Christian Worldviews and Biblical Tenets

¶ … worldview is a "mental model of reality -- a framework of ideas & attitudes about the world, ourselves, and life, a comprehensive system of beliefs," (Rusbult, n.d.). Each person views the world through the lenses created by personality, parental and peer influences, the media, culture, and a host of other internal and external forces. While worldviews can change over time, generally they can remain static throughout one's lifetime, especially when one grows up in a tightly knit or traditional community. A worldview shapes one's outlooks and beliefs to extent that it impacts political opinions, moral views, relationships, and behaviors. A clash in worldviews can create serious miscommunications and misunderstandings, which is why living in a diverse society like ours can present significant challenges.

Part II

(1) The Question of Origin: The Bible literally begins with the question of origin because "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," (Genesis 1:1). Life began out of God and out of God's will, as God created the world out of the "formless and empty" darkness that was before (Genesis 1:2). The first element of creation was light, as God first utters, "Let there be light," (Genesis 1:3). God immediately divided the light from the darkness, refusing to obliterate the natural darkness that was before and instead welcoming the nuances of light and darkness that would come to constitute human life. Yet human life was far from being the first thing on God's list of creation. The origin of human life comes after God created the land upon which the plants and animals of the earth dwell. All living creatures save for mankind had been created prior to mankind, which was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Mankind was created to "rule over" the rest of the earthly domain, even as God rules over mankind (Genesis 1:26).

(2) The Question of Identity: Human beings are different from and more important than animals. The Bible clearly emphasizes the special place held by humanity, as God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals," (Genesis 1:26). Creating mankind in God's image means that God designed human beings to be microcosms of the divine in ways that no other creature on earth can claim to be.

Mankind can continually identify with God in this way, as a mirror image and yet as one that is imperfect and longing to be united with the Creator. The identity of mankind is inextricably linked with the position of human beings as being not quite animalistic but also not quite divine. Prior to the fall of mankind as detailed in Genesis, human beings felt "no shame" and were more godly than before eating from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 2:25). God gave human beings the capacity to make decisions, including those decisions that might be detrimental or harmful. Free will is part of the identity of mankind, even if free will highlights the weaknesses and potential for ignorance and corruption inherent in human nature. Interestingly, after the fall of mankind, it becomes clear that free will makes human beings both more important than animals but also more accursed with the power to make ungodly, sinful choices.

(3) The Question of Meaning/Purpose: God created mankind because the act of creation was deemed "good," immediately after God first beheld the light of creation (Genesis 1:9). The purpose of mankind is to follow the will of God, evidenced in God's conversation with Adam in Eden. Moreover, God created mankind in order to ensure the orderliness of the universe. There is an intelligent structure and hierarchy to God's creation, in which Human beings are entrusted with the power to rule over the land and have dominion over all other animals. As weak as mankind may be, the meaning of human life is in the power people have to do God's will. Human beings prove the existence of God, as human beings are created in His image.

(4) The Question of Morality: After the fall from grace, mankind proved that free will can lead to straying from God and temptation to sin. Throughout the remainder of existence, mankind is destined to ponder the question of morality in deep and meaningful ways in order to return and reunite humanity with God. Few Biblical verses so perfectly encapsulate the struggle between good and evil in the human heart, and show how human beings are to ponder their moral affairs than in Romans 7:15-25. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good," (Romans 7:15-16). Right behaviors are those that are godly, in accordance with the divine will and purpose including those older commandments set forth by God when He revealed Himself to Moses, until the later covenant with God after He delivered unto sinful mankind the personage of Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it clear which types of behaviors are sinful, so that believers can submit themselves to the word of God in unequivocal ways. Evil comes from within, leading to sinful behavior. "It is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come -- sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person," (Mark 7:21-23).

(5) The Question of Destiny: The question of life after death became crystallized and clarified after Christ. His resurrection proved triumph over death through faith. "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die," (John 11:25). Jesus's message of eternal life is central to His mission and teaching and is part of God's overall plan for the deliverance of mankind. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life," (John 3:16). As Segal (2010) points out, the "attainment of life after death" and the promise of everlasting life had its roots prior in Egyptian mythology, which became sanctified and clarified with the coming of Christ and the Word of God therein (p. 55).