The Uniqueness of the Christian Worldview
The Christian worldview begins with the understanding that God deliberately created everything visible and invisible with a specific plan and purpose in mind. Every star, every planet, every dinosaur, and every molecule was created with the explicit purpose of giving God glory. Man retains a special place in God's creation by virtue of our likeness to God, giving each one of us immeasurable value. Within that "likeness" or "image" he endowed each one of us with the responsibility of free will and the ability to choose our destiny, for better or worse.
The God of the Bible is a holy and righteous God who hates sin and loves righteousness. Over time, the relationship between God and man was strained as man repeatably pursued evil. God often dealt with this by bringing judgement and destruction upon men who rejected God and, by default, insisted on being gods unto themselves. Over time, God began establishing a relationship with man based on covenant wherein He commits himself to act on our behalf. Having singled out the Israelites, they will become the vehicle He will use to establish and pass down the Mosaic Law. This law was not passed down in hopes that someone will follow it to the letter, rather it was given to show us our sin in hopes that we would humble ourselves and follow Him.
Over the course of 1,500 years, no man was capable of following God's law. Because all sin (breaking the law) carries a penalty of death, all men were deserving of death. Finally, God sent His Son, who at age 30 became the first man to fulfill the law without breaking even one commandment, therefore He was not deserving of death in any form. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus establishes the new and final Covenant with mankind, wherein He takes upon Himself our sin, willingly paying the price that we owe. In so doing, God demonstrates to all the heavens, His infinite love and His unwavering justice - or put another way, He is glorified by demonstrating His most precious attribute; His infinite love.
For the Christian, the Bible remains the inerrant and infallible words of God given by our creator so we can better comprehend and obey him. Within the Bible we find our place in God's great plan for humanity and understand the duty we have as His children. From love and holiness to charity and forgiveness, God's word transforms our lives so that we can better reflect who He is and care for those He loves. The resurrection of Jesus and the fact that He is seated at the right hand of God, gives us the power necessary to overcome this world and extend His kingdom on earth. As we live out the Christian worldview, we do it with an assurance of eternal life with God in Heaven.
Often, when we do evangelism, we may notice that many lump Christianity alongside many other world religions. But the fact is the only feature it has in common with most other religions is a belief in god and the fact that mankind is broken. Besides that, it departs dramatically from all others. Therefore, as evangelists, we should have a clear understanding of these differences, some of which we listed below.
Uniqueness of the Christian Worldview
Main components of the Christian Worldview
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:1-4
I am totally convinced the Christian faith is the most coherent worldview around. Everyone: pantheist, atheist, skeptic, polytheist has to answer these questions: Where did I come from? What is life's meaning? How do I define right from wrong and what happens to me when I die? Those are the fulcrum points of our existence. I deal with cultural issues whether they be in the Middle East, Far East, the Orient or the West. You broach questions in the context of their culture and then present the Christian answers. Ravi Zacharias
The God of the Bible is a holy and righteous God who hates sin and loves righteousness. Over time, the relationship between God and man was strained as man repeatably pursued evil. God often dealt with this by bringing judgement and destruction upon men who rejected God and, by default, insisted on being gods unto themselves. Over time, God began establishing a relationship with man based on covenant wherein He commits himself to act on our behalf. Having singled out the Israelites, they will become the vehicle He will use to establish and pass down the Mosaic Law. This law was not passed down in hopes that someone will follow it to the letter, rather it was given to show us our sin in hopes that we would humble ourselves and follow Him.
Over the course of 1,500 years, no man was capable of following God's law. Because all sin (breaking the law) carries a penalty of death, all men were deserving of death. Finally, God sent His Son, who at age 30 became the first man to fulfill the law without breaking even one commandment, therefore He was not deserving of death in any form. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus establishes the new and final Covenant with mankind, wherein He takes upon Himself our sin, willingly paying the price that we owe. In so doing, God demonstrates to all the heavens, His infinite love and His unwavering justice - or put another way, He is glorified by demonstrating His most precious attribute; His infinite love.
For the Christian, the Bible remains the inerrant and infallible words of God given by our creator so we can better comprehend and obey him. Within the Bible we find our place in God's great plan for humanity and understand the duty we have as His children. From love and holiness to charity and forgiveness, God's word transforms our lives so that we can better reflect who He is and care for those He loves. The resurrection of Jesus and the fact that He is seated at the right hand of God, gives us the power necessary to overcome this world and extend His kingdom on earth. As we live out the Christian worldview, we do it with an assurance of eternal life with God in Heaven.
Often, when we do evangelism, we may notice that many lump Christianity alongside many other world religions. But the fact is the only feature it has in common with most other religions is a belief in god and the fact that mankind is broken. Besides that, it departs dramatically from all others. Therefore, as evangelists, we should have a clear understanding of these differences, some of which we listed below.
Uniqueness of the Christian Worldview
- God is knowable, close and comprehendible, not abstract and distant.
- God is personal and relational.
- He is a God of justice and love.
- The problem of sin and a bad conscience is dealt with decisively.
- It is grounded on historical events rather than mythical stories.
- Our sacred text is confirmed by fulfilled prophesy.
- The authenticity of our Founder is supported by signs and wonders.
- Salvation is based on grace, not human effort.
- The Christian worldview is supported by science, logic and philosophy.
- Christianity is livable and reflects reality.
Main components of the Christian Worldview
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:1-4
- God is the transcendent Creator - Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- Mankind has unique value - Genesis 1:27 In the image of God He created him male and female. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son.
- Biblical foundation - John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word …and the Word was God.
- Deity of Christ - John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Exclusivity - John 14:6 I am the way the truth and the life no one come to the Father except through Me.
- Relationship based on covenant - Genesis 9:9 I will establish My covenant with you … Mark 14:24 …is My blood of the New Covenant
- Redemption based on grace - Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead you shall be saved. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift from God.
- Duty - John 15:12 Love one another. I John 5:2 Love God and keep His commandments. James 1:27 Care for orphans and widows.
- Virtue - John 15:12 Love one another. I Peter 1:15 …you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written “be holy, for I am holy.”
- Afterlife - John 3:15 Believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
I am totally convinced the Christian faith is the most coherent worldview around. Everyone: pantheist, atheist, skeptic, polytheist has to answer these questions: Where did I come from? What is life's meaning? How do I define right from wrong and what happens to me when I die? Those are the fulcrum points of our existence. I deal with cultural issues whether they be in the Middle East, Far East, the Orient or the West. You broach questions in the context of their culture and then present the Christian answers. Ravi Zacharias