Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 721 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

What Is a Biblical Worldview? – Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 721 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Starting today and on every Wednesday, we are shifting focus to explore new trails on how to gain wisdom. We are starting a series that will help us to explore our trek of life through a Biblical Worldview.

The first few weeks we will plot out what a Biblical worldview is, and why it is so important as a Christ follower to interpret life through the lenses of a Biblical worldview. Once we lay the foundation, we will then look at current issues that impact our world and society and explore them through the lens of a Biblical worldview, instead of the lens of modern media or social media. You may not always agree with my view, and that is okay. I am open to any comments that you may have on the subjects that we explore.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. My time invested last week with our partners in Arizona was productive as we start with the construction of Phase II townhomes in Mesa. We do have a tight schedule, so it is imperative that we stay focused and are able to meet our deadlines. I have found that most of us are more productive and can accomplish much more when there is a deadline and schedule that we must adhere to.

On the home front, Hazel is back at Children’s Hospital in Columbus this week. She was scheduled for chemo treatments through an IV and Spinal Tap. Unfortunately, during their initial testing, they determined that she has contracted chicken pox, which happens to some leukemia patients since the chemo kills off the cells created from the vaccination for it. They will have to alter her treatment because of this. Your continued prayers for Hazel and her family are appreciated.

As a Christ follower, how does a Biblical worldview help us to interpret events that impact our lives? Whether it is an illness, such as what Hazel is going through, or current events around the world, the first item we need to establish is…

What Is a Biblical Worldview?

The short answer is: looking at the world and all events past, present, and future from God’s viewpoint. Since we are certainly not God, what does this mean?

First, we have to understand that everybody has a worldview! From the remote tribes of the Amazon and villages in rural Africa to the staff members, officials, and elected officials at the White House, everybody has a philosophy of how they view the world.

Simply put, a worldview is simply the way that a human being regardless of ethnicity or background looks at life—the way we perceive things. This is also referred to as your paradigm or the filters by which you process life. You might say it is our “rose-colored” glasses by which we view the world.

Everyone has this lens that they look at the world through. And the way we look at the world makes all the difference in the world. It determines how we define reality, as well as how we relate to each other.

Everybody has a lens through which they interpret where life came from, why bad things happen, and what their purpose of existence is really all about. Anything from the very macro view of why are we here to minor everyday incidents, such as a flat tire.

In other words, everybody has a worldview.

If you are a Christ follower, as I am, then you should choose to have a Biblical worldview, which means that we view life through the lens of God’s Word. We believe the Bible is inspired of God, inerrant, and infallible in its original writing.

It is sad to say that few believers can put their hands on what they believe as their worldview because we really do not know what the Bible teaches. A new joint study by Barna and Summit Ministries looks at the worldviews of practicing Christ followers. The results aren’t flattering. Among other things, it found that only 17 percent of Christ followers have what the researchers consider a Biblical worldview. I may get further into this study in subsequent Wisdom Wednesday series, but suffice to say, it is a low percentage.

Not everybody you live around today has the same worldview as you do. In fact, the public education system in the United States and most advanced countries have been teaching the opposite of a Biblical worldview for the past seventy-five years. It is not surprising that most of those living around you have an opposing humanistic worldview!

There are also those who have a confused worldview because they attempt to mix a Biblical worldview with a humanistic worldview and then wonder why everything seems so mixed up in this world! Is it any wonder why so many people, including Christ-followers, are on anxiety medicines, suffer from stress-related illnesses, and are more prone to suicidal thoughts or actual suicide? I would conjecture, that there is at least some correlation between the two. So how is a person’s worldview formed?

• A Person’s Worldview Is Formed in Many Ways

1. Culture— The civilization or culture that a person lives in, their society, value system, customs, arts, and their heritage with all of its traditions, traits, and ideals.
2. Education— What a person has been taught as truth. Please understand that you and I are a product of what we read, watch, and subject our minds to.
3. Religious beliefs— What a person has been taught as matters of faith.
4. Emotions— How a person feels about a matter can be so strong that it outweighs any other logic or truth!
5. The Bible— For the Christ follower, it is a belief in God’s written Word and adherence to its teachings! For others, it may be a Koran or other scripture which is considered to them as of supreme authority.

