A Biblical Worldview: The Basics
Whether you realize it or not, you have been and are operating out of and making decisions for your life based on the lens that you view the world through. Most people call this a worldview. For those of you who have used contact lenses before it’s kind of like that. The contact lens alters the light that comes into your eye so that you see the world around you a certain way (hopefully in a clearer way).
In fact the way you view the world (or your worldview) was formed at just age 13 which makes ages 8-12 critical developmental years[1] in our lives. Now, how many of you think you were the smartest version of yourself (even smarter than you are now) at age 13? Definitely not me. And I’m sure many of you would say the same. It’s crucial that we actually understand what “lens” we are viewing the world through and why we believe that perspective to view the world is the right one. But to first understand this we must delve into defining what a worldview is.
Defining a Worldview:
In an online article, Ken Funk describes a worldview as “the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of Reality that ground and influence all one's perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing.” In much simpler terms The Britannica Dictionary defines a worldview as “the way someone thinks about the world.” This in itself is a simple concept, but an integral part of what makes each of us unique. Which is why it’s important that we also understand what goes into forming our worldviews.
Worldviews are shaped, molded, and formed by a number of things. Religions, philosophies, family, education, life experiences, upbringing, personality and natural inclinations, and so much more. All these things come together to form your worldview. So, while in theory and definition worldviews are super simple you now see they are more in-depth, multi-dimensional and nuanced than at first glance!
Defining a Biblical Worldview:
Some of you may have heard the term “biblical worldview” before or “Christian worldview.” Whether or not you’ve heard of it before, I believe as Christians this is one of the most vital parts of being a witness in our daily lives (Acts 1:8)[2].
Barna defines a biblical worldview as “believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is defined by the Bible…”[3] [Absolute moral truths are the idea that there are certain actions and ideals in society that are inherently wrong and inherently right. For instance, most people would agree that murder is inherently wrong and giving to the poor is inherently right. Now back to discussing a biblical worldview.] A more practical way of defining a biblical worldview would be that the Bible is the lens that you view reality through. This view should influence the way we as Christians (and even non-Christians) seek to answer the questions and circumstances around us. Truth be told, you will find many definitions[4] of this with very small differences, but most will come to the conclusion that moral truth, even more so, that all truth is defined by the Bible alone.
As previously said about worldviews, this concept is honestly super simple and is more easily noticed and digested when it is applied. So, let’s look at Acts 10:9-23. In short, Peter was praying one day and the Lord gave him a vision. In this vision Peter saw “unclean animals” come down and heard the Lord tell him to kill and eat them. Peter immediately responds by telling the Lord that he would never eat anything considered unclean. The Lord then responds to this by saying, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” This then happens 2 more times (3 times in total) and Peter then goes onto help the gentiles. God made Himself real to Peter in this way, because Peter wouldn’t associate with Gentiles. In that time the Jews saw the Gentiles as unclean and lesser than and Peter didn’t want for those around him to view him any differently, because of his association with the unclean in society. God was commanding Peter to no longer treat them as his culture had instructed him to, but to treat them as God has commanded him to. Salvation through Jesus Christ is for all and Peter needed to fully understand that.
This is a prime example of a biblical worldview! Society, culture and even tradition told Peter that he should never associate with the gentiles, especially the Roman gentiles who murdered Jesus, but the Bible said otherwise. After Peter had his eyes opened to this he no longer viewed the gentiles as lesser, but started to fully operate out of what we would call a biblical worldview. This is only one example of this in scripture and there are numerous other examples of this throughout the Word of God.
A Biblical Worldview in Scripture:
Okay, I know this concept may still be a little ambiguous, so let’s put more scripture to it to clear some things up! I’m sure you’re wondering, “I’ve been a Christian my whole life and have never seen the words ‘biblical worldview.’ Where is this term in the Bible?” Or maybe you’re a new Christian and wanting to deepen your faith, or maybe you’re not a Christian at all but are still curious about this. No matter what group you fall into there is plenty of scripture on this to answer this very question.
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” This shows that many people, including Christians, are actually taken captive by worldly viewpoints, perspectives, and (you guessed it) worldviews that bear no witness at all to Jesus. And if we aren’t basing every aspect of our lives off of Jesus then we are basing it off of what our flesh desires and wants, which is baseless.
Romans 8:6-8[5] encompasses this perfectly, but I want to hone in on verse 6 for the moment even though I encourage you to read all 3 verses. Romans 8:6 says, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” The prominent worldviews of our culture like secularism[6], hedonism, post-modernism[7], and so many others, emphasize obtaining pleasure no matter the cost and enabling everyone to manufacture their own truth, which only brings temporary sustenance and a life separate from God. But, since the world has its own view’s then you can bet that there is a biblically rooted way to view the world and combat the worldviews that are pushed by our culture! Two of the most beautiful things about the Bible are 1) its ability to assure you and I that if the world has a way of operation, we know it is only a perversion of the way God designed it to operate and 2) that there is a biblical way that it was designed to operate! Okay, that may have been a little hard to understand, let me explain.
Take the way the world views being promoted and the way the Bible teaches promotion. To clarify, what I mean by how “the world views being promoted” is moving up in societal ranks whether that be on social media by gaining more followers, in the corporate world by climbing the ladder, or being recognized in circles of influence with the intention to only serve yourself. With that being said, the world looks at promotion as a better way to meet “my needs,” “to serve myself,” and “to look after my cares.” Jesus shows us that this is all wrong and really flips this idea on its head. In Mark 10:45 “For even the son of man came not to be served but to serve…” Again, in Matthew 23:11 “The greatest among you shall be your servant.” And one more time for good measure in 1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Jesus completely contradicts the way the world views promotion and in the Kingdom of God a “promotion” means you are actually entrusted and responsible for being a good steward of the gift God has given you to SERVE the body of believers, to build them up! This is just one way the bible counters the ways of the world.
