Gospel Essentials

Name: Kathryn Nicole Lindsey

Date: November 19, 2016

Christian World View 101

Dr. Rasor

Gospel Essentials

    Do you ever look around and take in at all the wonderful creation that God created for us, and then realize just how truly wonderful God is?  There are many worldviews out there but this paper is going to reflect on the Christian Worldview.  In this essay I will be discussing and evaluating four essential elements of the Christian Worldview: God, humanity, Jesus, and restoration.

God

Can we truly define who God is?  Yes and no, but to be able to completely define who God is would be near impossible because of his infinite spirit.  How can someone with limits and boundaries be able to truly describe the one who is infinite?  There is no certain way to make a statement that would totally explain all the God is.  Making such a statement would confine God and then He would no longer be God because we have set a limit on who He is and what He can do.  It is important to personally know God in your daily life.  We learn who God is by reading our bible and studying His word.  We need to be in an intimate and personal level with God to truly become close to Him and to learn more about Him.  God is sovereign, love, faithful, and He is always there. God is our supreme leader, our monarch, and this allows him to do exactly what He does best; rule over everything.  As Christians we have to ability to live our life the way we see fit; either good or bad, and God will be right there by our side seeing us through the whole time.  God is love, and by love, He loves us with action, not emotion.  We will find no greater love than we do with God, Himself.  God is faithful because He will by right by our side through whatever our path of life takes us through.  When we become alone and have no one else to turn to He will always be by our side.  God know everything and we cannot hide anything from Him.  God holds all the knowledge of the universe from the past, present, and all the future.  God is a wonderful and amazing being that lives in our lives no matter what we face.  Psalm 147:4-5 tells us, "4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. 5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit."(NIV) That is just crazy, He not only knows how many stars there are in the universe but He knows them all by their name.  

Humanity

God created man to serve and love Him.  We were placed on this earth to carry out God's plan for life and all His creations.  God first plan had to change after the downfall of Adam and Eve because they disobeyed God's orders.  All of the human problems began with this one mistake and that is why we are all born a natural sinner.  Genesis, which means the beginning, starts off the Bible by telling us God created the Heavens and the earth, and day and night in day one.  Day two, He separated the water and the sky, which allowed there to be dry land.  On the third day, God created vegetation for food.  The moon and sun were created on the fourth day.  Living animals were sent to roam and live off the land and in the water on the fifth day.  On the sixth day, man is created to  rule over the livestock, fish, and birds.  Finally, on the seventh day, God had seen all that He created was complete and good so he made it holy and rested.  

The image of God refers to the spiritual part of man. It sets man apart from the animal world, fits him for the control God intended him to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables him to commune with his Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.(Reiss, 2011)  So we may not look exactly as God may but He created us to be different from the animals so that we could rule the earth but also so we could have a relationship with him.  

Jesus

Jesus was our miracle sent to earth to help humans believe that God was real.  He was firstborn of a virgin, then he lived a completely sinless life, and then was an innocent man that was tortured and murdered to save us from our sin.  Jesus was the one to show humans the true way to God and also to show us how God is the almighty one.  He shared His stories and along the way, there were miracles that helped other become followers to Him.  He willingly gave His life for us on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven. In chapter 6 of our textbook is says that Jesus is the Word of Gob by which God spoke all creation into existence (Merrick, 2014) In John 8:31-59 it happens in the story of Jesus' clearest sign of his own identity. He is the one and only Son of God who can use the divine I AM of himself, even though he is also distinguished from God.  Jesus was sent to this earth to do so many things that the list is never ending.  He was sent here to reveal the father (Matthew 11:27), to save the world (John 3:17; Luke 19:10), to destroy the devil's works (1 John 3:8), and to proclaim freedom for believers (Luke 4:18) just to name a few.  

Restoration

In the Christian worldview to receive restoration one must receive salvation of Jesus Christ alone.  To achieve that salvation you must have equal parts of faith and grace.  Christians must place all their faith upon the salvation of Christ and confess that they are sinners and not worthy of entering Heaven and need their savior Jesus Christ to help them out.  When you acknowledge that you need salvation through Jesus there is not a certain amount of praying, doing good deeds, or going to church that will guarantee your salvation with God.  You can only receive salvation when God grants it to you through his grace alone, but not by what you have personally done. ("Rescue, Redemption and Renewal")  When Christian become baptized they grow spiritually which then improves on their moral character and become better people that have more to offer to build a better society.  The only way that the world can change is through the saving grace of God Himself.  We must teach others about Him and His word and help them to learn that He is always there for them.   Other Christians have to show the way for the non-believers so that they can have ever eternal life.

Analysis

There are so many benefits when it comes to being a Christian.  The first benefit is that we are friends with our Lord and Savior.  Christians know that God is good, He has purpose for our lives, he wants to free us from our guilt, and He wants to be our friend.  As a Christian you are more likely to have a better home life.  Marriage is not a for sure thing when even when you are Christian, we all have our faults in life that show up sooner or later.  You are more likely to have a better marriage when you exchange your vows with someone who has the same Christian beliefs as you and are always willing to work on your relationship.  Jesus sacrificed His life for ours, so we cannot be selfish and only think about ourselves.  Christians should always be in an atmosphere of forgiveness.  If Christians want to be forgiven they must also forgive others as well.  God is our divine help in a relationship.  It is not just a husband and wife but there are three of you in this relationship.  God is squeezed right there in the middle of you.  As a Christian you also have help with your finances.  No, God does not pay them for you but when you trust in Him, God will know what you need and he will provide not only financially but spiritually.  You can also tend to have better health as a Christian.  Not saying that everyone will live long and prosperous as a Christian, but you are more likely to live a happier life.  Happy people live under less stress. Paul tells us why this is so: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) Christians have hope for the future.  Sooner or later death will catch us in His steel traps without anyway to escape.  But our Bible promises us eternal life for those of us that believe.  “The wages of sin is death,” Paul wrote, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23 (NIV).