Developing a Biblical Worldview

Been thinking about life, particularly about what it is in people that drives them to do what they do.  We have this idea that people actually have a direction, and for those of us who are Christians, we think that what drives our life is our faith in Jesus Christ. I have asked a couple of people (in a kind of private and secret survey) what it is that drives them. They hummed and haa-ed a bit about their answers but I think that the bottom line is they don’t really know. And this is as true of my Christian friends as it is of those who have yet to become Christ followers.

What is your worldview? Does it have anything to do with your faith, your destiny, your plans? And if you had a Biblical worldview, what would it look like?

I jotted down some thoughts … (It took just ten minutes so don’t expect a brilliant theological treatise. Perhaps I’ll take a bit longer over it sometime. Your comments on any amendments would be appreciated – this is still a work in progress.)

1. All that is came from the pre-existent God who is sovereign, holy and omnipotent.

2. Man has a special place in God’s creation, being made in His image (likeness) and has been given stewardship as God’s representative in the created realm. (Man includes every single human being of whatever race, tribe, language, nationality, gender or creed) 

3. Man sinned – he desired to be like God (knowing good and evil and thus able to make choices that do not necessarily please God). NOTE – God’s heart breaks when we sin ie when we make choices which He does not want us to make.

4. Man’s sin has its origin in the temptation which came from, and still comes from Satan.

5. Satan is the ‘ancient serpent’ – a spiritual being (an angel according to Job) who was hurled to earth (with his angels) to lead the world astray (away from God).

6. Man’s journey throughout his existence has been, and is,  accompanied by the Presence and guidance of God in which He constantly seeks to bring this special creature back into relationship with Him.

7. God, who is Love, has a passion to redeem man from his consuming desire to sin – see definition above (ie making choices which God does not want us to make).

8. This passion became a reality in the incarnation of Jesus (YHWH is my salvation) and the great love of God was shown in the laying down of His life for His friends (He wants everyone to be His friend).

9. The incarnation itself is a sign of God’s great love – God, who is infinite, omnipresent and omnipotent, became flesh, containing Himself not only in Man’s image but also within time and space. 

10. The laying down of this ‘taken-up’ life was a ‘sacrifice’ in the sense that God was prepared to give up everything for the sake of the redeeming of Man. (When we say ‘by His blood’ we are referring to the fact that in God’s total self-giving He has redeemed us utterly and completely – for He who is Alpha and Omega has stopped at nothing for the redemption of the body, mind and spirit of Man.)

11. But death could not hold, or limit, the Mighty One. He is risen! The victory is absolutely complete – all that was lost is restored, all that was dis-eased is made well, all that was wronged is made right, all that was separated is brought back.

12. Satan is defeated.

13. Jesus ascended to heaven and He has empowered His church by the Holy Spirit to be His body on the earth  to declare the good news of His victory and to prepare His special creation for His return.

14. The good news is that it is not God’s desire that any should be lost but that everyone should be saved.

15. Everytime we show God’s love we are declaring the good news. Everytime that we do not show love – in either attitude or action, we sin. See definition above (we are making choices which God does not want us to make).

16. If I am to live as God wants me to live in this world which He created, I need to know Him. I need to know His mind and His heart. I need to know what pleases Him and what displeases Him. And when my life is lived like that then I find the real joy of life and the peace which passes understanding.

17. When I choose to do this – He fills me with His Spirit to help me live the life which is God’s gift to me. 

18. And why do I have this life? Because God wants me to be His friend! (This is not a flippant comment. Somewhere in being God’s friend is a very profound sense of being!)