What Is the Worldview?
- The desire to not follow God has just increased since Adam and Eve’s time. The worldview today tells us that we do not have to follow anyone but ourselves – our own desires, our own goals, our own morals (Sins Against God).
- Sin deceives by making the worldview people believe that, “if it brings you pleasure, you need not feel guilty about it.” Increased sin and increased deception makes us question whether it really is a sin at all. This line of thinking is turning to question God and His authority over us (What Is Sin?).
- God doesn’t want us to flirt on the edge on sin. He doesn’t want us to figure out how close we can get without falling. That is the opposite of what our physical nature tells us. It says, “Give in and have fun.” Worldview people would think that is too harsh and use it as one of the major cons for submitting to God. They think we should have the love without giving up the evil (Focus on Love, not Evil).
- A life of sin does not lead to contentment. Worldview people may think so because they think they are calling their own shots. Instead, they are slaves to Satan (Being Content Because We Are Godly).
- Many worldview people do not see their actions as sin. If they do, they do not feel they have suffered the consequences for those sins. Instead, they see indications that there is no judgement for their beliefs and actions. Satan likes it better when worldview people are caught up in sensual and temporary pleasures. In that way, God doesn’t even enter their minds. They think they are good to go. Whatever peace the worldview thinkers believe they have, it is a false peace (Peace Starts with Getting Right with God).
- The worldview tells us that we don’t need God. If we are doing so much for ourselves anyway, why are we messing with a higher power? (Does God Help Those Who Help Themselves?).
- Worldview people think they can be good without God. How do worldview followers appear godly? Many people today care about others. The problem is their motivation. They don’t realize that their actions are, in reality, empty because they lack God’s perfection. Their efforts extend from their sinful nature. Their actions come from the evil in the world today. That is because Satan is controlling this world. If they have not submitted to God, they are controlled by Satan. Good cannot come from evil (Goodness as a Virtue; How Are Disciples Humble?).
- The worldview way is to accumulate knowledge so that we can explain creation and predict the future. They think we should have all the knowledge that God knows. The worldview standard is we — or someone we respect like a scientist — have to understand what is being presented. For example, they think they should know which occurred — creation or evolution (preferably evolution). One reason sceptic people do this is so that they can diminish God’s omniscience. How could God be all-knowing if they know something, too? But we do that to show we don’t need God. Better yet, doesn’t that make them god? Not. Going. To. Happen. God’s level of understanding is way above our pay grade (Watch the Company We Keep; Walking in the Ways of Righteousness; Learning to be a New Creation; Why God Calls Us to Give Up Everything).
- People who hold the worldview do not understand giving the Sovereign God control of our lives. They think it is foolish to worship a God that we do not see. It is not foolish. It is very wise, as one day the Sovereign God is going to judge this world for its unbelief (How Did Moses Say Goodbye?).
- Submission to God creates in us a clean heart (Ps. 51: 10). This is needed because humility goes against what the worldview teaches. The worldview advocates that we value our knowledge and abilities (What Is Piety?).
- Many worldview followers fight for the right to choose how they are going to live, regardless of what God’s laws and commandments say. Refusing to acknowledge God as Sovereign Lord and not living the way He decrees is not going to end well for them (How Are Disciples Humble?).
- If we know God’s will and don’t do it, we earn the punishment we get. The worldview people have a problem with this. This flies right in the face of their ability to make their own choices. Oh, God lets them make their own choice. They are just going to suffer the consequences for making wrong choices. As we are all God’s creation, we will all be judged (Faithful and Unfaithful Stewards).
- The worldview tells our kids to question most — if not all — of their parents’ beliefs. Why is that? It isn’t just because we are given free will. It seems like, a lot of times, that is what our kids are told. Worldview logic says if we are given free will, we should use it – not just believe our parents (Instructing Our Children).
- If we are following the worldview, we get division and chaos. When we take a good look at recent history, we can see the condition of the world has gone downhill since we have moved away from God (How Did Moses Say Goodbye?).
- The worldview wants disciples to compromise — both for ourselves and for them. God does not give us that option (The Battle between Flesh and Spirit).
- I believe that worldview believers insist that disciples are much more critical of others than they are. To me, many worldview people just want to do whatever they want to do (i.e. whatever sin they want to commit) and not be held responsible for it. They are fighting against submitting to the One true God. Many who hold their worldview believe that, if we do not agree with them, we hate them. To me, that is being much more critical of others than disciples are (Are Disciples to be Docile?).
