith states that, “Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and
fully to enjoy him forever” (153). After
God created man, He declared that His work was very good. In essence, His work was a spotless
masterpiece. Yet the first man, Adam,
marred this once-sinless reflection by disobeying God’s instructions and eating
of the fruit of the forbidden tree (Gen. 3.6-7). Because Adam was the representative for
humanity, mankind now reflects God’s infinite character through a shattered and
finite mirror. Unlike God, man is
limited by time and space. This means
that man is restricted to a pre-ordained lifespan. Though man was once a flawless picture of God’s
creativity and majesty, he is now a broken vessel apart from Christ’s saving
blood.
Thus, Adam, being
the first man, represented the whole of mortality through his acts. “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ
shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15.22).
Thus, because of Adam’s disobedience, mankind cannot freely commune with
God without an intermediary and all are separated from God and any hope of
eternal life. Because of the Fall in the
Garden, everyone is born into a sinful world and none have a natural
inclination to follow God. Yet God,
being slow to anger and abundant in love, sent His only begotten Son to earth
to die for the sins of His chosen people (John 3.16). “For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph.
2.8-9). Consequently, God’s elect
children, though fallen image-bearers, are made clean through Christ’s
sacrificial blood.
Similarly, the
basis of morality is found in God’s holy character and through His Word. Many questions about what is “good” and “bad”
for a Christian to do are raised in day-to-day situations. Is there a standard for what is right and
wrong? The Scripture clearly describes
God as being holy, just, and loving.
Though the law (The Ten Commandments as found in Exodus) cannot save
God’s people, it reflects the perfect life that Believers were intended to
live. The Ten Commandments are an
expression of God’s character. He
clearly set the standard for good and evil in the Scriptures, as well as
created man with a natural sense of righteousness and wickedness called a
conscious. Yet since man cannot fully
obey God’s Law, a savior had to be born to take on the sins of the world as
promised in the beginning in Genesis. “I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her
offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen.
3.15). This verse is God speaking to
Satan after He curses him to live on the dust of the ground and of one of Eve’s
descendants who will crush his head.
This man would be the Savior of the world: Jesus the Christ. Since the beginning, God planned salvation
for His anointed because He knew that His people are imperfect.
Just as God has planned
for His chosen people to spend eternity with Him in heaven, those who do not
believe in Christ’s saving work on the cross will receive eternal
punishment. Revelation testifies to this
fact by declaring, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20.15). Though in this day and age the concept of
someone experiencing eternal destruction sounds harsh, God’s justice must be
satisfied. Those who have identified
with the saving blood of Christ, however, will be raised in the last day. Christ’s true followers will sit at His
throne in perfect peace with Him in heaven.
However, the Scriptures state that Christ will “…come like a thief…”
(Rev. 3.3) in the night and “…you will not know at what hour I will come
against you” (Rev. 3.3). The exact year,
month, week, and day that Christ will come for a second time is unknown, yet
His believers can rest assured that He will carry out His perfect promise to come
to earth again to judge the nations.
Similarly, just as
God has a plan for the end of time, He controls history in His all-encompassing
plan for the universe. From the
beginning of Creation, to the Fall in the Garden, to Christ’s death and His
second coming, God has a plan for His world.
History can be viewed in two ways: that it is completely linear or that
it moves a spiraling motion. The belief
that history is completely linear suggests that a single pattern of events is
never repeated; everything that happens in the present and everything that will
happen in the future does not reflect past events. A “cork-screw” or spiraling view of history
advocates that events of the past are intertwined with events in the present
and the future. According to this view,
history keeps moving forward, yet is circular at the same time because certain
events mirror each other. Regardless, it
is evident that God is working out the redemption of His people throughout
history. From creation, the fall, and
finally to redemption through Christ, God’s providential plan for His universe
is clearly displayed throughout history.
In conclusion,
God’s over-arching and provincial Will includes the creation, fall, and
redemption of humanity. Through one man
(Adam) destruction came to the whole earth, yet through one man (Jesus Christ)
eternal life was made a reality by His perfect sacrifice. No longer is humanity blinded by
ignorance. By the clarity of the holy
Bible, Christians can know who God is, why man exists, the meaning of history,
what happens to man after death, and right from wrong.
To answer these questions, I will point you to a book I have recently started called Do Hard Things. So far, this book is an encouraging source to inform Christian teens that they aren't the only ones dissatisfied with the cultural norms of the teenager. The Harris brothers challenge the young people of today to find more meaning to their teen years by doing hard things. They teach that the teen years are vitally important to shaping the person you will become. Low expectations are degrading our society and not helping young people attain their goals.
