Essay Sample on Christian Worldviews: Examining Reality Through the Bible

Introduction

Worldviews are frameworks through which we examine reality and attempt to make sense of the world we live in. Every individual has a worldview, whether they are conscious of it or not (Costache, 2010). It is influenced by factors such as age, level of development, and religion, among others. A Christian worldview is based on the teachings of the Bible. The Christian worldview takes the Bible as the truth, which therefore offers solutions to the problems a Christian faces. The Christian worldview as does other worldviews attempts to answer questions such as the nature of existence, the nature of God, what is real what is the nature of evil, the origin and nature of human beings, the nature of truth and the objectives of the quest for knowledge, among others. This paper examines the Christian worldview in the context of how Christians perceive God, humanity, Jesus, and restoration and how this perception affects their approach to the world.

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God

God is the base of the Christian worldview. Christianity practices monotheism whereby there is a belief in one God, who is the supreme ruler and creator of everything. In the Bible, the first verse talks about God creating the heaven and the earth. The earth is the space that we are familiar with given we inhabit it. From the Bible, God existed before everything else. Therefore, it was through His will that he created everything else. Furthermore, God has certain qualities such as all-knowing, all-powerful, and is present everywhere at the same time. While it is difficult for a human being to comprehend these qualities, this only signifies the limitations of the human capacity to understand the attributes of God. Everything in the universe, therefore, serves God's purpose. God loves his creation, although some subsets of it do not act according to his will (Costache, 2010). However, God has plans to ensure salvation and the eventual happiness of his creation.

Humanity

God made human beings according to his image. Human beings were created last, and they were created using dirt. Other things and creatures were created through the word of God only while human beings were created with God's hands. The Bible contains narratives of the fall of human beings. After God placed the first human beings in the Garden of Eden, He wanted them to live in paradise. Humanity existed in this state until another force of evil embodied by Satan appeared and convinced Eve and Adam to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, one of the fruits God had forbidden them from eating (Costache, 2010). After the fall of humanity, human beings had to, among other things, till the land to eat given they were alienated from the grace of God. Given God's enduring mercy and grace, God offered to save humanity through His son, Jesus. Humanity is unique among God's creation in that human beings have free will and the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, human beings can be judged for their actions regarding whether they adhere to God's will or not.

Jesus

Jesus is God's only son. Jesus was in God's plan to save humanity from the perils of sin and the deception of Satan. Jesus lived among human beings after being born of a virgin. Jesus was born in David's lineage. David was God's servant, who was after God's heart (Costache, 2010). Living among human beings symbolized humility, where Jesus left the glory of God and heaven to dwell among such simple creatures as human beings. By living among human beings, Jesus also symbolized the closeness between humanity and God that would be necessary to return humanity to its former glory. Jesus's teachings are relevant to all human beings. Jesus lived a simple, pure life without sin. Given He challenged the religious and power status quo at the time, he was perceived as a threat, and he suffered at the hands of sinners and was later crucified. This fulfilled the Old Testament's prophesy. Jesus' resurrection is a symbol of victory of evil and the promise of eternal life for all His followers. Jesus' triumph also promises Christians that after suffering on earth, there is the promise of eternal life.

Restoration

Restoration in the Bible refers to returning the state of well-being such that the final state is better than the original state. This implies that one receives more than they have lost. In the Old Testament, restoration revolved around the Israelites, descendants of Jacob, who had undergone trials and tribulations often after sinning against God. During the reign of King David, Israelites were close to God since a godly king led them. Solomon's leadership style was flawed as it fell prey to earthly concerns, and led to the reintroduction of idol worship. This alienated Israelites from God, and they were scattered from their ancestral home. Various prophets talked about their restoration in their books. Jeremiah chapter 30 verse 17 states "For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord because they have called you an outcast: 'It is Zion, for whom no one cares!'" In the New Testament, Jesus promises the restoration of humanity by uniting them with God. Humanity is promised restoration through humility, prayer, and repentance. God's grace offers humanity the option of restoration and redemption (DiVincenzo, 2014). Through faith in Jesus, humanity is led upon the path to restoration. By believing in God's word and obeying Him, the self is transformed into a new individual. The transformation of the self is aggregated into a transformed society through a positive influence on others through actions that emulate Jesus.

Analysis

The Cristian worldview derives its strengths by relying on the word of God. People guided by the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible. The Christian worldview is based on the Bible, which contains the truth regarding the existence, the relationship between God and humanity, and the eventual destiny of humanity. The supremacy of God is another strength of the Christian worldview. There are many non-Christian versions of creation, none of which offer a more plausible explanation for the source of everything. The scientific version of the Big Bang purports that everything comes one explosion at the beginning of time. However, it doesn't explain what was there before the big bang or even the origin of time itself (DiVincenzo, 2014). However, the Christian worldview contains some troublesome concepts. One confusing aspect is that of human suffering. Given God is all-powerful, some people cannot understand why he allows suffering. More so, it is difficult to comprehend how some creatures suffer for others to thrive. For instance, an antelope has to die for lions to survive. Christianity elicits thinking on various matters such as the nature of human beings, the origin of sin, and the role of religion in humanity's existence.

Reflection

I am a Christian who has lived among people who express other worldviews. I live my life following the Christian worldview by following the teachings in the Bible. I always attempt to do my best to live among fellow human beings without providing harm but rather through nurturing them. I, however, understand that human nature is flawed, and human beings have original sins. It is, therefore, necessary to take deliberate steps to come closer to God. It is also essential to live one's life as Jesus would. The scripture contains teachings on how to live a virtuous life. Although all are sinners, God provides a path to common grace through Jesus (DiVincenzo, 2014). Furthermore, human beings are tasked with taking care of God's creation. Therefore, it is necessary to care for non-human forms of life. Human beings have the capacity to know the world around them better than other creatures because God created us in His image.

Conclusion

The Christian worldview dominates the perception of various issues among people who observe the religion of Christianity. God is the central concept of Christianity. He has various attributes, such as omnipresence, omnipotent, and omniscience. God created among everything else, human beings. Humanity is defined by the course of actions it has taken since its creation. Since it was special, it was created in God's image and given discernment over right and wrong. Humanity fell from God's grace and favor it disobeyed Him by being gullible enough to follow the advice of Satan. God's love is expressed through the promise of the restoration of humanity through Jesus. By believing in Jesus, human beings can, through repentance, become close to God as part of his flock once again. Jesus plays a vital role in the restoration from former glory into event greater one in eternal life. Like any Christian, it is essential to embody the Christian worldview and become similar to Christ in word and deed.

References

DiVincenzo, A. (2014). The Beginning of Wisdom: An Introduction to Christian Thought and Life. Grand Canyon University.

Costache, D. (2010). Christian Worldview: Understandings from St Basil the Great.