What's Your Worldview? - Chalcedon Presbyterian Church

What’s Your worldview? 

hat’s your sign?” Maybe you 

“Ware a Leo or a Libra, a Virgo or 

an Aquarius. Some people believe their 

astrological sign aff ects or determines 

their future. Well, one thing is for certain, 

your LIFEVIEW does determine 

your future! Do you know what your 

“Lifeview” is? Most people can tell you 

Signs of the Zodiac 

what their “sign” is but they have no 

idea what their “lifeview” is. Th e philosopher 

Socrates once said, “Th e unexamined 

life isn’t worth living.” I want to 

ask you to examine your lifeview! 1 

1. I recently have come across a tract on a 

number of websites entitled “Two Ways 

To Live” by Matthias Media, www. 

matthiasmedia.com. What I like about 

this presentation is that it presents the 

Wayne Rogers 

What is a LIFEVIEW? A lifeview is how 

you view life, the world, how you understand 

the origin, meaning, purpose, and 

goal of life, what happens after you die, 

etc. Th is is also called a “worldview,” 

how you look at and understand the 

world, its existence and purpose. How 

does this aff ect your life? Well, if you 

believe there is no God, that all things 

just exist by chance, that will aff ect how 

you live. But if you believe there is a God 

and the Bible is His word, then that will 

aff ect how you live. Th e next time you 

watch a TV program or movie ask what 

the lifeview of the actors or story is. For 

example, you will fi nd one kind of lifeview 

refl ected on “Little House on the 

Prairie” and diff erent one on afternoon 

“Soap operas.” 

What’s your lifeview? Like navels, 

everyone has one; you just may not 

have examined yours before. A lifeview 

is your most basic beliefs. Some people 

don’t believe in God. Others believe 

there is a God and all religions lead to 

Him. People believe things such as “I’m 

a good person and if there is a heaven I 

will go there.” Others say they believe 

in God but they live as if there weren’t 

one. Still others believe that man can 

solve his own problems without God. 

So, everyone has a lifeview. What’s 

yours? How do you know if it is right? 

Gospel from the perspective of God’s 

kingship and kingdom. Th is article has 

modifi ed that presentation. 

Issue 3 2009_FINAL.indd 4 6/19/09 4:20 PM

What diff erence does it make? What if 

you’re wrong? 

Th e Bible is not just “Sunday 

School” stories for boys and girls. It 

presents a lifeview. Th e basic message 

at the heart of Christianity is really 

quite simple – it is a message from God 

about you and His Son, Jesus Christ. It 

is a message about life, about happiness, 

about right and wrong, and about 

the future. Th e Lifeview of the Bible 

starts with a loving creator God… 

1. GOD IS A LOVING 

CREATOR. HE MADE THE 

WORLD AND CREATED 

YOU IN HIS OWN IMAGE 

(Gen. 1:26-28). 

Th e Christian message is that God created 

you and all things and that He is in 

charge of the world. He is the ruler, the 

supreme governor, the king. Unlike human 

rulers, however, God always does 

what is best for His people. He is the 

kind of king you’d like to be ruled by. 

God rules the world because He 

made the world. Like a potter with his 

clay, God fashioned the world into just 

the shape He wanted, with all its amazing 

details. He made it and He owns it. 

He also made you. God created you 

like Him in several ways: with knowl- 

Councel of Chalcedon • Issue 2 • 2009 

5 

edge, intelligence, aff ections, morality, 

and put man in charge of the world— to 

rule it, to care for it, to be responsible 

for it, to develop it, and to enjoy all its 

beauty and goodness. He appointed us 

to supervise and look after His world, 

always under His own authority, honoring 

Him and obeying His directions 

from the Bible. 

You can see this represented in 

our fi rst illustration: God is the ruler 

(the crown) and humanity was created 

to live in and rule God’s world under 

God’s loving authority. 

THAT IS NOT THE WAY IT IS 

NOW! Th at all sounds rather ideal— 

God in heaven, people ruling the world 

according to His directions, and everything 

right with the world. But everything 

is very obviously not right with us 

or the world. 

2. WE ALL HAVE REJECTED 

THE RULER–GOD. 

