Understanding Christian Worldviews

William Foster

CWV-101 Christian Worldview

December 8, 2018

Prof. Luke Hoselton

Understanding Christian Worldviews

        Atheism, Bahai, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Shinto, these are just a few of the thousands of religions that are celebrated and revered across the world. In all there are an estimated four thousand religions worldwide and just as many worldviews on religion. Of these, Christianity is the largest with almost a third of the world’s population claiming to be Christian in some way, shape, or form. So, what does it mean to be Christian?  The answer to this question has changed and evolved, almost as much as the world, since before Christ came to earth. To most it is simply having a belief in Jesus Christ, but in today’s society, the evolution of Christianity and one’s Christian worldview can be impacted by the social and cultural trends of the world. By taking a closer look and analyzing the essential elements of Christianity a better understanding of what a Christian worldview is can be found.

God

The creator of all things and the father of Jesus Christ. This is a simplest and most common view of God, and how most Christians relate to Him. However, God is much more than the creator of the heavens and earth (Gen. 1:1), and the Father of mankind’s Savior (Acts 13:23). God is the ultimate reality, He is love, goodness, compassion, and justice (Lecture 2, 2017). In addition, God is limitless. In other words, He is not limited to a mortal body or to a specific shape. He is not limited to boundaries or forces. He is immeasurable, undiscernible to human eyes, and is everywhere and in everything. God is the spiritual force that breathes life in all that exists (Valk, 2012). To view Him as anything else would change the essential foundation of the Christian worldview. Granted the worldview of Christianity centers its belief of Christ, but in reality, God is the foundation of the Christion belief. Without Him there would be no creation, no fall of mankind, and no Jesus Christ, therefore no Christianity.

Humanity

The scriptures teach that God is a personal being in whose image humanity was created, and that He is the Father of the spirits of all mankind. Because of this relationship, mankind inherited divine attributes or talents. This thought was beautifully stated when Job of old explained that: “There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8). It is with these talents that humanity’s purpose is to be reached. That purpose being to grow and develop in accordance with the teachings of the Lord, and to prepare to return to His kingdom. Sadly, because of the fall of mankind the nature of humanity is to be sinful rather than to strive for divinity.

Man is a dual being, with a natural body and a spiritual body, and his life a plan of God (McKay, 2003). Man’s body is the tabernacle in which his spirit dwells. Much of humanity is prone to regard the body as the man and spends much of its time gratifying the body’s pleasures, appetites, and desires. Too few recognize that the real man is an immortal spirit, which was animated as an individual entity before the mortal body was created. This spiritual entity with all its distinguishing traits will continue after the body ceases to respond to its earthly environment. Thus, humanity’s sinful nature can be blamed for the bulk of humanity’s problems.

 Jesus

Following the fall of Adam and Eve, all of mankind inherited a sinful nature. Because of this God needed to put a plan in place that would allow for the redemption of humanity. Part of the groundwork for this plan was the Sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ. As the Son of God, Jesus is the only man to have both divine and human natures. As a mortal man Christ suffered from hunger, thirst, and weariness just as all of humanity did. He suffered pain and was capable of being tempted. As a divine being, Jesus was able to conquer death and triumph over evil. He raised the dead, healed the sick, and blessed the lost.

There were many names and titles given to Christ, but the most important was Savior. Preordained and selected by God, Christ was sent to earth to be the Savior of all mankind. To lead by example, teach the Lord’s will, and ultimately to give His life so that mankind could receive redemption for its sins. It is in these works that that the foundation for the Christian worldview was established. A belief that one can be saved or redeemed of their sinful nature through the atonement of Christ. With out this belief Christians would have no hope or faith in the future of humanity.

Restoration

When we hear the word restoration, we tend to associate it with restoring a piece of furniture, a painting, or a computer’s memory. The act of returning something to its original state. According to the Bible or the Christian worldview, the act of restoration is to return one’s heart to the desires of the Lord and not to those of our inherited sinful nature. It is through the restoration of the heart that humanity can find the solutions to many of the dehumanizing acts that plague today’s society. It can also lead to the healing of our spiritual wounds.

It is through justification, or when God see a sinful individual as being righteous because of their faith in Christ, that the restoration of the heart begins (Merrick, 2017). This is also where salvation begins. It is through the mercy, grace, and works of Jesus Christ, and the restoration of humanity that the plan of salvation can come to be.

Analysis

There are many benefits and strengths that come from maintaining a Christian belief, beginning with the belief that humanity was rescued from eternal torment in hell and separation from God by the sacrifice and atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ (Lecture 5, 2017). Because of this Christians can find strength in the hope that they will be forgiven their sins. Other benefits such as the ability to have a personal relationship with the Savior, find guidance in the Holy Spirit, and to have earthly happiness add to the foundation of a Christian worldview.

Along with the comforts that come from the knowledge of Christianity there are some troubling aspects to its worldview. One of the most prevalent being the inconsistency in the interpretation of the scriptures. With the many different sects of Christianity and the many varieties of the Bible, interpretations of the teaching of Christ can vary and become convoluted, leading to confusion and disillusion. Sadly, this also leads to animosity between some sects.

The Cristian belief has a major impact on the everyday lives of its followers. Living by rules and laws such as the Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments, ancient and modern-day Christians hope to be more Christlike and worthier of God’s love. They make sacrifices of time, money, and worldly lifestyles, imulating Christ and His Apostles, in the hopes of obtaining eternal life.