Nevertheless, let me share with you that I do believe that we should have a biblical understanding of the topics related to both social and political items in the public square. These are debates that even good Christians will have. However, we should have the mindset of God, from the WORD of God, that helps us to know how to explain the hope that we have in Christ.
There are three important topics that I want to address. I also want to explain the idea of having a biblical word view that will guide your decisions and ultimately, what pleases God.
We are always contending for the faith, and I always attempt to balance grace and truth. Although, I believe John Wesley‘s tool called the quadrilateral which helps us to know how to balance tradition and reason as well. Framing our theology around these constructs can be helpful yet, it’s important to know that ultimately we do what the Bible tells us to do, not what man reasons in his own mind to do.
It is not what to think but how to think that matters!
Consider this definition:
A worldview is the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world. “[It’s] any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world and man’s relations to God and the world,” says David Noebel, author of Understanding the Times. Footnote.
I would like to encourage us to take one step further in the definition to help us understand how to read the scripture. It is important to understand the Bible and to apply the teaching of the Word to everyday life. Similarly, knowing the Bible will help you gain wisdom in life that can be transferral to all of life and with others.
Some say that I am a practical theologian. That being said, I think it’s a compliment because I define my practice according to that which I can make application to grow closer to Christ and all that I do and say. Are you a student of the Bible?
There are three areas that must be considered when applying scripture.
Tend Your Garden.
From the very beginning of time, God planted us in a garden. It is the world of which we live. Adam and Eve were given the garden of Eden, which was perfect in every way, but, they chose to go their own way instead of God‘s way. They took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which created the disastrous world of which we occupy today. It is a fallen and evil world.
It was not long after Adam and Eve disobeyed God that the very first act of disobedience resulted in the death, rather the murder, of a brother named Abel. Cain killed his own brother because rebellion was now part of his DNA.
It doesn’t matter where we live. We all have to work to make a difference for God‘s glory. I’m not just talking about locally, but areas of which we may have profound influence; that could be our work, our home, where we go to school, where we buy our groceries, and where we eat out at restaurants. Bloom where you are planted is often the phrase we may hear. But, it goes beyond that, it is to tend our garden appropriately.
Everything must be informed by what the Bible says. The problem is, most people don’t read the Bible. They’ve decided that they know better than God. Surprisingly, according to research by Barna, only 4% of Christians have a biblical worldview. Let that sink in.
No wonder we are in trouble. We don’t even have the capacity to discern between right and wrong. It’s essential that we define our beliefs based on what the Bible says, not what our opinion says.
The Word, not world.
Next seems pretty obvious. Where do we get our information? I contend that the most prominent influence in our life is not politics, no worries it education. Seems to me that the media is the most powerful influence. Why? It is because it is so invasive in our lives. We all have TVs and smart phones and tablets. Beyond that I need not explain.
Consider this. You’re scrolling through your social media and ironically enough you start seeing ads for things that you were considering at Walmart or the local hardware store to purchase. You did a Google search and interestingly enough, ads start popping up in your Facebook. You see, we are being fed information based on your particular interest. Consider this. You’re having a conversation with somebody about a particular topic and, ironically enough you start seeing ads in your social media on that very topic.
Then you don’t realize that the phone is tracking you and it is listening to you. Sound invasive? It is.
We need to be in God‘s word to even have a degree of knowledge as to what we should be thinking about any particular topic. Many people don’t realize that the Bible speaks to nearly every idea that is out there. Solomon said that it is vanity, and that the world repeats itself. Just read Ecclesiastes or Proverbs sometime.
We are unmistakably being manipulated wherever we go. Why? Because we set ourselves up to the gullible and to fall for almost anything.
A City on a Hill.
How should we then live? If I were to tell you that there are great minds that we should be reading, you may say to yourself that you’re not interested because you’re not a reader. Society wants to be told what to think not how to think. Our world tells us what to think. The talking points are universal dependent upon the particular persuasion of a political position or which educational system you have subscribed to.
As we live our lives, we should recognize a tremendous influence that we have both on our friends and our families. We are to make a difference based on biblical values not personal virtues. We can be kind but if we don’t tell people why we are kind, it means nothing!
A biblical word view is most essential. Matthew 6:33 reminds us that we should seek God’s Kingdom not our own interests.
I wonder what the world would be like if a majority of people actually understood what the Bible has to say?
For Christians who attend church just one hour week as their only diet, I feel sorry for them because the world is a 7 -day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year activity!
In summary, being a person of the Word means being a person who draws from the Bible Truth and wisdom! This goes beyond feelings and popularity. It is about being a follower of Jesus coupled with the Truth of the Bible. It isn’t about simply being loving. After all, love isn’t defined very well by the world. Once you know what love is according to the Word of God, you can also find discernment on the things the press is in life!