Th e sad truth is that, from the very beginning, 

men and women everywhere 

have rejected God and His will by doing 

things their own way. We all do 

this. We don’t like someone telling us 

what to do or how to live—least of all 

God—and so we rebel against Him, His 

will, and His kingly moral law in lots of 

diff erent ways. We ignore Him and just 

get on with our own lives; or we disobey 

What’s Your Worldview? 


6 


His instructions for living in His world; 

or we shake our puny fi sts in His face 

and tell Him to get lost. We even try to 

make Him in our image so that we can 

live any way we want to. 

How ever we do it, we are all rebels 

because we don’t live God’s way which 

He revealed in the Bible. We prefer 

to follow our own desires and to run 

things our own way, without God. Th is 

rebellious, disobedient, self-centered, 

self-suffi cient attitude is what the Bible 

calls ‘sin’. 

Th e trouble is, in rejecting God, 

we are alienated from God, and we are 

under His wrath and curse for our sinful 

rebellion and unbelief; we make a 

mess not only of our own lives, but of 

our society and the world. It has been 

said, “If you go against the grain of the 

universe, you get splinters.” Of course, 

we have more than splinters, to say the 

least. Th e whole world is full of people 

bent on doing what suits them, and not 

following God’s perfect, wise, holy, and 

good will. We all act like little gods, 

with our own little crowns, competing 

with one another. Th e result is misery. 

Th e suff ering and injustice that we see 

around us in the world all go back to 

our basic rebellion against God. 

WHAT WILL GOD DO ABOUT 

THIS REBELLION? By rebelling 

against God, we’ve made a terrible mess 

of things. Th e question is: what will 

God do about it? 


3. GOD WON’T LET THIS UN- 

BELIEF AND REBELLION GO ON 

FOREVER. 

God certainly takes our rebellion seriously. 

God is a holy and loving God. 

He will not tolerate this treason in His 

kingdom. He calls us to account for 

our actions, for failing to worship Him 

alone and to obey Him, and for failing 

to love Him and our neighbors as 

ourselves. Th ese were His two greatest 

commandments. He will not let this rebellion 

go on forever. He has planned a 

day of judgment for all people. 

Th e sentence this loving God passes 

against us is entirely just. God created 

us to live in a life-love bond with Him 

and others. He created us to worship, 

love, serve, and obey Him. Man’s chief 

purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him 

and in so doing enjoy life as well. And 

in worshipping, glorifying, and serving 

God alone man would enjoy the blessings 

of God in this life and the life to 

come. In rebelling against God and His 

Word, we are saying to him, “Go away. 

I don’t want you telling me what to do. 

Leave me alone.” Perhaps we are even 

saying “I don’t believe in you.” God’s 

judgment on those who rebel against 

Him is to withdraw from them, to cut 

them off from Himself—completely and 

permanently. Since God alone is the 

source of life and all good things, being 

cut off from him ultimately means 

death and hell. God’s judgment against 

rebels is an everlasting, God-less death 

and destruction. 

Th is is a terrible thing, to fall under 

the sentence of God’s judgment. It 

is a prospect we all face, since we are all 

guilty of rebelling against God. 

Is that it then? Are we all destined 

for death and everlasting ruin? If not for 


God’s own miraculous and loving intervention, 

we would be. GOD’S JUSTICE 

SOUNDS HARD, BUT… 

4. FOR HIS OWN GLORY, GOD 

IN LOVE SENT HIS SON, JESUS 

CHRIST, TO SAVE AND RESTORE 

A PEOPLE TO HIMSELF. 

Since all men are guilty sinners, no mere 

man can save himself or anyone else. 

Th erefore God sent His own Son into the 

world to save sinners. God’s eternal Son 

became a man, Jesus of Nazareth, in order 

that He might pay the penalty for sin 

and save those who repent of their sinful 

rebellion, disobedience, and unbelief 

and return to Him in faith as the Son of 

God and Savior of sinners. 

Unlike us, Jesus didn’t rebel against 

His Father. He perfectly obeyed Him, 

delighting in His Will and law. Th erefore, 

He did not deserve to die. Yet Jesus 

did die. Although He had the power of 

God to heal the sick, walk on water and 

even raise the dead, Jesus allowed himself 

to be executed on a cross. Why? 

Th e Bible rings with the incredible 

news that Jesus died as a substitute for 

rebels like us. “Th e wages of sin is death.” 

