Why does engaging worldviews matter?
Introduction
The series on worldviews continues today by answering the question, “Why does engaging worldviews matter?” In the first post I discussed what a worldview is. In that first post, I defined a worldview as the framework of beliefs by which a person views the world around them; the grid or filter by which a person views the world they live in. The growing complexity of today’s culture demands not only that the Christian understands worldviews but also that they engage worldviews. Before we get into the why of engaging worldviews, first we must discuss the reason for engaging worldviews.
Reason for Engaging Worldviews
The reason for engaging worldviews comes from the mission of Jesus. Jesus came into the world on a mission to redeem man from sin. By coming in human form- the God-Man Jesus lived a sinless life, performed miracles, taught His disciples, and demonstrated how to engage people. When dealing with the religious leaders of Israel Jesus often asked questions and went against the grain of theological thought of the day. Jesus was not novel with the Old Testament but He did interpret it through the perspective that He came to fulfill its meaning. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, and the Prophets all looked ahead to the hope they would have in a coming Savior. New Testament believers today look back to what Jesus has done in His Work on the Cross, burial and resurrection. The reason then for engaging worldviews is obvious- if Jesus engaged people where they were at and helped them to understand who He is and what He has done then believers have all the more reason today to engage people through a biblical worldview.
The Mission of Jesus
The mission of Jesus is to rescue sinners (Luke 19:10) from sin through His death, burial and resurrection. Much discussion is occurring today on the role of being missional. When I use the word missional, I am talking about intentionally engaging people for Christ with the Gospel. Jesus called His disciples to mission. During His earthly ministry Christ called His disciples to a small missions trip to prepare them for future service (Luke 9), He called the seventy-two to ministry (Luke 10:1-16), and now He calls believers to a mission to make disciples. While the mission of Jesus is to redeem lost sinners His mission is also to grow in intimacy with those who follow Him. Often in discussions on missional theology one focuses too much on doing the work of the Gospel rather than being the Gospel. Paul makes it clear that the Gospel is both inward and outward in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. The Gospel is a message that one first must believe personally and then confess outwardly. The Gospel is message one first has to apply to one’s own life and context before one can ever hope to confess it outwardly with any degree of effectiveness. Preaching the Gospel to oneself is the greatest way to fight against sin and grow in sanctification. One first has to be a disciple before they can do the work of a disciple. Jesus taught that a disciple is not greater than his master. So a disciple must first learn from His master before they do the work of the Master.
Why does engaging worldviews matter?
Now that we understand the reason for engaging worldviews, and the mission of Jesus we can delve into why engaging worldviews matters. The mission of Jesus is to go out and make disciples (Math. 28:18-20, Luke 24; Acts 1:8). As a result of going out one will engage worldviews which makes the why tied to the reason for engaging and the mission of Jesus. Engaging worldviews is ultimately a Great Commission concern. The Gospel is the timeless message one is to preach but the way one ministers that message may change depending on the context one is in or the background of the person being ministered too. Regardless of context or background the person must preach the Gospel in such a way as to make it clear to the person listening that Christ died, was buried and rose again. If that message is in anyway compromised then the person or preacher presenting the message of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection has failed.
The message of the King demands faithfulness to the means the King has given. King Jesus died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again. Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit indwells believers for the task of growth in Him and also work for Him. When either growth in Him or missions for Him are emphasized above the other- the Gospel is compromised. The Gospel call is personal in that it alone justifies the sinner, but then calls for transformation in every area of one’s life. The Gospel is corporate in that it calls people everywhere to repent and believe in who Christ is and what Christ has done in His death, burial and resurrection. When any aspect of the Gospel work is compromised whether personal or corporate the Gospel is diminished not because of Christ, but because of the one giving it or the Church proclaiming it. Sadly much compromise regarding the Gospel derives from the reasons I gave- either because of not believing the Gospel or believing that there is some other message God has given. This applies both personally and corporately as individuals reject the Gospel and many Churches continue to move away from the Gospel. As Christians God has given His Church one message- the Gospel, which from Genesis to Revelation is the message of Jesus death, burial and resurrection. The message of the Gospel forms the basis for the content of Gospel proclamation but also is the means God uses to effect transformation in every area of life in Christ’s Church and individual believer’s lives.
Conclusion
The why of engaging worldviews is clear- the Gospel forms the basis for Gospel proclamation which in turn provides the reason why the Christian must engage worldviews. The Christian must engage opposing worldviews for the sake of the Great Commission. One should engage worldviews with the Gospel because it alone contains the power of God. People do not need more opinions or options what today’s culture needs to hear is Christians proclaiming the exclusive not inclusive message that Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection provides the only way to God with one voice in both word and deed.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Dave
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The Exclusivity of Christ in a pluralistic culture
The Christian faith proclaims that through Christ humanity may be saved from sin. Other religions claim that Jesus was a great Teacher, Philosopher, or Prophet, but not God come in the flesh to die for sin and rise again. Political correctness instructs people that “all religions are the same, and lead to the same God.” Is Jesus just some Savior or is He; the Lord God who came in human flesh, virgin born, sinless, died from cruxification, rose again on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of the Father. My goal today is to get you, the reader to understand who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.
