Thursday, March 27, 2014

WORLDVIEW

If you are ever asked if you have a Biblical Worldview, here's what you're being asked:  Do you agree with these eight things?

1 - Jesus lived a sinless life
2 - God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe and He rules today
3 - Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned
4 - Satan is real
5 - Christians have a responsibility to share their faith
6 - The Bible is fully accurate
7 - Unchanging moral truth exists
8 - Such truth is defined by the Bible

That's it.  That's a Biblical worldview.

'Moment to moment decisions are shaped by your worldview.'

Do you believe those eight things?  If you do, you espouse a Biblical Worldview.  If you do not, then your worldview is something other than Biblical.

According to a recent survey, of those over 40 years of age, only 9% had a fully Biblical worldview.  Of those under 40, it dropped to 3%.

Frightening.

This is why there is so much confusion in the world today about tolerance, acceptance, values, lifestyles, belief systems, truth claims, etc ... because the number of folks who consistently believe these eight things is slipping in favor of other forms of thinking and believing.  Many/most people are simply creating their own personal version of 'what is right' and the tweaking it as they go -- meaning, truth is whatever is right in their own eyes at the time.

Everybody has some kind of worldview.  Moment to moment decisions are shaped by it.  Over time we adapt our worldview to better suit our mental, emotional, spiritual and relational lives.  We mold our worldview around our practices, rather than mold our practices around a correct, true, Biblical worldview.

I encourage you to put your spiritual muscle into play by studying these eight core values of Christianity and then living by a Biblical, Godly perspective.

And be blessed.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

--7 - Unchanging moral truth exists
--8 - Such truth is defined by the Bible

When I read these two, I found myself wondering exactly what that means. There is so much to digest in the Bible. I wondered if you could break it down just a bit? I found this article by Focus on the Family and it makes a little more sense than some of the others I read. Some left my head spinning... :/

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian_worldview/whats_a_christian_worldview.aspx

Are there certain moral principles one would follow? In spite of my more obvious sins, I do consider myself a 'moral' person...I know right from wrong and I do feel convicted when I stray from that. I'm just weak in certain areas and give in to my flesh. And I still believe in equality...but I know that's not one of your favorite subjects. Anyway, I suppose my worldview is a little shaky in some ways. I still seem to see a few 'gray' areas. Unfortunately...

PK's BLOG said...

These two are critical - but then, they all are, right? If we believe truth shifts and if it is defined by you, me, government, some committee - then we will constantly be adrift with morality, holiness, etc. This truth must be defined by a Higher Morality - that which comes from God and the Bible.

THE FOTF viewpoint / article is very good.

It is good that you feel conviction when you stray -- conviction drives us toward God, not away from Him. That's great.

PS - Equality is not a favorite nor un-favorite topic of mine. I believe in equality, as does the Bible, when it comes to each person having value - that no person is better than another - that we're all people Jesus died for - we are level at the foot of the cross. I do not believe Biblical truth extends that same equality to every lifestyle, belief system or value. There's a difference.

Anonymous said...

I've been pondering my beliefs and how they may differ from the Bible. The only thing that comes to my mind is marriage equality. I certainly do not believe that all belief systems lead to God. Only Jesus can do that. One of the examples given in the article was sexual morality and purity. I know that pre-marital sex is wrong, even though, society doesn't agree. I follow that.

This part really stood out to me:

"If we capture and embrace more of God's worldview and trust it with unwavering faith, then we begin to make the right decisions and form the appropriate responses to questions on abortion, same- sex marriage, cloning, stem-cell research and even media choices. Because, in the end, it is our decisions and actions that reveal what we really believe."

It does make me stop and think...do I trust in God's wisdom or my own compassion towards others? I still struggle with this question...

PK's BLOG said...

Great stuff.

Blessings.

Anonymous said...

Not to get off-track here, but the article makes mention of stem-cell research. I've always thought that it is beneficial. It seems there are more ethical questions to consider, though. I just hadn't thought a whole lot about it. This is a link to the National Institute on Health about ethics surrounding it:

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/pages/ethics.aspx

What are the objections? The one that I am aware of is the use of stem-cells from aborted fetuses. On those grounds, I would be opposed. My thought is that it could be abused greatly...and I am pro-life anyway. But, from deceased individuals, I am not so sure. There is a great potential to help others.

Anonymous said...

Another topic is in the forefront of the news lately is the Hobby Lobby case. Basically, Hobby Lobby wants to be exempt from providing contraceptive care in the form of the morning-after pill and IUD's. They consider this abortion, as the egg is already fertilized in the womb. The vast majority of society are in favor of abortion and it is the law. However, I believe that Hobby Lobby has a right to dictate what type of coverage they offer, since they are privately-owned. If it was a public (ie: govt) position, then it would be different, since abortion is legal. I hope that the suit is found in Hobby Lobby's favor.

This is yet another example of a worldview at odds with a Biblical Worldview. This may not be something you want to weigh in on, but I wonder how you might view these forms of birth-control. Do you think it is the same as abortion? Personally, I haven't thought of it in those terms, but it is a valid argument. If life begins at conception, then it is abortion. When is it a baby? From the moment the egg is fertilized or at a later point? Something to think about...