We are currently in our series, "Here. Near. Far." For one to truly and passionately embrace the challenges and opportunities of these days, you must have a biblical worldview. Most of us don’t have, either by lack of knowledge, exposure, or by active choice of another way of thinking. However, a biblical worldview is truly the only way to make sense out of life and to be able to live an abundant life.
What is a worldview?
First of all, everyone has a worldview. One way of thinking of worldview is the analogy of a computer operating system. Worldview is the operating system for human beings. It tells us how to think and how to behave. It informs and directs the choices we make. Our moment-to-moment decisions are shaped by the worldview that we have adopted, adapted, and applied over the course of time, often without realizing that we are dependent upon such a framework for decision-making. Whenever we are about to make a decision, we unconsciously run it through a mental, spiritual, and emotional filter that allows us to make choices consistent with what we believe to be true, significant, and appropriate. That filter is the result of the information and experiences we have embraced to make sense of the world in which we live.
Without a worldview, we’d be incapable of arriving at many of the hundreds of decisions we make each day because each option would seem just as appealing as every other. To make even minor choices we rely on our sense of right and wrong, good and bad, useful and useless, appropriate and inappropriate, to produce what we believe are the wisest choices. A worldview comprises one's collection of presuppositions, convictions, and values from which a person tries to understand and make sense out of the world and life.
Do you have a biblical worldview? Researcher George Barna used these questions in his survey to help persons discover where they were.
- Do absolute moral truths exist?
- Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
- Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
- Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
- Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
- Is Satan real?
- Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people?
- Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?
Barna’s research concluded that only 9% of “born-again” Christians have a biblical worldview. Only 4% of Americans embrace a biblical worldview.
Since our worldview dramatically impacts the way we live and serve, it is vital to know that these are the signal points of the basic biblical worldview They are the subjects about which Barna quizzed in his research:
1. The belief in absolute moral truths
2. The belief that absolute moral truths are revealed in and defined by the Bible
3. The belief that Jesus lived a sinless life
4. The belief that God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe who sovereignly rules it today
5. The belief that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned
6. The belief that Satan is real
7. The belief that a Christian has the responsibility to share his faith in Christ with others
8. The belief that the Bible is accurate in all its teachings
The most significant and first step to acquiring a biblical worldview is to acknowledge and accept what God already knows. You are in a spiritual battle, and it is vital that you equip yourself to win.
We want to help you with that – see you Sunday!