Jesus in John 14:1-14 teaches His disciples that He is the Way, Truth and the Life. John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Believe in God is translated as an imperative (or command), but the Greek could also be rendered as a statement, “You believe in God.” The imperative is probably better in light of the previous sentence. What troubles the disciples is Jesus’ imminent departure (13:36). “Believe,” in keeping with Old Testament usage (Isaiah 28:16), denotes personal, relational trust. John 2:2-3. In light of the context (Jesus going to the Father; 13:1, 3; 14:28), it is best to understand my Father’s house as referring to heaven. In keeping with this image, the many rooms (or “dwelling places,” Greek, mone) are places to live within that large house. The translation “rooms” is not meant to convey the idea of small spaces, but only to keep consistency in the metaphor of heaven as God’s “house”. In a similar passage, Jesus speaks of his followers being received into the “eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9; 1 Cor 2:9).
John 14:6. Jesus as the only way to the Father fulfills the Old Testament symbols and teachings that show the exclusiveness of God’s claim (John 3:18), such as the curtain (Exodus 26:33) barring access to God’s presence from all except the Levitical high priest (Leviticus 16), the rejection of human inventions as a means to approach God (Lev. 10:2), and the choice of Aaron alone to represent Israel before God in his sanctuary (Numbers 17:5). Jesus is the only “way” to God (Acts 4:12), and He alone can provide access to God. Jesus as the truth fulfills the teaching of the Old Testament (John 1:17) and reveals the true God (1:14, 17; 5:33; 18:37; 8:40, 45-46; 14:9). Jesus alone is the life who fulfills the Old Testament promises of “life” given by God (11:25-26) having life in himself (1:4; 5:26), and he is thus able to confer eternal life to all who believe in him (3:16). This is another “I am” saying that makes a claim to deity (6:35).
Jesus statement in John 14:6 forms the basis for the exclusivist view which states that it is impossible to attain salvation apart from hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). The restrictivist view states that those who have heard the gospel are those who have made a conscious decision to accept it, but those who have never heard the gospel are judged on the basis of what he/she know or should have known. The popular view of pop culture is that all faiths lead to the same God. The only problem with the pop culture view is that it views Jesus as some popular teacher, but does not subscribe to His teachings. Jesus Himself said that a disciple is not greater than His master (Matthew 10:24), and a disciple when fully trained will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40). If Jesus is just some Savior, or Lord, or He just provides some “good moral philosophy” then why do the words out of Jesus mouth undercut the claims of popular culture and popular religion? Jesus said if people will not take up their Cross and follow Him; then how can the argument be sustained by popular culture and religion?
The argument from popular culture is not sustainable in light of Jesus own words. Jesus is not just some Savior, Lord, Prophet or Philosopher, but the Savior, Lord and God who died for sin and rose again. Men will either come to Him or they will not be saved. The objection from a pluralistic culture is to appeal to fairness. People define fairness as the ability to get their views or opinions out there. When this view is used it is often applied by those who want to have their own way regarding religion and life. The problem is that the Bible does not support this view. Jesus did not come to die for wishes, dreams and wants. He came to die for sin which offended His holiness. The charge that God is unfair is logically inconsistent to the core. Ascribing to knowledge of God but saying that one is God through a claim of fairness is illogical.
Logically if one says that this view is unfair then he/she must also say that he/she is unfair since God is the One who created him/her. The Creator who created the world can destroy the world. The Creator who made all things can deny them eternal life but doesn’t. Jesus who died for sin can withhold forgiveness from sin but doesn’t. The argument from fairness is flawed because it argues on an I, me, you basis which makes it logically impossible to prove not to mention Scripturally unsound.
Jesus is different than all the other “saviors”, guru’s, teachers, philosophers and the like because He not only claimed to be God but was God. When Jesus either through His miracles (Jesus performed miracles which demonstrated His Deity) or through His teaching (people understood Jesus to be teaching that He was God), Jesus incited the Jews and gave hope to the broken, downcast and marginalized of His day. Jesus today offers hope in a world that is falling apart at the seams because of sin. Jesus is the most debated person in all of history, because He is the center piece of all of history. Jesus claimed to be the only Way to God and provides the means from which to have eternal life. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ, and only Jesus Christ offers reconciliation between God and men. Through Jesus death and burial all humanity may be saved.
The exclusive claims of Jesus in an age of pluralism are not popular. The truth of the matter is that popular culture does not believe in tolerance though it exalts it as a virtue. If popular culture believed in tolerance it would not seek to suppress Christianity. All other religions are allowed free reign in the public square but the exclusive claims of Jesus. Jesus said that He is the Way, Truth and the Life. Jesus own words form the basis for the Gospel which proclaims that humanity through Christ can be forgiven of sin, be reconciled to God, and be used in God’s service to the glory of God.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Dave
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