Christian Worldview of Life - Research Paper Example

Christian worldview of Life, Death, Human History, and External Reality Christian worldview is different from Naturalism, Postmodernism, Existentialism, Nihilism, and Deists on a number of aspects ranging from life to death. Christian Theism bases all its arguments on the Holy Bible while other Theisms may not necessarily refer to a god who controls the universe (Ekstrand, 2008). Christianity takes a completely different approach in regards to the fundamental issues of life in that it takes an Almighty God as the Creator of the Universe and human beings. In addition, Christianity looks at God as the Originator of life and death and that only the righteous ones can gain salvation (Anderson, 2014). Although other belief systems may differ significantly from Christian Theism, it is worth looking at the Christian worldview of life, human beings, right and wrong, human history, cosmos, and death in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the Christian worldview. According to the Bible, the prime reality is the omnipresent and infinite God who watches over the world from the high heavens. God is not only infinite, but also he is also personal in the sense that he communicates with man through prayers and he is an omniscient God. As revealed in the Holy Scriptures, God is the creator of the heavens and the earth, meaning that he has control over the entire universe (Ekstrand, 2008). No other place can one learn about the triune God except by reading the Holy Scriptures because he reveals himself to humans through the Bible. Owing to His transcendent nature, God is sovereign over all matter and living things and he uses his power for the goof of all. In essence, the Goodness of God is means to save humankind from his sins that have been deeply rooted in man since the days of Adam. Christianity takes the belief that only one omnipotent God exists and Hi works closely with His Angels for the good of all human beings. It implies that God ranks humankind above all other living and non-living things within the cosmos (Edwards, 2010).  When it comes to the nature of external reality, Deism and naturalism agree to some extent with the Christian worldview that God created the cosmos. Perhaps the major differences surface among various theisms when one analyzes the motive of God in creating the open space. As for Christianity, God created the universe out of nothing, meaning that he created the cosmos ‘ex nihilo.’ In as much as other belief systems would like to disagree with the Christian perspective, there is a reason to believe in Christianity since such belief systems derive vast concepts from the Christian worldview. Perhaps they only make some little deviations from the Christian perspective in order to appear different (Ekstrand, 2008).  God’s purpose was to create a universe that was uniform and consistent in terms of operation. It means everything that happens within the universe happens similarly at any part of the universe. In addition, the universe operates consistently in a cause and effect mode, implying that any action that occurs within the cosmos will attract a consequence, whether positive or negative. Unlike other belief systems that claim the universe operates in a closed system or no system at all, Christianity is of the opinion that the universe operates in an open system and this is the reality around everyone within the universe (Gibson & Wootten, 2002). Unlike the skewed views of the material narrative, the spiritual narrative of human beings is more objective, particularly when it comes to the Christian perspective of human beings. Different belief systems attempt to describe human beings in various ways ranging from a mere object to an organism that has evolved over the years to achieve the level of sophistication that it has today (Ekstrand, 2008). However, the Christian perspective is different in the sense that the divinity of human beings is supreme irrespective of their background or social status. In addition, human beings are spiritual beings who exist in the physical world in a bodily form before death separates one’s body from his/soul. Unlike Hinduism and other cultures, the Christian perspective holds it that the body can never be reincarnated with a few exceptions of resurrections in the Bible (Wingren, 2004).  The Bible clearly highlights the status of human beings within the high heavens and that the earth is just a temporary place where the righteous human beings live before Jesus Christ returns to take them to heaven. Fundamentally, God created human beings in His own image so that he could extend His utmost love for humankind (Gen. 1:27 King James Version). God valued human beings, commonly referred to as ‘Man’ in the Holy Scriptures, that ‘he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus came to earth in the form of a human being in order to save the world. It just shows the value and love that God has for human beings. Therefore, human beings are not just evolving objects, but divine Creatures who have the likeness of God (Anderson, 2014). Christian perspective of death is multifaceted in that two forms of deaths exist namely the first death and the second death. Besides, a person can die physical, spiritually, or even