A BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW
Jan
14
Written by:
1/14/2010 12:00 AM
A BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW
Jan. 14, 2010
(Acts 17:24 NIV) "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. (Acts 17:25 NIV) And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:26 NIV) From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. (Acts 17:27 NIV) God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:28 NIV) 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' (Acts 17:29 NIV) "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill. (Acts 17:30 NIV) In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:31 NIV) For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
Everyone has a world view. It is the way we look at life or perceive things. It is the lens that we look at the world through. Our world view influences how we talk and act. It influences how we treat each other. Through our world view we view life. Why are we here? What is the purpose of our life? What happens after we die? Naturally, the beliefs, values and behaviors of a culture a person lives in influence a person`s world view.
As a Christian our world view should be based on the Bible. The Bible should be the lens through which we view the world. Our world view should be based on the Word of God which is inspired and infallible. The Apostle Paul gave a very good summary of the Biblical World View in the above passage from the 17th Chapter of Acts. Paul was speaking in Athens, Greece. The Greeks believed that God and nature were the same. Paul declared to the Greeks the truth that God was the creator of everything. (Acts 17:24 NIV) "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. God is the creator of everything. Our life and everything we have comes from God. (Acts 17:25 NIV) And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
Only a small percentage of Christians have a Biblical world view. The main reason is that most Christians read or study the Bible very little. Their world view continues to be influenced by the culture they live in rather than what is written in the bible. The first year I became a Christian almost 30 years ago I realized reading the bible was very important. I needed to know what was written in the Bible so I could live my life according to God`s word, the Bible. I soon learned that the Bible was like an owner’s manual. It helped me very much in my daily life. Also, I used the bible as a guide to operate our businesses.
Just before the New Year we bought a television. We brought it home and took it out of the box. When I plugged it in nothing happened! My wife suggested we read the owner’s manual. After following the instructions in the manual the television worked! We become Christians when we believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins. After becoming Christians we need to read the Bible, the owner’s manual for Christians. We need to study the Bible to acquire a Biblical view of the world. Our life should be influenced by what is written in the bible, not the world around us. Today the actions and lives of most Christians are the same as other people in the world. Christians are not the light God called us to be in this world. Christians need to live their lives according to the Bible, the owner’s manual for Christians.
In Paul`s message to the Greeks he said all the nations of the world were made from one man. Acts 17:26 NIV) From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. The world view is quite different. In fact, there are many different views of the origins of man. Many people believe man is the result of evolution. They believe that simple forms of life evolve into more complex forms of life. However, simple forms of life never evolve into more complex forms of life. It is impossible.
Through reading the bible we learn that God created a perfect world. However, because man rebelled against God sin and death entered the world. However, we are not in this world without hope. God sent His son Jesus into the world to save mankind from their sins. When we believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins we become Christians. Our relationship with God is restored.
Jesus will come into the world a second time to judge the world. (Acts 17:30 NIV) In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:31 NIV) For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
In the end there will be a new heaven and a new earth. A perfect world will again be established. When we look at the world through the lens of the Bible we realize that the future is very promising.