"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5).
As people endowed with the mind of Christ, Christians need to apply this knowledge to every area of their lives. The teaching of Christ does not simply lead one to salvation, but it provides a framework in which we are to function in our relationships, ministries, and vocations. Christian knowledge shapes our thinking, but it does not shape it through some magical process in which we are uninvolved. Our thinking is shaped by the Spirit through the Word of God, and that instruction has direct bearing on how we think about every facet of life. In other words, Christians should see every aspect of life, economics, politics, education, personal relationships, from a Christian point of view. Such a perspective is called a Christian worldview.
A worldview is what a person believes about God, reality, knowledge, humanity, and morality. An atheistic worldview is obviously very different from a Christian worldview. Everyone perceives reality from a certain worldview. They might not be able to articulate that worldview, but it is there nonetheless, forming their opinions and values. Many people remain ignorant all their lives of the underlying philosophies and worldviews that shape their thinking, and, sadly, many in the church continue to live in such darkness because they have not grasped what it truly means to have the mind of Christ.
More than anyone else in the world, the Christian should be fully aware of what shapes his thinking. He should be consciously subjecting his mind to the teaching of God’s Word and applying that instruction to every area of his life. For the Christian to remain in the dark about what it means to develop and maintain a Christian worldview is a dangerous thing. It means that he might be searching the Scriptures on Sunday to know how to worship God, but he fails to see the connection between the teaching of Christ and his daily life throughout the week. He fails to see how God’s Word relates to his work, his family, his politics, and his education.
For the next week, we will examine what it means to have a Christian worldview. We will see that only the Christian worldview is logical and consistent. We will discover that anyone who is searching for truth in any other context than that which is shaped by a Christian worldview will only find confusion and error.
What is the source of truth for unbelievers? If you asked various people this question, which is something you might want to do this week, you will probably receive different answers. What is the source of truth for the Christian? Why can this be the only reliable source of truth? What does this have to say about God’s authority in your life?
