Five Foundations Of A Christian Worldview

Christian believers typically adhere to five traditions that form a worldview that shapes the nature of their beliefs. This outlook may also contain characteristics that other individuals perceive as factors which, in fact, identify a person as a Christian. The article that follows is not intended to be a creed or the final statement on the matter, but a dependable outline of Christian beliefs.

The first element of such a worldview is belief in a sole God, monotheism, and an all-encompassing love of the deity who is specifically in charge of all creation. With this as the foundation of a Christian worldview, for example, an individual's opinion of concepts that do not acknowledge God or that do not recognize the starting point of creation will lead to a lack of approval for those ideas.

The second factor in a Christian worldview is acceptance of Jesus as the son of God and the only salvation for humans, in the sense that Jesus is the path to everlasting life in heaven. In order to be a "Christian," the meaning of the term requires literal faith in Jesus as a personal savior. This affects an individual's worldview in several ways, primarily in the contexts of knowing that others who believe in Jesus are also saved, that those who reject this belief are not part of the church community, and that there may be a need for educating others about the Christian faith.

The third element of defining a worldview for the Christian faith is a belief in the Holy Ghost (or Spirit) as the manifest presence of God's power, especially as displayed in the acts of the apostles. This leads to the need for good works, or positive actions, through the church and within the community. A Christian style of life will develop active expressions of one's faith to affect one's neighbors.

The fourth element of such a worldview would be the view of Christians as people of the book, biblios, the Bible. The Bible serves as a source of inspiration and specifically expresses the point of view that each Christian should use to evaluate the events of their lives. The New Testament displays for people how to believe, think, and act in order to be Christians, which, in turn, develops one's worldview.

And the fifth element is the instruction that Christians are to demonstrate their "love" for other people in every aspect of their lives. From the basis of choosing to love other people, a Christian worldview accepts that all things will ultimately demonstrate God's love for his faithful, that belief in Jesus is the path to everlasting life, and that Christians can express that love through their actions toward others.

A worldview developed from these five Christian principles may lead to the personal observation that God will take care of all things in good time, and that belief in Jesus, faith in the community of the church, and actions that express love toward others will result in a calm, peaceful, joyous life, though not without sufferings of the faith and physical world. And it is the promise of salvation through Jesus that gives genuine meaning to the Christian worldview.