How you and I look at the world is largely shaped by the culture around us, and our culture is largely shaped by the worldview that is accepted by the majority of those we live with. For example, if you work a job in which you are the only Christian present or if you attend a liberal college you may be subjected to a pretty rough environment.

The same is true when you live in a society that is dominated by media that is anti-God—the culture is ordinarily shaped by the majority, and you and I have to be careful that we do not let this anti-God worldview shape or change our worldview.

The culture around us is made up of the sum of everything that is prevalent in the society in which we live, and it is not neutral. The danger for us is that we can become so attached and so enamored with the culture around us that we actually become captive to it. When that happens, the first thing that we begin to question is our worldview. We begin to question the absolutes of God and trust the theories of the world! This is a subtle mindshift over time as we allow input into our minds that is not aligned to God’s precepts.

When Paul delivered the sermon on Mars Hill to a humanistic society in Acts 17, he did not even remotely question his worldview! He was so confident in his belief system (his faith) that he took his biblical worldview and engaged a pagan society that was very sincere in what they believed! He did not back down as he boldly proclaimed his God as true and their gods as false.

I will give you important components of a biblical worldview below and follow them with some dangers facing a biblical worldview.

• Six Important Components of a Biblical Worldview

1. God is the Creator of the world and rules this universe! (Genesis 1:1)
2. The Bible is God’s Word for mankind and is completely accurate including matters of life and its origin. (2 Timothy [3:16])
3. Because of God and His Word, absolute moral truth exists! (Psalms 1[02:25]–27; Malachi 3:6)
4. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and He lived a sinless life, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the grave three days later! (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; 1 John 4:9–10)
5. Satan is a real being (not symbolic) and seeks to defeat God’s plan for man! (1 Peter 5:8)
6. Salvation is obtained solely by individual faith in Christ’s work on the Cross and cannot be earned! (Ephesians 2:8–9)

• Three Dangers Facing a Biblical Worldview

1. Not viewing all of life through the Bible. You can’t just take bits and pieces of God’s Word and form a philosophy of life! This is the biggest downfall today among Christ followers. They say, “We will only believe those things about God that allow us to still be accepted by society!”

Jesus did not live like that. Paul did not live life like that and neither can you. You and I must run everything about life through the lens or filter of God’s view of the world—the Bible.

2. Viewing opposing worldviews as enemies rather than opportunities. This is one of the hardest things for me to do, but that is exactly what Paul did on Mars Hill. He stood among them armed with nothing but the Scriptures burning in his heart and spoke to them of repentance and judgment.

Mars Hill is a mission field, not a battlefield! Our apathetic, sensual, arrogant, and sometimes perverted culture is not the enemy! Satan is the enemy. People are an opportunity for evangelism.

We must get off the defensive and get on the offensive. The Bible says that those around us who have an opposing worldview have their minds blinded by Satan! – Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4).

3. Not believing your worldview is absolute. Not just right, but absolutely right. This is not an Americanized Biblical worldview, but a Biblical worldview based on God’s kingdom which supersedes and replaces any particular country, culture, or society.

• Paul preached to pantheists—who believe in many gods, not one God.
• Paul preached to the elitists of his day—poets, historians, educators, culture-shapers…
• Paul preached to idol-worshippers.
• Paul preached to mockers.
• Paul preached to unbelievers.
• Paul preached to evolutionists (Acts [17:24]).
• Paul preached to racists (Acts [17:26]).

Though we live in a liberal society that is fast being overtaken by other religions, we do not immerse ourselves as fish in the fishbowl of the world; rather we immerse ourselves in the truth of the Bible. This is the only way we can live a victorious, God-honoring life.

What you believe means nothing until you put it into action by living a life that aligns with the precepts found in God’s Word. Our worldview should be to build God’s kingdom throughout the entire world, not to build an empire of any particular country.

Next week for Wisdom Wednesday, we will continue to explore how to shape a Biblical worldview. After a few weeks of establishing a foundation for a Biblical worldview, we will then view some of the hot topics that are prevalent today from a Biblical lens. If you have any topics that you would like us to cover, please email them to me at guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute wisdom nugget that will provide you with a bit of wisdom that, if followed, will allow you to grow healthier, wealthier, and wiser each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe through iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!