Gospel Essentials, Christian Worldview - Essay Example

Gospel Essentials Introduction If one takes a close look at the modern society, one can not help noticing that the notion of religion was able to affect many people in the world. That is why it may be particularly beneficial to study a particular spiritual tradition in order to gain a better understanding of the way in which those who belong to it perceive the reality. This paper will outline the Christian worldview, provide an objective analysis of it and a personal reflection. The Christian Worldview God It would not be a mistake to suggest that the idea of God is the central one is Christianity as it is a monotheistic religion. In the previous epochs He was thought to be the center of the Universe and literally everything was revolving around Him. With this regard one should also dwell on some characteristics that are attributed to God Who is perceived as “a being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions” (God, 2011). Indeed, one of the major aspects that should be mentioned in particular is His perfection: no other being in the Universe can be as perfect. God is also regarded as the Creator of everything (DiVincenzo, 2012). It is quite obvious that everything that exists in the world was created by Him. Prior to the beginning of all things, nothing existed but God. The process of creation is explained in detailed in the book of Genesis. Keeping this in mind, one might ask a legitimate question: if everything was created by God, is evil, death, suffering and other negative aspects of life created by Him as well? According to free will theodicy, it was, but for the purpose of greater good. Humanity Speaking of human nature, one should note two important aspects. On the one hand, it must be said that just like all other beings, humans were created; however, “God created mankind in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). On the other hand, due because Adam and Eve committed the Original Sin, they could no longer live in Eden. There are many opinions about purpose of human life. While some people suggest that there is not distinct purpose since life should be perceived as the greatest gift that a person can receive, others point out that humans were created to praise the Lord. That is why the purpose of the human life is to love the Creator and follow the guidelines that were designed by Him. If people chose not to do so, this causes a considerable number of problems in their lives. Indeed, when humans forget about God and focus on the visible world, with all its passions and corruption, they start placing emphasis on insignificant elements of their lives, which results in failure and falling from grace. Jesus The identity of Jesus is surely central to Christianity. Even the very name of this spiritual tradition reflects His significance. In spite of the fact that Jesus Christ is thought to be a human being Who lived some two thousand years ago, He is also the Son of God (Jesus, 2002). Indeed, the duality of His nature is the greatest mystery for our minds since, on the one hand, Jesus never stopped being God, but, on the other hand, He walked the Earth just like other humans did and even was killed. The importance of mission of Jesus can hardly be exaggerated: He reconciled the mankind with God through sacrifice, showing people the way to save their souls. Indeed, He became the path that all the believers should follow and receive salvation. He willingly experienced all the tortures in order to set an example for other people of the way in which they should behave. It is quite understandable that Jesus’ identity and legacy is significant for the Christian worldview as it helps a person to make one’s priorities right and organize life in a manner that would put emphasis on the things that really matters, like praising the Lord, praying for salvation and helping others. In addition to that, Christianity encourages people to develop their own personal contact with Jesus through constant prayer. Restoration According to Christians, the only viable solution to human problem is placing faith in God and praying for divine guidance. Indeed, it is suggested that only God knows all the answers to the problems that a person faces in life. That is why it would be wise to pray for help and salvation since otherwise everything that a person does will disappear in vain. Speaking of the relationship between grace and faith as well as salvation, one should quote the following verse "for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). So, one might note that grace just like faith are needed for salvation and the latter can hardly occur without the former two. According to Christians the proper way to transform oneself or the society is through faith and prayer. Indeed, these are two important processes that should be guided by God Himself since the probability that humans will make a mistake is rather higher. That is why the public should place their faith in God and be guided by the spiritual leaders in order to avoid any wrong deeds. Analysis Speaking of the benefits or strong points of Christian belief, one might mention the highly developed theology. Indeed, one might find a piece of advice that would be suitable for almost every situation that one encounters in life. In other words, over the centuries, Christianity was able to develop a code of conduct that helps people to come up with any difficulty that they might experience. In addition to that, it also encourages people to carry out their spiritual quest for perfection on a daily basis. However, there are also some troublesome aspects about Christianity that might be somewhat confusing. Thus, according to this worldview, people who place a considerable amount of emphasis on God turn themselves into passive actors that simply wait for the positive changes to come. It is true that submission is regarded as one of the highest virtues in Christianity, but it may not allow people to fully develop their inner potential. All this results in the fact that a person’s thinking as well as behavior is affected in a specific manner: people tend to become more dependent on the deity, hoping that a prayer is able to restore harmony in the world. In extreme cases, people tend to reject common sense (for example, taking medicine to cure a disease), hoping that they genuine faith will overcome the microorganisms that are harmful to their bodies. Reflection Being a Christian, I tend to live out the beliefs of the Christian world view in the following way. I pray every day for the divine guidance and place my faith and life into the hand of God. I try to create a positive image of a Christian who is friends to everyone and is willing to help people, regardless of circumstances. Conclusion Having examined all the points, one might suggest that the Christian Worldview rests on several importance concepts: love for God Who is the most perfect being in the world, acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior and the necessity to pray for guidance through the difficulties of life since the human mind is not capable of choosing the best option without grace of God. References DiVincenzo, A. (Ed.). (2014). The Beginning of Wisdom: An Introduction to Christian Thought and Life. God. (2011). In The Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries (Ed.), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?qurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com.library.gcu.edu%3A2048%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fhmdictenglang%2Fgod%2F0 Jesus. (2002). In Whos who in the new testament, routledge. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?qurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com.library.gcu.edu%3A2048%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Froutwwnt%2Fjesus%2F0 The Holy Bible. (1991). Nashville, TN: Nelson. Read More