- Worldview followers probably don’t mind being called lovers of self and money. They are perfectly fine with being called disobedient to God (therefore, unholy). Ooo, baby. How many of us want to be called abusive, ungrateful, and heartless? Yep, worldview followers would take issue with that (How Are Disciples Humble?).
- The worldview notion is that we have to fight for our success. God’s notion is that purity comes from the heart. It is more who we are — our character — than what we do. It is where Jesus and the Holy Spirit live within us (How Are Disciples Pure in Heart?).
- We are to walk the path of the righteous. Instead of accessing this wisdom, worldview people walk the path of darkness. The problem is that it is a moral darkness. Oh, I bet worldview people would hotly contest that. They would list all the save the kids, save the animals, save the planet groups with which they are associated. We can’t work our way into salvation. It isn’t about what we can do. It is about what Jesus has already done for us — which we couldn’t do ourselves (The Way of Wisdom).
- The worldview has its own code of honor. But it isn’t God’s honor. We are to honor God because of His character. His honor comes from Him being Him. We show this honor by trusting Him (What Is Honor to a Disciple of Christ?).
- When we are following the worldview, it is easy to get caught up in the fads and trends that characterizes it. If we are wanting world acceptance, we can feel like we are tossed from one fad to another. That can easily happen when our focus is wrong. But what is that really saying about us when we flail around like that? It means we are being inconsistent (How Does Perseverance Help Consistency?).
What the Worldview Gets Wrong
Worldview people are very quick to point out when disciples don’t do the do’s and do the don’ts. They think it is about execution. It isn’t. The do’s and don’ts are about building character. It is about making the decisions, not necessarily what decision we make. I think it is really about growing in grace through the situations in which He calls us (Being Content with What We Have).
God loves us and cares for us on this earth. The life in this world will never be His priority. God’s priority will always be His kingdom and our spiritual condition. So, what does this tell us? It is not the random acts of kindness in and of itself. It is our character. But the character has to imitate God and want to further His kingdom (How Are Disciples Merciful?).
Sometimes, worldview people – and even disciples – think that disciples should be perfect. They shouldn’t break any of God’s laws and commandments. While that should be our goal, unfortunately, the church can’t be perfect here in this life (The Perfection of the Church).
What we are facing, though, is worldview people think they can keep the moral laws without making a profession of faith. That isn’t enough. Yes, keeping the moral laws are helping to give us a character like God’s. That is a good thing. There are two problems with that. The first problem is moral laws alone cannot save us. God’s law required 100% obedience. That is never going to happen. Our sinful nature would not let that happen. Almost isn’t good enough. That was part of the issue with the law. It could only give us the model of how we are supposed to behave. It did not tell us how to rectify it if we broke a law. The second problem is that keeping the moral laws do nothing about our being spiritually dead. We needed Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. The law prepared us for His arrival (Discerning the Voice of God between the Law and the Gospel).
We have to get over this worldview notion that we can earn our way into Heaven. We can’t. It is all based on what Jesus did for us and have we accepted Him as our Savior (Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?).
Worldview people accuse disciples of being less moral than they are. Worldview people can still be moral people because they are still creations of God. Being moral, however, does not make us children of God. We are not children of God unless we ABCD (What Does Made in His Image Mean?).
Unfortunately, this misinterpretation of Matthew 7: 12 leads worldview people to think disciples are hypocrites. They further skew this to read that disciples are supposed to let them treat people as they want to be treated, i.e. let them think and do whatever they want. That definitely isn’t what Jesus said. Jesus expects us to follow God’s laws and commandments. One of His commandments is to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you …” (Mt. 28: 19-20 CSB). God does not commanded us to let people disobey Him — we are to try to help them see His love for them. Our disciple’s job description says that our duties are to proclaim His gospel and make disciples. What does this mean?
- How we want others to treat us — We want them to treat us based on God’s laws and commandments, not by the worldview.
- We treat them that way — We treat them based on God’s laws and commandments, not by the worldview.
- How this manifests itself — We treat them with love.
- What this fulfills — We are obedient to the law (How Are Disciples Supposed to Treat People?).
- Worldview people see their ability to choose for or against God as a freedom. They don’t see it for the bondage it is (Consequences of Setting Our Affections Below).
- While the worldview wants to give the illusion that it is inclusive, it isn’t. Instead, we are so good at judging, aren’t we, when we are following a worldview perspective? Take a good look at comments on social media to figure out that answer. Jesus truly is inclusive (What Does Made in His Image Mean?; The Ministry of Reconciliation).
- Mankind are creatures who feel, especially love. However, the worldview definition of love is not as pure as God’s definition of love (How Else Are We Made in His Image?).