Th e debt for sin that was owed to God 

Jesus paid by dying on the cross. He took 

the full force of God’s justice on himself 

so that those who repent and believe 

might be forgiven and pardoned. He 


7 

died to cover sin, to reconcile sinners to 

God, to take away the wrath of God due 

them, and to deliver them from bondage 

to sin and their sinful nature, giving 

them a new heart, a new life now, and a 

new future! All this is quite undeserved 

by us. It is a generous gift, from start to 

fi nish. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL… 

5. GOD RAISED JESUS TO LIFE 

AGAIN AS THE RULER OF THE 

WORLD. 

God accepted Jesus’ death as payment 

in full for sin, and raised Him from the 

dead. Th e resurrection is the vindication 

of His sacrifi ce for sin. Th e risen 

and ascended Jesus is now what humanity 

was created to be: God’s ruler of 

the world. 

As God’s ruler now in heaven, Jesus is 

building His church, the people, and 

family of God. He has inaugurated the 

kingdom of God! Jesus has also been 

appointed God’s judge of the world. Th e 

Bible declares that one day, He will return 

to call all of us to account for our 

rebellion and unbelief. He commands 

all men now to repent and believe the 

good news that Jesus is Lord and Savior. 

In the meantime, Jesus promises 

new life, both now and eternally, to 

those who repent, believe, and follow 

Him in faith and obedience. Now, sins 



8 


are forgiven through Jesus’ death, and 

those who repent and believe have a 

new life and a fresh start with God, no 

longer as rebels but as friends. In this 

new life, God himself comes to live 

within us by his Spirit. We experience 

the joy of a new relationship with God. 

What’s more, when we are pardoned 

through Jesus’ death, we can be 

quite sure that when Jesus does return 

to judge, we will be accepted by Him. 

Th e risen Jesus will give us eternal life, 

not because we have earned it or because 

we have done good works, but 

because He has died in the place of sinners. 

WELL, WHERE DOES ALL THAT 

LEAVE US? It leaves us with the fact that 

there are ultimately only two lifeviews! 

6. TWO LIFEVIEWS: 

A. YOUR LIFEVIEW 

Reject the creator and ruler-God. Try to 

run your own life your own way. 

RESULT 

Condemned by God. Facing death and 

God’s judgment. 

B. GOD’S REVEALED 

LIFE PLAN 

Submit to Jesus as your Lord. Repent of 

your sinful disobedience and rebellion 

and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord 

and Savior. 

RESULT 

Forgiven by God. New life now and 

eternal life. 

I must tell you that if your life-view is 

based on “there is no-God” and evolution, 

you have no basis on your life- 


view for reason, logic, ethics, or science. 

Th ese are all based on the fact 

that you and the world are what the 

Bible says about God and creation. 

You can continue in your unbelief and 

rebellion against God, and try to run 

your life your own way without Him. 

Sadly, this is the option that many people 

persist in. 

Th e end result is that God your creator 

and King condemns you for your 

rejection of His rightful rule over your 

life. You not only have to put up with the 

messy consequences of rejecting God 

here and now, but you face the dreadful 

reality of an eternity of separation from 

Him in hell, without life or love. 

For those who realize their sinful and 

selfi sh rebellion and repent there is 

mercy and grace. John 3:16, “For God so 

loved the world that He gave His only 

begotten Son, that whoever believes in 

Him should not perish but have everlasting 

life.” For those who do not, “Th e 

wrath of God abides on them,” John 

3:36. Th e eff ect is not only personally 

devastating, but social, culturally, and 

nationally devastating. Psalm 9:17, “Th e 

wicked shall be turned into hell and all 

nations that forget God.” 

If we, like the prodigal son, turn 

back to God, trusting in Jesus’ death 

for our sins, believing in His resurrec- 


tion, and repenting of our sins, then 

everything is new. “If any man be in 

Christ, he is a new creation, old things 

are passed away, behold, everything becomes 

new, 2 Cor. 5:17. 

