A Biblical Worldview
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” II Timothy 3:16-17
If you ever wondered why God gave us His word, the answer is in the above verse. How else could a person who is desirous of living righteously before God know how to live without some instructions? Folks will buy things that have to be assembled, but for the sake of saving time, they will not consult the instruction booklet. If they are mechanically or technically savvy, the result is usually fine, but if not, they finally give up and check the instructions. I remember years ago, I drove over to a friend’s house, and she was outside putting together a standard wooden picnic table. The legs that hold the table up are supposed to be crossed like the letter”X” on each end. However, she had the legs pointing the other way, slanted out from the table like back and forward slashes. It was rather humorous looking, but I didn’t laugh because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I showed her how the legs should go, and the table was finally put together.
The reason why our world is in such a mess is because people do not read God’s instruction manual, the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote many of the chapters of the New Testament in the form of letters to churches or individuals. During his time on earth, there was no New Testament compiled as we have today. They had the books written by Moses, the historical account of Israel, and the writings of the prophets. Those books were studied diligently by those who wanted to know what God expected of them. Paul was a student of the Old Testament. Timothy, his young protege, traveled with Paul, and observed the way Paul conducted his life. To Timothy and to us, Paul was the scriptures in human form because he lived what he believed. His purpose was to make Christ and His plan of salvation known to as many as he could. His faith was demonstrated as he worked toward that goal. He was longsuffering as he endured many trials. His love for others gave him a heart to see as many saved as possible. It was the word of God which guided his life. He was definitely and “thoroughly furnished unto all good works”.
The reason for today’s blog concerns an article that I saw online. George Barna, the Christian pollster, has done a new poll to find out the percentage of adults in our nation who have a Biblical worldview. He came up with four percent! Among those from 18 to 29, the percentage is one percent. I must admit that I was shocked. He went on to say that the last time he did this poll, the percentage of people with a Biblical worldview was six percent. I had no idea that number was so low. Apparently, I live in a snow globe of a Christian world and am naive enough to think that there would have been a greater percentage, maybe not a huge percentage, but at least more than four percent of Americans who base their lives on God’s word. I do keep up with the news and know that our nation is sliding down that slippery slope to perdition faster and faster. It is a frightening thought to think that 96 percent of Americans base their lives, philosophies, etc. on, I suppose, what other people think and do instead of thinking for themselves and understanding that we are all held accountable by and to God.
What is the definition of the Biblical worldview? The Christian Research Council defines “Biblical worldview” as “the means of experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality in light of Biblical perspectives”. Mr. Barna went so far as to say that our Biblical worldview is close to extinction. He did report that there were others who held to some form of Biblical perspective but were more inclined to think like the world. I suppose these folks are the ones who pick and choose from scripture what they want to believe rather than taking the entire Bible as the inerrant word of God. No wonder our nation and the world are so far gone into depravity. We have all heard about the revival that took place in Kentucky recently among college kids which gave us some hope for a return to Biblical values. Even so, those of us who are true believers who live what they believe and have a real burden for the lost seem like tiny fish in a great big sea with sharks swimming all around us. But here’s the thing–God made us, and His word is going to win out over the sharks, the sinners, and all those who would desire to rid the world of God’s people. Those folks don’t know it, but one day the percentage of folks who have a Biblical worldview will be 100 percent! Thus, I plan on continuing to live my life using God’s word as my instruction manual. God’s way of putting our lives together never fails.