- Worldview people say we don’t love people because we don’t tolerate their desire to sin. So sometimes, they try to tell us we really aren’t disciples of God. Don’t listen to them! They don’t know God. They are trying to get us to love as they do, not as God does (Aren’t We All Children of God?).
- Worldview people want disciples to believe that we can’t point out that their actions are sins. They tell us we should not judge (Mt. 7: 1) — which is true. However, how we do or do not approach the non-believer does not change the fact that God has determined what is sin and what isn’t. God will judge them on His timetable. We have to show kindness and compassion as we witness to them (What Is Expected of Disciples?).
- It isn’t just being tolerant like worldview people think. It is sincerity in doing things God’s way. We must be keeping His laws and His commandments His way (What Do You Mean All Disciples Won’t Get into Heaven?).
- Oh, doesn’t Romans 14: 7 contradict what worldview people think? Some don’t think their actions affect anyone but themselves. Some think that there should be no consequences. They think wrong (Honoring the Lord through Worship).
- Part of the worldview people’s problem is they think they can figure things out. They think they know how the universe was created. They think they know how or when it will end. They don’t (What Does Omniscience Mean?).
- Some worldview people expect disciples are supposed to be doormats — someone they can run over — especially since we are supposed to be peacemakers. Disciples aren’t meant to be mice. God doesn’t want us to be timid. He wants us to be able to stand up for that in which we believe — Him (Faith as a Virtue).
- Society today will not be unified by the worldview. It can’t. Its leader is Satan, the master at causing division. We must choose God to unify us. God is the God of love, peace, and unity (Rebuilding Together under Difficult Conditions).
- Justice is the central theme in the Old Testament. Ooo, baby. The biblical definition is totally different than the worldview definition. God is all about giving us an orderly life based on His ways. The worldview just wants to make sure everyone gets the good things they think should be coming to them. What worldview people haven’t figured out yet is that God’s way is the best way. He only deals with us through love (Spiritual Wisdom Leads to Righteousness).
- Unfortunately, Satan has convinced worldview people that simple means stupid. That is just one of the lies Satan has forced on us. Let’s look at it this way. Another “characteristic” of a simple person according to the worldview is that anything will be believed. Not true. Read those verses again. “… consider his way …” (Prov. 14: 8 CSB) and “… watches his steps” (Prov. 14: 15 CSB). When we consider something, we are looking at all sides before we make our decision. That isn’t blindly believing something. If God wanted us to blindly believe Him, why would He want us to grow in knowledge? Rather, He wants us to make a conscious decision to follow Him (Spiritual Wisdom Leads Us to be Sensible People).
- Worldview followers do not have a circumcised heart, which could be interpreted as heartless. That, too, is understandable when they refuse to acknowledge God as Sovereign Lord (The Nominal Disciple).
- People believing the worldview equate disciples saying “sin no more” as judging. Isn’t it more that we are concerned for the spiritual condition of your hearts and lives? Telling someone to “sin no more” is not judging them. It is the ultimate expression of love (The Lenient Judgment of Others).
- The worldview is wrong when it argues that we are trading one bondage for another. God’s spirit of bondage — which is really adoption — bears good fruit (What Else Is Spiritual Freedom?).
- Worldview people get that being moral is knowing the difference between right and wrong. They just miss that it means God’s right and God’s wrong (What Is Religious Freedom?).
- Many worldview people give the argument that disciples have to give up most of the good things of life. They see this as self-denial. Instead, God has promised us prosperity when we follow Him. (No, it isn’t going to be the world’s definition of prosperity.) He will prosper us through our relationships with Him. He will give us peace (What Does Delight in the Lord Mean?).
- The thing I am not sure the worldview people understand is that evil is equated with sin because it is that which goes against God and His purposes. Worldview people think we need more laws and more love to combat evil. No. We need God (God Is the Only Peace for Man).
- Worldview people think that the outward morality alone will turn us into mountain-climbing disciples (What Is Purity to a Disciple?).
- The Ephesians were trying to understand the gospel from the foundation of worldview philosophy. The problem with that is the philosophy was a heathen philosophy (What Is Purity to a Disciple?).
- The worldview will never unite us because it is from Satan. Satan is all about chaos and division (Comprehending Christ’s Purpose).
- We can’t take this to mean that worldview people who have not ABCDed will get a pass. They have to be blessed to get a pass according to Matthew 25: 34. We are only blessed when we ABCD (The Nominal Disciple).
- Worldview people argue that, if God is love, there would be no consequences. Seriously? We really think we would want to submit to a God Who didn’t care what we did? That is just a smokescreen (Can We Really Identify God’s Wrath?).
