Who are you? We can
communicate our worldview in a way society understands with a simple phrase
such as, “I am a Christian” without going into a lot of detail to describe our
identity and people basically understand.
“The question of identity is the key issue at the center of most of the
important issues of Western culture” (Phillips, Brown, Stonestreet). How we view the world and
how we process what happens to us is dependant on our worldview. Some people may classify this process
as a religion but to me it is faith.
As described in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, faith is
defined as a “belief and trust in
and loyalty to God” and it is further explained as a “firm belief in something
for which there is no proof”. The
Theistic worldview is based on having faith in an intelligent being we cannot
see but have full trust in. The faith I have in God is to help me discern His
truth in The Bible as well as how I
handle worldly concerns. My
identity and worldview as a Christian-Theistic individual is dependant on my
faith in God as not just a God but also the one and only true God.
As previously stated I have a Theistic worldview
and more specifically a Christian-Theistic worldview. As a Christian I draw strength from God and use The Bible as a guide to learn and
discern the commands of God. The Bible is a true source from
God. While other books compliment
the word of God The Bible describes
how to live life in every situation.
It is the only word from God that will never change. This is a reflection of His everlasting
love and goodness for His people.
I
believe The Bible to be the truth and
the only truth that was inspired by God and penned by man. C.S. Lewis said it best as he described
how Christianity has transformed his life, "I believe in Christianity as I believe
that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see
everything else”.
Further, as a Christ follower I believe both the Old Testament and the
New Testament are important with my walk in life. These Testaments are covenants God has made with His
children. Even though the Old
Testament was a covenant God made with a previous people it serves as an
example of who God is. God is not
just His name it describes who He is, Holy and Sovereign. These promises He made were the first
promises in revealing His awesome authority.
Furthermore,
The New Testament is also imperative to current and future believers to show
His love for His children. It also
gives hope to the lost and weary. The
entire Bible is full of emotional
terms to help us to relate and interpret what is written. One of the closest human relationships
we have is a parent and child relationship. God sent Himself in the form of His son to show relationship
and unconditional love for His people.
What is more loving than sending your perfect and unblemished son to die
for mans sins? “The Bible is not a book of abstract, technical
information. It is a book about
relationships, primary relationships between God and people” (Duvall, Hays, 2005). While some people may
feel certain parts of The Bible are
harsh these terms strike the heart in a deep and profound way. It is no mistake on God’s part that
people have a sharp reaction. It
was meant to shock and restart the deadened heart similar to the process of defibrillation.
The Bible is also true because God tells
us so in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (New International
Version). Not only do I know this
to be true in my heart but also I believe it makes sense how creationism is
explained. In the words of a book
by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an
Atheist”. If I did not believe in
God I would be forced to adopt the natural selection theory that life just
appeared without a rhyme or reason.
How can life exist without an intelligent being as the creator? We may be able to assume how things
survive and evolve (as in micro-evolution) but first we must look at how we
were created. As Geisler points
out even the Wright brothers needed some form of intelligence to create the
first airplane. Airplanes did not
just appear without two things:
1.) A Creator and 2.) Intelligence. “If intelligent scientists cannot break genetic barriers,
why should we expect nonintelligent natural selection to do so” (Geisler,
Turek)?
When
we look at the validity of The Bible
it is important to look at what evidence society has as well as what evidence
we do not have to prove a certain issue.
A large majority of The Bible is prophecy and history has proven
some of the predictions of what was written by authors cited in The Bible. “The Bible contains nearly three hundred predictions
concerning Christ. Even critics
agree that the latest of these come from some two hundred years before His
time; many come hundreds of years earlier” (Geisler). One large point that separates
Christianity from any other Theistic belief is that prophecy foretold that
Jesus would perform miracles. Jesus
performed miracles that are apart of historical evidence, which was both
predicted and proven. No other
religion can say that about the one who rescues them. Also, in regards to the writings testifying to Jesus the
prophets are making themselves a target speaking about Jesus and the meaning of
true salvation. Some critics of The Bible claim these prophets lied but
my question is how would they profit from lying about issues they could be
jailed and killed for? It is my
belief that they would be the last people to lie about Jesus’ title as The
Messiah. People like the Apostle
Paul would not be willing to die for something they did not know to be true.
In
order to practice what The Bible
teaches is good and righteous I look to Galatians 5: Life by the Spirit. I can choose to either live to glorify
God as The Bible states in Galatians
5:22-23, “…the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control”. Or I can choose to not
follow God’s commands and live in the flesh or sinful nature as Galatians
5:19-21 states, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness,
orgies and the like”. I know for a fact that sinful nature results in feeling empty,
lost, and without purpose so I choose to live in the Spirit.
In
addition, I can also scrutinize discourses throughout the Bible in order to
learn from it. By using logical
arguments such as deductive reasoning I am able to learn about what I am
observing. We do not have all the
answers about God and His beautiful creations but He provides us with
intelligence to seek the answers to our questions. God also helps us discern the text especially when we
connect with Him through prayer.
By reading and re-reading His word He can reveal more information to us
that helps us to apply His word to our life. That is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Along
with stories in The Bible there is
also a communication between God and the reader, which shows how compassionate and
loving God is for His children.
Specifically, Psalm 139:13-16 states, “For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb”,” My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my
unformed body. All the days
ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”.
My identity and my worldview is of a
Christian-Theistic view and my faith in God as the one and only true God. “Worldview in a Christian perspective
implies the objective existence of the Trinitarian God whose essential
character establishes the moral order of the universe and whose word, wisdom,
and law define and govern all aspects of created existence” (Sire). God speaks to His elect
through The Bible and has used others
to teach us what is good and what is disobedience. Physical evidence has proven in a very specific way that the
word of God is not merely written by man but inspired by God. Apostle Paul is an excellent example of
how God can use people to teach and encourage others. It was a supernatural event that happened when Paul was
filled with the Holy Spirit and is further proof of the transformation that God
can do. Matthew 6:25-34 talks about His specific love for
us to take care of us. God takes
care of the birds and the flowers and trees He loves us much more so how much
more will He care for us if He provides for these small creatures. These small creatures and plants do not
worry about storing food for tomorrow so certainly we do not need to worry. Through God’s tone in the scripture He
emphasizes what breaks His heart.
There are no mistakes in His word and He often will repeat words and
stories to get our attention. God
is our intelligent creator and loves us like a parent loves a child. That is why He is called our Heavenly
Father.
Duvall,
J. S., Hays, J.D. Grasping
God’s Word
Geisler,
N. Systematic Theology.
Geisler,
N., Turek, F. I
Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.
Lewis,
C.S. Weight
of Glory.
Phillips, W.,
Brown, W., & Stonestreet, J. Making sense of your
world: A biblical worldview
Sire, James, W. Naming the Elephant.