experience both deaths. In this respect, a person’s body returns to the ground upon death, as promised by God in Genesis 3:19 (King James Version). However, the spirit of a human being will go back to the Creator, who gives it to human beings freely. It means that the spirit is freed from the body upon the death of a person so that the spirit and return to God, who is the ultimate Giver (Ecclesiastes 12:7). When a person dies, he/she does not even know that she has died because it is like deep sleep before they wake up to see the return of Jesus Christ. From a Christina viewpoint, people who die on earth may talk two forms namely the dead in Christ, who are the righteous dead, and the dead, who will experience the second death upon the coming back of Jesus Christ. In this sense, there is no reincarnation of human beings after they have died and the righteous dead will receive immortal bodies for Christ (Ekstrand, 2008).  It is possible to know many things concerning God, the Universe, and supernatural phenomena because God Himself gave Man the ability to do so. Since God created man in his own image, he gave man dominion over everything that exists in the world. It means that man has the capacity to decrypt the deepest meanings and concepts within the universe and manipulate such knowledge for the good of all, although sometimes it leads to negative repercussions. In as much as God gave man the ability to understand and manipulate the universe, he did not reveal much as far as heaven is concerned (Gibson & Wootten, 2002). God called upon man to utilize the things that he had revealed to man for generations to come. However, God commanded man to worry about certain mysteries that He had not revealed because such belong to the lord (Deuteronomy 29:29). It is therefore possible to know things through the help of the Holy Spirit that God sends to people according to their faith. Perhaps the issue of right and wrong has many dimensions when viewed from various religious and non-religious standpoints. However, the Christian perspective of what is right and wrong is based on the Holy Scriptures unlike ethics that bases its arguments on morality. For instance, relative ethics may compromise on the issues of sexuality and freedom of worship while a Christian viewpoint on the issues is in black and white (Anderson, 2014). According to1 Corinthians 6:12, anything that is nor helpful or profitable to a person is wrong, however lawful it may be. It means that all right things are helpful to a person. Additionally, anything that enslaves a person is wrong. Any act, utterance, or thought that may cause a person to stumble is wrong, for example, fornication. Perhaps the most fundamental benchmark for right/wrong from a Christian perspective is whether the act, thought, or utterance glorifies the Lord. In the Holy Scriptures, Apostle Paul states, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 King James Version). According to the Holy Scriptures, human history is not linear as opposed to being cyclical. It means that a series of events have taken place since God created the world and that all that has passed has not undergone reincarnation, with a few exceptions. The Biblical history is a chronology of events in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that work together towards the fulfillment of God’s Holy Law and purpose for human beings. The Biblical events were not only sequential, but also they were consequential. The history of man can be summarized as creation, then came the fall of man, before the long and eventful journey of redemption that is still ongoing. According to the Book of Daniel 2:21 (King James Version), God is in control of times and seasons primarily because He makes changes to the world at will. However, God has given Man choice over his future and He does not interfere with the decisions of human beings that shape both the history and future of human beings (1 Sam 8:5-9). Unlike Naturalism, Postmodernism, Existentialism, Nihilism, and Deists, the Christian worldview is consistent in terms of its fundamental life positioning commitments (Szypuła, 2007). The core commitments are usually personal in nature. Christianity seeks to inspire people to seek righteousness and the Kingdom of God (Mathew 6:33). Besides, the Christian worldview’s main commitment is to beseech human beings to rejoice in the Lord and sing praises to His name, given the unimaginable grace that God has extended to man (Psalm 233:1; Philippians 4:4; Habakkuk 3:18). References Anderson, J. N. (2014). Whats Your Worldview? An Interactive Approach to Lifes Big Questions. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. Edwards, G. H. (2010). Creation of man: A complete study of man. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse. Ekstrand, D. W. (2008). Christianity: The pursuit of divine truth. S. l: Xulon Press. Gibson, L., & Wootten, P. (2002). Christianity. Oxford: Heinemann. Szypuła, W. (2007). The Holy Spirit in the eschatological tension of Christian life: An exegetico-theological study of 2 Corinthians 5, 1-5 and Romans 8, 18-27. Roma: Editrice Pontificia Universita Gregoriana. Wingren, G. (2004). Man and the incarnation: A study in the biblical theology of Irenaeus. Eugene, Or: Wipf & Stock Publishers. Read More