For a start, God wipes our slate 

clean. Whereas you were a convicted 

and condemned rebel traitor, He gives 

you a new record, free from guilt and 

punishment. He accepts Jesus’ death as 

payment for your sins, and freely and 

completely forgives you. He gives you a 

new heart and a new life that stretches 

past death and into forever. We are no 

longer rebels, but part of God’s own family, 

the Christian church, as his adopted 

sons and daughters. We now live with 

and for Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

Th e two ways to live could not be 

more diff erent, and they call you, the 

reader, to respond. God now commands 

all men everywhere to repent! 

If your answer to the question above 

is ‘my own way’, then you probably 

don’t believe some or all of the message 

we have been outlining. 

Perhaps you do not believe there is 

a God, that if there is a God He is going 

to judge rebels, or that you really are 

a rebel. If that is the case, then please 

think carefully. What do you base that 

on? How do you know? What if you are 

wrong? It would be a good idea to investigate 

more thoroughly the claims 

that have been made here, because if 

they are true, the consequences of not 

believing are death. 

Perhaps you could talk to a Christian 

friend or fi nd a church which believes 

and teaches the same things we 

have written here for further explanation. 

Sadly, not all churches or religions 

however believe and teach salvation by 


9 

grace through faith alone. Th erefore, you 

have to talk to someone who believes the 

Bible to be the Word of God and the 

things we have written in this pamphlet. 

However, if you know that you 

have been a rebel against God (and 

the Bible says that actually all men 

know there is a god but they suppress 

that knowledge in unrighteousness–see 

God knows all about you!) 

the next obvious question is: What 

should you do about it? 

Well, you should do what we have 

said all along, repent of your unbelief, 

rebellion, and disobedience, and trust in 

Christ alone as your savior, the one who 

was a substitute for sin, and now seek to 

follow and serve Him as your Lord. 

Next, you need to fi nd a biblical 

Christian church. Jesus gave Himself 

to build His church, His bride, 

Eph. 5:25-27. Everyone who was saved 

in the Bible was added to the church, 

Acts 2:38-42. When Jesus ascended to 

heaven He gave some to be pastors and 

teachers to Christians, to build them 

up, Eph. 4:11-12. His church, through 

God called and qualifi ed pastors and 

teachers, continues His work and ministry 

on earth by His Word and Spirit. 

You need to know that not all 

churches are the same. Maybe you were 

brought up in a church or “tried church” 

and you are now completely turned off 

or burned out. Not all churches are the 

same. Frankly, not all churches are truly 

Christian churches. Some churches 

don’t believe in the infallibility of the 

Bible. Others don’t believe in salvation 

by grace through faith alone. 

Th ere are marks of “true church.” 

Look for a church where there is a 

strong emphasis on Bible preaching 

and teaching and the application of the 

Bible to all of life. Look for a church 



10 


where worship is reverent and biblical. 

Beware of churches that entertain 

people more than they worship God. 

Look for a church where “the love of the 

brethren” and concern for the world is 

evident. Look for a church that puts a 

great emphasis on the home, marriage, 

family, children, and society. 

Not all true Christian churches are 

alike either. Th ere is no perfect church. 

However, we believe the church that 

best expresses the teaching, faith, and 

life of the Bible is a church that is both 

Presbyterian and Reformed (not one 

without the other). “Reformed” refers 

to the Protestant reformation which 

began in the 16 th Century. Th at was a 

time when the Spirit of God led God’s 

people to return to the Bible alone as 

the inspired and infallible Word of God 

and to salvation by grace through faith 

alone. “Presbyterian” is from the word 

translated “elders” in the Bible. Presbyterian 

refers to pastoring the church by 

godly “Elders.” 

In a biblical Christian church you 

will be shepherded as one of Jesus’ 

sheep and have the Word of God ministered 

to you so that you can grow in 

Christ, 1 Peter 2:2, and learn how to live 

in God’s world and please Him, 2 Peter 

3:18. You will have fellowship with and 

support from fellow believers. You will 

praise God in worship and learn how to 

live in every area of life for God according 

to His will; you will learn how to 

solve problems and serve the God who 

called and saved you! 

So, you truly are at a “Cross-road” 

and a “Crown-road.” What is your “Lifeview”? 

What do you base it on? Th ere 

are only two ways to live. Who will be 

the Lord of your life? You or God? 

What will you do with Jesus 

Christ? What will He do with YOU? 


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What's Your Worldview? - Chalcedon Presbyterian Church

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