Wrapping it all Up:
To sum this up, it’s important to fully understand that a biblical worldview will not appease the appetites and desires of the world around us but will set us apart to be salt and light to the world. It SHOULD contradict many aspects of society and culture (which includes how we interact with culture, world events, policies, politics, and politicians, more on this in part 2 of this blog) that people are familiar with (like promotion). Instead a biblical worldview will show us how we ought to view the world and participate in it. This isn’t to say that culture and society are “too secular” and not to be touched, that’s not what I’m saying even in the slightest, but that rather our worldview should be influencing the cultural spheres around us and not the other way around.
This brings to mind Matthew 5:13-16[8] where Jesus is talking about how we are supposed to be the salt and light of the earth. One thing that salt does is enhance the taste of whatever it is put on, for short you could say it influences what its around. As for light it also changes the way things around it are perceived. We all have experienced walking through our homes in the dark and seeing something that looked weird and then turning the light on to see what it truly was. This is what a biblical worldview should do to the culture and society around us, it should influence what’s around us and illuminate the truth no matter the area. Without this view through the lens of the bible we will ALWAYS miss the mark on how God wants us to engage in or view situations, circumstances, or something in the political and cultural sphere.
Now that you understand the basics of what a biblical worldview is, we will jump into the actual importance of having a biblical worldview and why you should buy into this concept! What benefit does this bring to you? Why should you care about this? How do you use a biblical worldview? To fully understand you won’t want to miss part 2 of this blog!!!
Notes and references to guide your reading:
- A biblical worldview is a view of the world which seeks to answer life’s biggest questions from the teachings of the Bible, with a special focus on the gospel storyline
- Post modernism: the concept of absolute truth is a human construct used to get power, so we need to prioritize the stories of our own tribes and emphasize our own truths.
https://www.barna.com/research/a-biblical-worldview-has-a-radical-effect-on-a-persons-life/
- For the purposes of the research, a biblical worldview was defined as believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is defined by the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views were that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people; and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.
- Only 4% of gen-z have a biblical worldview. 6% of millennials
Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk
- In other words, the crux of our dilemma is that for some Christians, we’ve allowed our politics to inform our theology rather than our theology and worship of Christ informing our politics.
https://www.barna.com/research/competing-worldviews-influence-todays-christians/
- The secular worldview prioritizes the scientific method as an explanatory framework for life and advances a rational and materialistic view of the world.
- Worldview is formed at age 13 making ages 8-12 key developmental years.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/database/views-about-abortion/
- 33% of evangelical protestants believe abortion should be legal in all/most cases
https://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~funkk/Personal/worldview.html
- Ken Funk, “A worldview is the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of Reality that ground and influence all one's perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6735033/
- A worldview is a collection of attitudes, values, stories and expectations about the world around us, which inform our every thought and action. Worldview is expressed in ethics, religion, philosophy, scientific beliefs and so on (Sire, 2004). A worldview is how a culture works out in individual practice. When you encounter a situation and think ‘That’s just wrong’, your worldview is active. We have a natural tendency to think that what we believe is normal: his views are backward and superstitious; your views are a result of how you were brought up; my views are rational, balanced and true. We are largely unaware of the wheels moving on our car until there is an abnormal noise; similarly, we become aware of worldviews and their corresponding values only when there is a clash or crisis (Fulford, 2011). Now that people of different faiths can travel easily around the globe and live in culturally mixed communities, there are increasing opportunities for such clashes.
https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/worldview
- Definition: “the way someone thinks about the world.”
North American Standard Bible 1995
- Acts 10:9-23 NASB “On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.’ This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky. Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. While peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you. ‘But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.’ Peter went down to the men and said, ‘Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?’ They said, ‘Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.’ So he invited them in and gave them lodging.”
- Acts 1:8 NASB “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”
- Colossians 2:8 NASB “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
- Romans 8:6-8 NASB “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
- Mark 10:45 NASB “For even the son of man came not to be served but to serve…”
- Matthew 23:11 NASB “But the greatest among you shall be your servant”
- 1 Peter 4:10 NASB “As each has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
- Matthew 5:13-16 (NASB) “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
More Scriptures that help!
- Romans 12:2 NASB “And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- Judges 21:25 NASB “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
1st Corinthians 9:19-23 NASB “For though I am free form all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are without law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may be a fellow part
[1] From the article: Dr. George Barna says, “My research shows that a person’s worldview is essentially formed by the age of 13, making the preteen years (ages 8 to 12) the critical window for helping children build a faith that will last a lifetime.”
[2] Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (NASB).
[3] The article says, “For the purposes of the research, a biblical worldview was defined as believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is defined by the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views were that 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 their faith in Christ with other people; and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.”
[4] “A biblical worldview is a view of the world which seeks to answer life’s biggest questions from the teachings of the Bible, with a special focus on the gospel storyline.” This is a direct quote for another definition of a biblical worldview.
[5] Romans 8:6-8 “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
[6] The secular worldview prioritizes the scientific method as an explanatory framework for life and advances a rational and materialistic view of the world.
[7] Post modernism: the concept of absolute truth is a human construct used to get power, so we need to prioritize the stories of our own tribes and emphasize our own truths.
[8] Matthew 5:13-16 (NASB) “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”