Understanding the Biblical Worldview is foundational to everything taught in the Worldview Prepared curriculum. Grasping key concepts of the Biblical Worldview will help your student easily identify the differences between the Biblical Worldview and the other worldviews covered, allowing them to sort through and categorize various worldviews into their proper “Worldview Container.”
The term Biblical Worldview, rather than Christian Worldview, has emerged as a way to differentiate between a worldview founded on historic Christian beliefs based on the Bible rather than progressive christian beliefs based on culture and the Postmodern Worldview. Referencing the Biblical Worldview means the Bible is true (infallible), accurate (inerrant), and the authoritative (inspired) Word of God. In other words, the Bible is the truth of all reality and the primary way God has revealed Himself to humanity, alongside His Spirit and creation.
Part of understanding the Biblical Worldview is recognizing the four main parts of the Bible’s metanarrative. Metanarrative refers to a broader story being told through the whole of Scripture versus individual books or chapters. The Biblical Worldview begins in Genesis 1 with “in the beginning” and ends in Revelation 22 with the complete restoration of God’s creation to Him. The Biblical Worldview includes all of Scripture. The four parts of the Biblical Worldview as outlined in How Now Shall We Live by Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey include: 1) Creation in Genesis 1, moves to 2) the Fall in Genesis 3, then continues to 3) Jesus’ Redemption in the Gospel accounts, and concludes with 4) Restoration when Jesus returns to make all things new in Revelation.
These four parts are titled: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration and they are based on a foundational theology, or study, of God and His Word. By recognizing key concepts of the four broader parts of the Bible’s metanarrative, Christians can more effectively share the Gospel with those who have a Postmodern Worldview, for example, which focuses on self, specifically one’s identity and purpose, rather than God. Important implications exist, too, for viewing God’s Word in these four parts, mainly because of the Postmodern Worldview’s obsession with identity and purpose. Since identity has become a central theme in society, understanding where a person’s identity comes from—the Creator, not the self—is essential to knowing who we are as humans. Starting with Creation in Genesis 1 teaches us this and is, therefore, critical to having a biblical perspective of humanity.
Learning about the four parts of the Biblical Worldview will also act as a filter through which to sort all other worldviews and determine whether they are biblical or not. When reviewing any worldview, ask the four worldview questions from How Now Shall We Live according to that worldview…
- Who or what created the world, including humans, and why are we here?
- Why does evil exist, and what is considered evil?
- What can we do to make the world better and fix what evil has messed up?
- How should we live our daily lives based on all this?
The four parts of the Biblical Worldview (creation, fall, redemption, and restoration) answer these four questions.
PART 1: CREATION
Today, the world demands for people to be authentic, to write their own stories, and be who they “really” are deep down. There is an obsession with discovering one’s authentic true self, with endless options for who or what that true identity might be, which is typically based on feelings, skin tone, attractions, ability, or socio-economic status.
The Biblical Worldview, however, provides a different view of identity. In Genesis 1, at Creation, the Bible explains who created us as humans and why He created us. The first part of the Biblical Worldview details that as humans we have a Creator, who is God, who created us and the universe with intention, purpose, and meaning, and our identity is in Him.
Genesis 1 answers the first worldview question: “Who or what created the world, including humans, and why are we here?”
In the beginning, God created everything and it was good. Then He created humankind and it was very good. “So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” (Genesis 1:27-28)
These verses explain where human identity comes from, specifically because humans are made in the image of God. According to biblical scholars, being made in God’s image means:
- We have value and worth because we are made in God’s image.
- We inherit some of God’s characteristics – not all of them, like omniscience or omnipotence, but some, like the ability to reason, understand morality, create beauty, and be compassionate.
- We are representatives of God on earth as God’s image bearers, making us a reflection of Him to the world.
In these verses, God also describes our purpose. God tells Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). In other words, make more image bearers of me—just like you are image bearers. This command parallels Jesus’ command in the Great Commission to “Go and make disciples of all nations,” which tells us that one primary element of our purpose is to be fruitful, multiply, and make more followers of Christ.
The subtle phrase “and subdue it,” according to author Chuck Colson, means to bring the earth under authority. It implies that humanity’s responsibility as image bearers of God is to act as light in the darkness in our culture, to share Jesus Christ, and to represent Christ in our families, our work, and in all we do.
To summarize, in the beginning, God created the world and humans in His image. Everything was pure and perfect; sin had not entered the world and corrupted human’s hearts or creation. Even better, God’s presence was visible, and Adam and Eve’s relationship with Him was personal and accessible. As God said of creation, “It was good.”
PART 2: THE FALL
In Genesis 3, disorder became part of human existence when sin entered the world. Sin, or disobedience to God’s ordered plan and commands, created dysfunction, and the world no longer worked as God designed. When that happened, sin broke four primary relationships, evident in God’s curses of Adam and Eve, including:
- Our relationship with self. We now have death and suffering.
- Our relationship with others. We now have conflict with people.
- Our relationship with creation. The earth is now cursed and difficult to work.
- Our relationship with God. God separates us from His presence.
Practically speaking, the effects of sin appear in our lives in several ways. The effects of sin are visible through spiritual warfare like Paul talked about when he said, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities … against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) Sin is also evident through personal disobedience as part of our sinful nature when humans engage in greed, pride, lying, stealing, idolatry, sexual immorality, and more. Additionally, we can see sin’s extended effects on the world, which causes suffering, such as disease and death. While the latter is often not a result of personal sin, it is a result of sin in the world. So, in short, sin shows up in our lives through Satan, self, and suffering.
