What is 'worldview'?

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.