A Christian Worldview: Faith, Love And Dignity

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Humans navigate through life utilizing certain teachings, beliefs, and practices. Christianity is comprised of teachings, beliefs, and practices that help to formulize the basics of a Christian worldview. However, the aspects that make up Christianity are not entirely what makes up a Christian worldview. A worldview acts as a basis for the way individuals interpret and interact with the world. The Christian worldview may have several themes that compromise it; however, three main themes are essential for a Christian worldview. These three themes are faith, love, and dignity for mankind.

Faith

When you think of an everlasting and loving relationship, a key element that comes to mind is trust. It is impossible to fully know another person entirely, let alone a fathomless God. A Christians relationship with Christ relies on faith or trust in God. Faith is so important for Christians that, without it, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrew 11:6). So why is faith such a hard concept for Christians to understand? Faith is often hard to comprehend for humanity because it is not something that can be seen or touched. Christians often believe they can acquire faith as if it is tangible. The Bible states in Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV), “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith in terms of Christianity and a Christian worldview is faith in God and His holy word. In the book of Joshua 6, God leads Joshua to Jericho, a city that could not be defeated. The walls of Jericho were designed in such a way that no one could gain access to the city. God gave Joshua a battle plan that He promised would work, a plan that required trust or faith in God’s word. Joshua carried out God’s plan and marched around the wall of Jericho with his soldiers for seven days and on the seventh day they would blow their trumpets and shout out in victory. By doing so, Joshua and his men saw firsthand the power of faith in God. The walls of Jericho collapsed. This is an excellent story of trusting God and having Faith in his plan. Christians believe in God’s faithfulness and as a result live confidently knowing their salvation is secure. Whereas other religions, such as Hindus and Muslims, live with the burden of trying to do good to obtain righteousness. As relationships are developed, faith is also developed. It takes time to grow, is not easy to attain, and can often be doubtful. As Christians, we must always be patient and nourish the growth of our faith because our relationship with God is based off our faithfulness in Him.

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Love

God taught us the meaning of true love when He laid down His life for us, and for this we have the ability to love others. God’s love was unconditional and without judgement. It is pure and the sincerest form of love. 1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” As Christians we should love others freely, humbly, unselfishly, affectionately, and sacrificially. 1 Peter 3:8 “Finally all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.” Many of those suffering from sin or living the disparity of our world are seeking God and Christians for guidance, but often time churches and Christians are turning a blind eye. It is crucial for Christians to love in such a way that promotes the same love God showed to sinners, the poor, and the oppressed. “According to the writer of Deuteronomy, true religion is caring for someone who cannot care for himself or herself” (Hudson, D.M., 2017). Caring for those who can not care for themselves requires bearing their burdens. When we as Christians bear the burdens of others, we allow room for growth and expansion in our faith. You can’t truly love someone if you do not love all of them. To show love to all also means to show respect and honor to all of God’s people.

Dignity

If man is created in God’s image, then all people are worthy of respect and honor. The idea that one is better than another based on social status, economical status, or sinful tendencies plays a role in today’s world. Churches and Christians often use their status to portray the idea that they are better than others. They use their social and economic status to help people and often times this idea that they are helping the poor or needy influences the idea that they are better in some way. However, Christians should be looking at this from a completely different standpoint. Philippians 2:3-4 instructs us “let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Instead of saying I will help you because it builds upon my self – esteem, we should be encouraging those in need that they are of value and that as equals we would like to walk alongside them to help them utilize their gifts and talents from God to grow. The bible teaches us that Jesus treated all with the same dignity and respect. Jesus broke bread with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. He was not bias, and he did not cast judgement. As Jesus did, we should gather around the table and show mercy to those who are in need. When Christians focus on seeking and guiding the lost no matter their sinful tendencies or social status, we become apart of one of the greatest transformations.

In the gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus is an unpopular, corruptive, outcast within his small town. He was often shunned and overlooked, but he did not let this stop him from seeking Jesus. He climbed to the top of a tree just to get a small glimpse of Christ, and in doing so Jesus saw Zacchaeus, not for who the town saw him for, but for his heart and the desire to seek Him. Jesus sought to be a guest in Zacchaeus’s household, to break bread with a sinner. In this moment, neither Jesus nor Zacchaeus cared about the gossip or disgrace that surrounded them all that mattered in this moment is that Zacchaeus was seen for who he is and not for his sinful nature. Zacchaeus was granted dignity, in a society that found him unworthy. Christians shall seek to be apart of transformation just as Zacchaeus was transformed. When Christians seek the true hearts of people and give the gift of dignity to someone, God’s calling for us to be true disciples in this world is fulfilled.

The basis of one’s life is certain teachings, beliefs, and practices that they have grown accustom to. For Christians, it is those teachings, beliefs, and practices that act as a platform for a Christian worldview to be formed. Three main themes compromise a Christian worldview. The first is faith, faith that acts as the ultimate building block of our relationship with God. The second is love. Just as God showed us the true testimony of love, Christians should show love to all in the same way that God first loved us. Lastly, dignity and respect for all mankind plays a role in a Christian worldview. When dignity is granted to all, the ultimate transformation is seen. This Christian worldview acts as the ultimate interpretation and guide on how to interact in todays modern day society.

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