Did you know that our “worldview” is what informs both our thinking and behavior? According to George Barna, of the Barna poll, only three percent of Christians live according to a Biblical worldview. Now, a “Biblical” worldview means that a person uses the Bible as the “lens” by which they view all of life. In this way, all their convictions and decisions stem from the Bible, with the New Testament as the foundation.
But why is it so important that a Christian live this way? It is simply because Jesus is “Lord” (or sovereign) of ALL. Plus, according to the New Testament, Jesus is the “Master,” or Lord, of the Christian. Jesus is our “Commander and Chief,” and we answer solely to Him. Not only this, but a Biblical worldview when “lived out” is most satisfying and fulfilling. In a nutshell, a Biblical worldview will naturally lead a Christian to “pick up their cross and follow Jesus” daily. Therefore, considering themselves dead to this world and the sin attached to it and alive to God, seeking first His Kingdom and righteousness. And believe it or not, this kind of life is both fulfilling and brings joy.
Not only does this worldview stem from the Bible, lead us to follow Jesus daily, and bring the most satisfaction in life, but it is also the worldview that Jesus and His disciples lived by. And if I were to be completely honest here, it is the only way a Christian can live “truly” as a Christian. You may have heard me say in the past how knowing our “Identity in Christ” will motivate us to live as though we have been crucified with Christ, having died “with Him” to our old sinful lives, and how now having been resurrected with Him we are capable of living by the power of the Holy Spirit as “more than conquerors,” living successful Christian lives in this world (Rom 6:1-14). Well, simply put, a Biblical worldview is lived out for the Christian through their identity in Christ.
Here is a test to check whether you hold to a Biblical worldview. If you answer yes to all of these then you have a Biblical worldview: First, do you believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God from Genesis to Revelation, that God created the world in a literal six-day period, that Adam and Eve were the first humans, that sin was the result of their disobedience to God, and that every human since then is born with a sinful nature, that the blood of Jesus Christ paid the ransom to rescue us out of sin and reconcile us back to God, That Jesus Christ is not only the only Savior of humanity, being expressed through His death on the cross, but is also Lord and King over all humanity, being expressed through His resurrection on the third day, that God has given us the power through Christ to both love and obey God and to love one another, that all who are associated with Christ have died to sin and now live for righteousness, that there is a literal heaven and hell and that all who reject Christ’s free gift of salvation will end up in hell one day, that Jesus Christ is returning on the last day to judge both the living and the dead, and that all who love Him will enjoy Him forever in eternity. Also, that there are only two genders, male and female, and that God designed marriage with the man to love His wife as Christ loved the Church, for the wife to willingly submit to her husband, as the husband is called to be the head of his wife, and that God designed the Church with men as the pastors and elders to “shepherd” the flock of God (See Eph Ch 4-5, 1 Corinthians Ch 14, the book of 1 Timothy, Titus, and 1 Peter) [these last points were mentioned intentionally in order to drive home the Biblical worldview perspective]. And lastly, that God has left us His Holy Spirit to faithfully live out these truths as individuals, and collectively as the Body-of-Christ. There is more I could put here, but these are the basics of a Biblical worldview. So, according to the Bible, we are either on God’s “good” side or we’re on His “bad” side. The Bible is very “black and white.” Thankfully, God has been gracious enough to spell everything out clearly so that no one is left uncertain of what He expects.
So, based on what is written above do you live according to a Biblical worldview? Have you ever noticed that there are many “camps,” “groups,” and “views” of the Bible and its contents within Christianity and that these views differ from each other? Of course, you have. But have you ever wondered why? Well, though there are many with their views of why, I want to say that the “main” reason is due to a “drifting” from a Biblical worldview based “solely” on what Christ and His disciples (meaning the Apostles who wrote the New Testament) believed and communicated in that very first century of the writing of the New Testament. And I believe that if all these camps, groups, and views could somehow step back long enough from their long-held beliefs in order to check themselves against a truly Biblical worldview they might find they have strayed from it here or there and hopefully return.
It is important to note that a Biblical worldview will inform our politics and our work ethic; it will inform our spending and our giving; it will inform our view of both the physical realm and the spiritual realm; it will inform our view of the human body and our idea of what health is, and is not; it will inform our love and our hate (we will love what God loves and hate what He hates); it will inform our sexuality and our identity. The list could go on, but what I’m really trying to communicate here is that the Holy Bible itself testifies that it will inform every aspect of our lives so that no area is left untouched by a Biblical worldview.
Finally, I want to end with a reminder from the Apostle Paul. He wrote these words to the Thessalonian church while they were enduring suffering for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For even though they were being persecuted they were standing firm, unwilling to move from their convictions. And why were they unwilling to compromise their faith amid a society that was opposing them? It was entirely due to their view of the Bible. They believed it was “God’s” word, and therefore it had the “last word” and held the place of final authority. As Paul wrote, “… we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, …” (2 Thess 2:13).
Aletheia: Truth in the Darkness 