- Some worldview people like to think that God is not judging us now and won’t until the end times — if then. We talked about this before. Do not take that to mean God will not judge. He will — if not today, He will in the end (Can We Really Identify God’s Wrath?).
- Our lives being led by the Spirit are totally different than what the worldview pushes. But a life lived under the worldview does not bring us happiness. The world, controlled by Satan, reflects his chaos. He promotes division and divisiveness. He promotes isolation (Characteristics of Disciples’ Lives).
Our Response to the Worldview
We are called to live differently from worldview people. That will put us in direct opposition to what is considered norm by possibly the majority of those with whom we come into contact (How Do Disciples Escape Persecution?).
I think it all boils down to the fact that Balaam was a typical human. Unfortunately, there can be times we have a touch piety along with a touch apostasy. There are times that we all are lured away from God by the worldview (Who Was Balaam?).
Every day, we have to depend on the Spirit. We can’t do it on our own. God doesn’t want us to, anyway. He wants us to come to Him in the big things and the little things. This has to be a daily dependence. We don’t take care of the little things and run to Him with the big ones. This is a total dependence. I know. That goes against the worldview, which says we are supposed to be independent (Characteristics of Disciples’ Lives).
God doesn’t give us just one chance. He gives us multiple chances. He will forgive us when we don’t perform perfectly. That doesn’t give us license to not do the job description. We have to tell others about Him and make disciples. We have to love others His way (not according to the worldview) (When We Settle for Less than God’s Promises).
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
The church at Ephesus lost their first love. Were they compromising with the worldview in their hearts by questioning God’s laws and commandments? The Ephesians could have been doing things for the wrong reasons. They could have been sliding toward the worldview. Oh, look at we are doing. We don’t need God to do this (How Do We Lose Our First Love?).
Worldview people sometimes believe that disciples are sticking our noses into their business to force them to be like us (How Are Disciples Merciful?).
Worldview people are quick to bite on us for pointing out their need for a Savior. That being said, disciples shouldn’t compromise our beliefs (How Are Disciples Peacemakers?).
Peacemakers work to foster peace and reconciliation. I think most of the worldview people think this means no conflict. I don’t think it does. Oh, yes. I don’t think disciples should be confrontational. I think this means reconciliation with God and spreading His peace to those who need it (How Are Disciples Peacemakers?).
We know Satan is going to bite on us because we are no longer following the worldview (Patience as a Virtue).
Children can be the exact opposite of their parents. Children raised in a horrible situation can use that situation as a catapult to a better life in adulthood. Children raised in a Christian household can follow the worldview, instead (Getting Obedience to the Heart Level).
God wants us to imitate His character. That is totally different than worldview (The Ministry of Reconciliation).
The perfect church is not focusing on our needs and desires. We don’t look to our biases and opinions. We focus on God. We need to focus on our spiritual life, not our physical life. That includes working to ensure the church is functioning as God intends. It is showing worldview people what life as a disciple of God really is like (The Perfection of the Church).
All we do should promote unity, not division. Unfortunately, human nature is in us, so the divisions do come. We have to watch how we handle those times because the worldview people are watching (Asking for Prayers).
Unfortunately, we may start to compromise our beliefs when we try to please people. Yes, we do want to build relationships with worldview people so that we can witness to them. No, we cannot change God’s laws and commandments to make them more palatable to worldview people. We have to follow God’s laws and commandments to His standards (The Rewards of Faithfulness).
Sometimes, we are going to lose our allegiance to God because we do start compromising with worldview people. We let the bright shiny sins tempt us until we give in and sin. When that happens, we need to ask God to forgive us. We need to work on getting ourselves more in line with imitating Him (The Rewards of Faithfulness).
We can’t be following the worldview fad of the moment (Are We Proactive or Reactive?).
We also have to be careful because the ability to govern ourselves is not always based on wisdom. We have to make sure that we govern ourselves through God given abilities, not through the worldview. That is one reason why worldview people think they don’t need God (How Is wisdom Righteousness?).
We have to be careful – even as disciples that we fully believe in God’s sovereignty. We can’t be lured into apostasy by the worldview. Apostasy isn’t just the unpardonable sin (Sometimes, War Is Judgment).
If we know God’s will and don’t do it, we earn the punishment we get. The worldview people have a problem with this. This flies right in the face of their ability to make their own choices. Oh, God lets them make their own choice. They are just going to suffer the consequences for making wrong choices. As we are all God’s creation, we will all be judged (Expectations of a Steward).
