1 John 4:4-5, “4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.”
A worldview basically means the way in which you see the world. Included in one’s worldview are beliefs about morals & ethics, marriage & family values, religious practices, and even politics. Consider a worldview to be like the glasses in which you see the entire world through. If you wear atheistic worldview glasses than everything you see will be based on the assumption that there is no god. When you see flowers you would say, “Look at what blind evolutionary processes made over time.” Or when looking at a baby, “Here is a clump of cells that will help reproduce the human species so that it can hopefully survive another generation.”
However, if you wear Christian or biblical worldview glasses you will see the same flower and say, “Look at what God created through His natural laws.” Or when looking at a baby, “I see a beautiful and unique person created in the image of God.” Certainly, there are countless other worldview glasses people can wear like the Islamic worldview, the New Age/Hindu glasses, or the materialistic selfish point of view. However, according to the Bible there are only two real world views- God’s and the world’s.
Therefore, as John wrote in the above passage we need to recognize the difference between things that come from God and the world (everything else, including the devil who is the “god/ruler of this age”). The good news for the disciple is that our worldview is greater than all the other perspectives because it comes from God Himself who lives within us. So we shouldn’t get discouraged when we see worldly-minded people prospering or convincing other worldly people of their view. We should be confident that our God overcomes the world!
Here are three ways to stand for a biblical worldview, (1) Base all your morals and values on the Word of God; (2) Make every major decision based in prayer and the will of God; and (3) Confront other false and harmful worldviews with the Word of God. Remember; don’t let society force you to take off your biblical worldview glasses when you enter the work place, school, or government because everyone, including the godless, wears their worldview glasses everywhere they go!
Reflection
Are you standing for a biblical worldview?
Action
- Explain from the Bible why you should stand for a biblical worldview.
- Pray that God will use you to reach out with His worldview and compel with sound biblical reason those who see things differently.
- For more information regarding standing for a biblical worldview read the following books, “What is the Christian Worldview,” by Philip Ryken and “Foundations of Christian Thought,” by Mark Cosgrove.