Sin, or disobedience to God’s commands, answers our second worldview question, “Why does evil exist, and what is considered evil?”
Sin harms and has consequences for ourselves, others, and our relationship with Christ. It creates spiritual separation from God, our Creator. We are still made in His image, blessed to do the work He calls us to, but the world and mankind changed for the worse when sin entered it, making it a daily challenge for everyone.
Sin can also negatively impact our relationships with people, causing friction, and it can negatively impact our own lives when sin is left unchecked and unrepentant. God’s goodness and our flourishing are found in His boundaries, aka His rules, and when sin is involved and boundaries are pushed beyond His design, then harm and consequences exist.
Much of our understanding of sin can be found in the Ten Commandments that God wrote down and gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, including idolatry (putting anything before God), murder, lying, stealing, adultery, coveting, and more. But when Jesus came, He told us that sin was not just about our actions or behaviors, but also about what was in our hearts.
“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)
For this reason, Christians must always ask the Lord to search our hearts and show us if there is any offensive (sinful) way in us. (Psalm 139:23-24)
The Fall, and the existence of evil, including what causes it, who commits it, and what it involves, is just as important to the Biblical Worldview as how God created us and restores all that evil destroys through Jesus.
PART 3: REDEMPTION
There is nothing humans can do to fix what evil has messed up. That’s why Redemption, the third part of the Biblical Worldview, is so essential. Redemption is how God sovereignly orchestrated the reconciliation (or reunion) of humankind back to Him after sin created separation. God accomplished this through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Redemption through Jesus Christ’s blood on the cross answers the third worldview question, “What can we do to make the world better and fix what evil has messed up?”
Before Jesus came to earth, priests facilitated the forgiveness of sins for individuals through the animal sacrifices they offered. If the offering was to cover sin, it required a blood sacrifice from a blemish-free animal, typically a lamb, pure, perfect, and without defect.
In this system, the person brought the sacrifice to the priest to receive atonement (or covering) and forgiveness for sins. The priest acted as a mediator between God and man, but only God had and has the authority to forgive sins.
God explained why the blood sacrifice is necessary: “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the life.” (Leviticus 17:11)
Romans 5 says that just like sin entered the world through one man, Adam, salvation is available through one man, Jesus. Hebrews 4:14-16 says that Jesus is now our high priest “who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Jesus alone can atone (cover) for all our sins because He is the Son of God. He is divine; He is God. Jesus confirmed it and God did too. The disciples knew it, and so did the demons. Jesus’ birth, resurrection, and ascension into heaven were each miraculous. In the life of Jesus, God supernaturally orchestrated events to atone for our sins and offer redemption by paying the price we should have paid ourselves.
Born of a virgin, Jesus lived a sinless (pure, blemish-free) life, which God required. Jesus’ prepared His whole life to be the sacrifice for our sins to heal a broken sinful world. Now, instead of atonement for sins by the regular offering of animal sacrifices, Jesus becomes the final sacrificial lamb, and His blood covers the sins of those who believe.
Before Jesus’ death, the high priest was the only one permitted in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the temple, separated by a thick curtain, where God’s Spirit dwelled. When Jesus died, Scripture explains, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing that we now have direct access to God through Jesus’ blood sacrifice for all believers and Christians no longer need a priest.
In Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, God heals our relationship with Him by forgiving our sins. No matter what a person has done in his or her life, each person can turn (repent) to God and ask for forgiveness and He is faithful to forgive.
The image of God is also visible in the Redemption part of the Biblical Worldview. Jesus lived a sinless life and demonstrates what it takes to follow Him. So, while humans are made in the image of God, Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
Redemption, part three of the Biblical Worldview, explains that God ultimately heals what sin broke by the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus’ death on the cross when His blood atones for the sins for all who believe, bringing us back into right relationship with God.
PART 4 RESTORATION
Restoration is part four of the Biblical Worldview, and has not yet occurred. Restoration represents our future hope as Christians when Jesus returns and puts an end to evil once and for all. At that time, Christians will reside with God for eternity and all the suffering that sin has caused will be healed, including:
- Our relationship with self: We will live for eternity with God.
- Our relationship with others: There will be peace among all people.
- Our relationship with creation: There will be a new heaven and a new earth.
- Our relationship with God: We will live for eternity with God.
The Israelites who wandered in the desert lived at a time before the promised Messiah, Jesus, came to earth. They awaited Redemption, which is part three of the Biblical Worldview. For Christians today; however, we live in the period between when Christ came and when Christ will return for final Restoration. During this time before Christ returns, Christians have purpose and work to do to continue to share Jesus and build His Kingdom.
Restoration answers our fourth worldview question, “How should we live our daily lives based on all this?”
Jesus is the image of God, and He provided a perfect example for how we are to live. Christians are to reflect the character of Christ, and have the Holy Spirit to help. We are also to follow the plans and purpose God has for us each individually to build His Kingdom.
In this phase, between Redemption and Restoration, Christians focus on becoming more like Jesus and the purpose He calls us to. Sanctification is the word used to describe the transformation process by the Holy Spirit to purify us, and make us more like Jesus. As this process unfolds in our lives, the fruits of the Spirit become evident in our lives: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23) With these characteristics showing up in our lives, we demonstrate to a dark and dying world the beauty and the light of the salvation we’ve received and the Lord we follow.
“Since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:9-10)
Restoration, part four of the Biblical Worldview, describes how we are to live based on God’s commands for our lives and the future hope we have in Jesus’ return to make all things new again without the effects of sin.
