~The Importance of a Having a Biblical Worldview~

 My heart is somewhat heavy these days.  We are looking into colleges for my two sons who are finishing their junior year of high school.  I was researching a Christian University that offers dual-enrollment online courses.  As a result of researching their English textbook, I found that their curriculum was written from a worldview that did not line up with Scripture.  I called the University to discuss the issue.  The bottom line is that, the University thought that it was important to "immerse" their students in the culture and then let them figure out what Scripture had to say about it, all for the purpose of  helping the students figure out why they believed what they believed. 

I explained to the college representative that, no where in Scripture does God condone this method of preparing our young people for living in the world.  His response was that he "respected my view and, is there anything else I can help you with today?"  This experience, as well as others we've had like it, lead me to write this post.

So let's start with, what is a biblical worldview?  Simply, it is looking at life through God’s eyes (Scripture) and living the way He says we should live.  Let’s start with a key verse from Scripture:

·         “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  (2Ti 3:16-17)

If you truly believe this verse, then you already have a foundation for developing a Biblical Worldview.  Let’s take a closer look at this verse:

Inspiration of God-means “divinely breathed in”

Profitable-advantageous 

Doctrine-instruction 

Reproof-proof, conviction, evidence 

Correction-a straightening up again 

So, what God is saying here is that, all of His Word was breathed into the hearts and minds of the men who wrote it; that it is to our advantage to use it for instructing, convicting, giving evidence, reforming, tutoring, educating, training and chastising for the purpose of helping someone become righteous; all for the ultimate purpose of making us complete and thoroughly furnished for every good work that He has prepared in advance, for us to do.  Wow!  That looks like God’s Word is good for pretty much everything I can think of that is of any value. 

You see, having a biblical world view is taking God at His word and basing all of your decisions and choices upon it.  So, if you truly believe the above verse, then you believe that God’s word is enough, that it contains everything you need to thoroughly equip you and your children for life.  If you don’t really believe it, then you will search elsewhere for the answers to questions you may have in matters of life.  I like the quote by Elizabeth Weins who said, “We should never follow human principles and worldly methods if we are seeking Godly results.”  

So, what does it “look like” to live out a Biblical worldview?  Let’s look at Scripture to see.  In Joshua 23:1-13, it is near the end of Joshua’s life and he is giving instructions to the Israelites, reminding them of how God has called them to live:

“Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age. And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: "I am old, advanced in age.   You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you.  See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. And the LORD your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you.”

Joshua is reminding the Israelites that God went ahead of them and drove out their enemies.  God then gave to each tribe, an inheritance of the land that He conquered for them and the Israelites are now going in to possess the land.

“Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you.” 

This is very interesting because, keeping in mind that, God has already conquered the land for the Israelites, but Joshua is still telling them to be “very courageous.”  What do they need courage for?  “…to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you.”  The word “keep” here means to “guard; generally to protect”.  So the Israelites are to guard, protect and do all of what the Scriptures say they should do, not turning away from it at all.  If they don’t, what is going to happen?    “…lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you.”  In other words, if the Israelites don’t obey the Word, they will become just like the culture God has called them away from. 

Joshua continues to further make his point as to how they are to keep away from these wicked nations:

“You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them,”

Basically, Joshua tells them that they are to have nothing to do with their false gods which were an integral part of their enemies' culture.  The next verse gives the key as to how they are to do this:

“… but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.”

In the King James version, this verse reads:

“But cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done to this day.” 

The word “cleave” is the same word used in Genesis 2:24 where God says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh.”

The picture here is leaving and cleaving.  The Israelites are to leave, or let alone, the ways of their enemies and it's culture, and cleave to the Lord their God and His ways.  This is so important because, as God says in Isaiah, “"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”  (Isa 55:8-9)

So, let’s review the lesson Joshua was trying to teach the Israelites just prior to his death:

• everything they had came from God; 
• that it was God who had gone ahead of them and defeated their enemies before them.   
• He also reminded the Israelites to be courageous and obey God’s Word or else they would be led away from the Lord by their enemies.   
• they should have nothing to do with the “culture” of their enemies.   
• they should cleave to the Lord so they could live for Him

This is the perfect “model” of how to live out a Biblical Worldview.  Recognizing that everything we have comes from the Lord; that God goes ahead of us in all that we do, that we need to have courage to obey His Word and to live set apart from the culture of today and, finally, that we are to hold fast or cleave to the Lord so that we can complete every good work that He has prepared in advance for us to do.  The main ways we can cleave to the Lord today is through reading Scripture, through prayer and by choosing to obey God's Word. 

This Biblical Worldview that God gives is completely contrary to the philosophy of the Christian University's, which was to immerse the students in the culture and then let them figure out what they believed about it.  We have chosen not to "yoke" ourselves with this University and are confident the Lord will provide direction as to where our sons should take this English course.