We have to keep ourselves disciplined when we are in between assignments to use our gifts. We can’t let them go — unless God is moving us to use a different gift. How does all of this tie in with witnessing? We may have difficulty convincing a worldview person that God also presents us with the secular one (Are Spiritual Gifts Different?).
I see two reasons God wants us to look within ourselves. The first reason is we are taking our focus off the worldview. The second reason is because within is where Jesus and the Holy Spirit reside. We focus on Him instead of conflicting desires (What Does Delight in the Lord Mean?).
Disciples impact the world when we exhibit the purity God wants. We need to witness through words, too; but worldview people have to see how we are different. Words aren’t going to mean anything if our actions are consistent (What Is Chastity to a Disciple of Christ?).
We don’t need works to be saved. We need works to prove our salvation. This faith is on promises from God’s Holy Word. It isn’t based on worldview promises or knowledge. It is solely based on the Creator of the universe (Faith of the Unseen).
Disciples have to look different than worldview people. Yeah, that is difficult in society right now, which tries to browbeat us into thinking their way (Does God Really Call Us to Give Up Everything?).
Religion and its rituals are not what God wants. God didn’t want the circumcision without the holiness. He doesn’t want baptism without the holiness. There is no purity in the artificial or that which is designed to impress the worldview people (The Nominal Disciple).
See Also
Divine Intervention and the Worldview
Some worldview people may think that because God is love and they are made in His image, that is enough to gain them salvation in the end. It isn’t. Salvation only comes through Jesus (Forever Worshiping Our Lord).
Jesus’ love is different from the worldview’s love (How Is the World’s Love Different from Jesus’ Love?).
We will face persecution if the worldview people see evidence of our faith in God. Luckily, we won’t be fighting the persecution alone. God will fight for us. He will go before us, with us, and behind us (How Do We Escape Persecution?).
God wants to bless His disciples, and He wants worldview people to become His disciples so He can bless them (Who Is God?).
See Also
Worldview and the Churchy Words
The Bible is a vital book, but worldview people may see it as that — just a book. We have to think about how we are going to show them that this book is a guidebook for eternity (The Scriptures Last Forever).
Remember, good isn’t the worldview definition of good. Good, in the biblical sense, is the workings of God within His people (Who Can Learn God’s Truth?).
We can have the purity without the holiness. But it won’t get us anywhere. Well, that shoots down the worldview people’s assumption that they can just be good and get to heaven. There is no purity in the artificial or that which is designed to impress the worldview people (How Are Disciples Pure in Heart?).
It is sometimes believed that the Holy Spirit is our conscience. He is not because worldview people also have consciences (What Does Made in His Image Mean?).
Worldview people today don’t want the boundaries associated with God’s laws and commandments. They want the freedom to do whatever they want. What worldview people don’t recognize is that God’s laws and commandments bring the goodness out of us — and give us a peace (Goodness as a Virtue).
Whatever peace the worldview thinkers believe they have, it is a false peace (Peace Starts with Getting Right with God).
We have to show the worldview people how we are different than they are. We do that by showing them the peace and joy we find in God (Salvation in a Nutshell).
Only disciples are going to be willing to navigate down Sanctification Road. Worldview people are going to steer way clear of that route (How Does Predestination Fit In?).
When we are sanctified, there is evidence of the Holy Spirit working within our lives. It is shown in our desire to do God’s Will. Those around us can tell we are not following the worldview. Instead, we are obeying God’s laws and commandments. We aren’t just giving lip service. We are following God’s call for our lives (What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Sanctification?).
Worldview people think that things would be so much better if they were just allowed to have their way. Basically, God is allowing them to do that now. God is going to allow Satan to have free reign — for a while. And things will get really bad. What is the saying — be careful what you wish for (What Happens in the Middle of the Tribulation?).
It may be okay for now to just be a worldview person. It won’t be once this earth has passed away and eternity is commencing. Worldview people may think that they will live forever — and they will. It just won’t be in this body on this planet as they may want to believe (How Else Are We Made in His Image?).
There are a lot of worldview people who are going to be in for a rude awakening. One day, hell is going to be their reality (Sins Against God).
All of mankind is going to live for eternity. However, worldview people who are spiritually dead will live in hell; disciples who are spiritually alive will live in heaven (How Else Are We Made in His Image?).
Those holding the worldview are not going to be blessed. Oh, they may do okay in this world. They are not going to be rewarded in the end (Are Disciples to be Docile?).
Gracious Heavenly Father. We choose to be blessed. That means we choose You. We admit that we are separated from You, believe that Jesus is the way to close that separation, and confess You as Sovereign Lord. We submit to You. Help us as we interact with worldview people, so that we may show them You. Amen.