Do You Have A Biblical Worldview?

DO YOU HAVE A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW?

Text: Matthew 22:29

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. KJV

Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. NIV

Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken (deceived), not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” NKJV

Jesus answered, “You don’t understand, because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and you don’t know about the power of God.” NCV

Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:23-33.

The question tonight is, “Do you have a biblical worldview?”

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Introduction:

Article from The Sword of the Lord, January 30, 2004:

“Few American Christians Have Biblical Worldview”

Relatively few Americans have a biblical worldview – even among devoutly religious people. That’s the conclusion by the latest study of the Barna Research Group (BRG), which suggested that a large share of the nation’s moral and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a biblical worldview.

…The [December 2003] survey of 2,033 adults discovered that only 4 percent of Americans have such a perspective on life. Only 9 percent of those who called themselves Christians have a biblical worldview. Those numbers were even lower among other religious classifications: Protestants (7 percent), adults who attend mainline Protestant churches (2 percent) and Catholics (less than half of 1 percent)…

The research defined a biblical worldview as having a firm belief in six specific religious views: Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and He still rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; a Christian has a responsibility to share his faith in Christ with other people; and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.

Editor’s Comment: The liberal schools in “Christian” circles are largely responsible for producing several generations of “clergy” who are thus indoctrinated. The churches in turn are much to blame for allowing these liberals in their pulpits and for continuing to fund the schools from the Sunday offerings. As the survey reveals, the results are catastrophic!

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What do we mean by the term worldview? A couple good ways to describe that concept are:

"What is a worldview? A worldview comprises one’s collection of presuppostions, convictions, and values from which a person tries to understand and make sense out of the world and life.

A worldview is a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality"

-- Ronald Nash, Faith and Reason.

"A worldview is, first of all, an explanation and interpretation of the world, and second, an application of this view to life."

-- W. Gary Phillips & William E. Brown, Making Sense of Your World from a Biblical Viewpoint.

-- from the Introduction in John MacArthur, Gen. Ed., Think Biblically!

Quite simply, it is everything we believe, why we believe it, and how it affects how we live.

A biblical worldview, then, begins with

"Seeing things the way God sees them."

It is not developed with worldy wisdom but wisdom that is from God. We must exercise discernment and study to show ourselves approved unto God to be able to separate true biblical wisdom from God from that worldly wisdom which is often costumed and disguised to appear as godly teaching.

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Illustration: "Honey or Vinegar?"

Sister Bilinda handed me a printout of a little story the other day which can illustrate the importance of knowing the difference between outside appearances and what’s really inside. Since it’s off the internet and I only received a copy of it, I do not know the author and acknowledge that it is not an original idea of my own.

(Perform this illustration as an object lesson with a volunteer to taste a small spoonful of each substance, beginning with the vinegar. Be sure to find brands of vinegar and honey that are close in color to each other.)

"The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit. He quoted 1 Samuel 16:17: ’The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different,’ he explained.

Then he upset one and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other, and vinegar spilled out. ’When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out. Until the jars were upset, we reveal our innermost thoughts and attitudes, ’for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.’" (Luke 6:45)

What if someone tipped you over today?