Gospel Essentials

James Brown

CWV-101

September 4, 2016

Mr. Forrest

Gospel Essentials

Christian worldview is how we view and interact in the world that is around us. All of our decisions, how we treat others, and how we view other worldviews are based on us being Christians. Christianity, Buddhism, Muslim, Hindu, are just some of the different worldviews and they are all different. There are many questions that arise about who or what created the universe, and if there is an afterlife. We as Christians are dedicated to following the teachings of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ so these questions are answered in the bible and our beliefs. The core of the Christian worldview consists of God, Humanity, Jesus, and Restoration.

God

 God is much “bigger” than us in every sense and aspect of the word so to fully be able to describe him or understand him is impossible. To Christians, God is the creator of the all things, sovereign, almighty, and our Lord and Savior. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”(John 14:6) God has many characteristics, all of them good, flawless, and given out of love. God is righteous, faithful, honest, almighty and compassionate. God is wise, he was human, he is a spirit, he is holy and he is righteous. To Christians and many others, God is infinite with no beginning or end; he is majestic, glorious, and perfect. God has created the heaven and earth and has made us like himself. God created the world and us not because he had to, but he did it out of love. “For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.”(Colossians 1:16)  

Humanity

Human nature is a characteristic that makes us human. It is distinctly different from any other creature on the earth because we can think, feel, and reason. Mankind was created in the image of God and our purpose was to rule over God’s creation. Another one of our purposes is to have a relationship with God and to serve him in the way that he said. God created many creatures, but we as humans are unique because we have the ability to communicate with God. We are to love him, worship him, and we are to love all of mankind despite any differences that we may have between each other. The cause of all of humanity’s problems can be summed up with the word sin. Sin has been around from the beginning of time since Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(Genesis 3:5) Since that first bite, sins such as adultery, murder and theft have been prevalent in the world. Sin is the cause of all the pain and suffering that we experience. If there were no sin then humanity would not have any problems because we would be pure of heart and nature.

Jesus

The true identity of Jesus is that he is the Son of God, the Messiah, the one who gave his life so that we might live. Jesus Christ is the only way and our only hope (Challies,2011) He was given to us as a man who taught the word of God to others, he healed those that were sick and in the end he given back to us as a spirit. Jesus gave his life for all of mankind so that they would be saved. He wasn’t placed here to be worshipped, he was sent by God to spread his word and to save us from sin and death. While he was here, he traveled and did good things for those that were considered lower than others. He fed the hungry, healed the sick and performed miracles such as healing palsy and forgiving sins. The identity of Jesus shows us that regardless of our color, sins, age, and gender we can all have salvation through him. His identity and work is significant because it is the pillar of the Christian worldview. As Christians, we know that we can bring our sins to him, be forgiven and receive a fresh start with our lives. We can turn away from sin and see how we can do the work if the Lord instead. When our sins are forgiven, we are able to go to heaven. By embracing Jesus, we make the commitment to honor his word and to walk in the same light that he did. We know that this is only temporary and that after we die; our soul will go to heaven to live an eternal life with God.

Restoration

According to the Christian worldview, the solution to human problems is salvation through Jesus Christ. Grace and faith is part of Christian salvation, Christianity not just proclaims Jesus as the only way to salvation, but it is the only faith that is offering salvation (Migliore,2004). We must give all of our sins to God with grace and humility, and have faith in the Lord and his word. Realizing that we are not worthy as we are to enter into the kingdom and need the Lord as our savior in our lives. We being Christians believe that the transformation of self and society can only happen through our Lord and Saviors saving grace. Once we are saved and become more spiritually enhanced, we become better as a person and can use our worldview to help society become better.

Analysis

Christianity offers solutions to problems that arise in our life. It sets the guidelines for how we are to treat our fellow man, which is the same way that God would want us to do. Faith and hope are a couple of the strengths of Christian belief. We have hope of an eternal life with the Lord and the faith to know that this will happen as long as we believe and do God’s work. One thing that is troublesome about Christianity is that some people use it to benefit themselves and not for the benefit of others. We aren’t supposed to use the title of being a Christian as something to help ourselves profit, but to make the world a better place. When Jesus walked the earth, he didn’t profit anything but instead help those that were in need. In today’s world unfortunately, there are those that are more concerned with what they can get than what they can give. Christianity influences a person’s thinking and behavior by making them want to change and make changes so they receive the ultimate reward. When you’re a Christian, your thoughts turn to wanting to do what’s right and you ask yourself how you can make a difference in the world. Behavior that was wreckless, detrimental, and full of sin becomes a thing of the past. We want to set the example of how and what a Christian represents by walking in the same way that Jesus did. Even though we as Christians go through some of the same things as those that aren’t Christians, we have a calm and peace about us knowing that God will take care of everything. It might be a rough road and we may falter at times, we still know that God will be there to help us along the way.