Biblical Worldview : The Natural World

Throughout passages in Paul 's letter to the Romans, there are many themes that we have seen before in his other letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, and Thessalonians. Paul 's passage in Romans 8:1-17 is a summary of all of his main thoughts that he wants every Christian to live his or her life according to. Paul uses references of the "Spirit" and the "Flesh" to communicate his ideas.

As we look back on history we can see that human beings have made great strides as well as suffered many setbacks in our development of fundamental doctrines and/or beliefs by which we live and view the world. These foundational beliefs have provided the framework for which all civilizations preserve, cooperate, and govern their way of life. Certainly throughout history, the spread of Christian theology and doctrine has been influential in establishing and developing a deeply rooted theistic and biblical worldview foundation; thus being the center of much debate. In light of the various views within Christian theology, we will focus specifically on doctrine that is foundational to the Christian

Throughout Genesis 1-11, one of the main subjects covered is the natural world. Genesis 1 in particular provides crucial information for understanding the origin of the natural world. In the first verse of the entire Bible (Genesis 1:1), the reader is immediately told that “God created the heavens and the earth.” Additionally, the reader is informed that “there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31), showing that God’s work of creation took six days. Because I believe that God created the world in six literal days, the foundation of my worldview is entirely different than the foundation of an atheist’s worldview. When I look at the world around me, I do not view everything around me as the product of random chance and evolution; instead, I see everything around me as the handiwork of God.

A worldview is the overall structure that a human being can use to interpret the world and how it applies to their life individually. It is what people believe about the big questions in their lives; who are we, how did we get here, is God real and why are we here? In today’s modern world, there are many different views regarding the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. This paper will focus on the worldview and implications of these topics based on the Bible, in particular, Romans 1-8, and how it still applies in today’s world.

Firstly, there is a set of Biblical assumptions about the natural world. In Romans 1:20, Paul says that “His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world.” (Romans 1:20, ESV) This verse is stating that the world naturally reveals the glory of God. The wonder of creation, from the mountains to the birds in the sky, all point towards the existence of a creator. This is known as natural revelation, which is the idea that

By Faith we believe that God created the Natural World that He is the creator of all things. He is the source of all that live, and spoke the world into existence. The Bible begins with “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genisis1:1) In Romans 1:20 (NLT) Paul tells us “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” God took a blank canvas and used his brush to paint a masterpiece called planet Earth. With us in mind, he painted magnificent sunrises and sunsets, mountains, animals, the stars, moon and the sky. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1 NIV) Sadly man set to out to invalidate creation and to take the glory away from God. Man had become wicked and began to follow after their own desires. “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation

How does being familiar with a biblical worldview help us understand the big picture of God’s design, and how can you apply that understanding to your calling?

A biblical worldview should influence the way I think about, treat, and speak to others on a daily basis because I do not want to go around and degrade everyone that comes into sight. I should always treat others with the upmost respect even if I do not get treated with respect by that individual. I should not always judge others on how they look, speak, or act because I would not like it if someone came up to me and started pointing out every flaw that I had. Matthew 7:12 states “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Therefore, individuals need to be more mindful of their words and actions because an individual can really hurt someone mentally, physically, and emotionally.

With regards to the natural world, Romans states that “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20, NLT). The world was made perfect from God’s hands and science taken the credit away from Him and given it to Evolution other erroneous ideas. It goes on to say they thought foolishly of what God was like and eventually became lost and confused. So instead of worshipping God, they worshiped idols and God abandoned them to do whatever their hearts wished (Romans 1:21-24). People in this world are no different from those in Paul’s days. The idols people worship today range from people, statues, wealth, material things, etc. It may not be the physical and literal act of bowing down to those things but in their actions, it’s clear that that’s all their minds are set on. Verses 25-32 is a perfect example of how people live; a perfect example of how we are not to live. Naturally we are all sinners but because of Jesus we can be forgiven for those sins and free from

Paul makes it clear that the world was created by God and that we are without excuse if we choose to deny that. Romans

In Romans 1-8 Paul is writing to teach the doctrine of Christ. Although Paul goes into much more depth in these eight chapters, his message ultimately boils down to the following sentence. We have all sinned and deserve death, however, through the redemption and sanctification of Christ we have been saved and should now lead, Christ centered lives of faith.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Gen 1:1-2). Paul states in Romans 1:20 that Gods invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly understood by the visible things that God has made in this world. God’s redeemed, should show a concern for the care of nature. Nature suffers because it is a casualty of sin, not because it is naturally evil. The world should anticipate a time when God shall deliver creation from the wrath of sin (8:19, 21). Nature “waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” (8:19). 133

The book of Romans teaches us a considerable amount about various topics of the Christian life. How we should view the natural world, human identity, relationships, and culture are some of the main ones. This essay will discuss the foundations found in Romans which are essential in the formation of a biblical worldview. The letter Paul wrote to the believers in Rome indicates God’s creation is a demonstration of His existence and power (Romans 1:20-21). Romans takes us from our total inability to walk in good works, to God’s faithfulness in justifying, sanctifying, and glorifying us by our faith through his grace.

This paper will delve into a greater understanding of the following questions. What is the meaning of Worldview? What is meant by each of the four primary aspects of the Biblical worldview: creation, the fall, redemption and restoration? How does free enterprise comport with or reject creation, the fall, redemption, and restoration? How does socialism comport with or reject creation, the fall, redemption, and restoration? How does progressivism support or reject Biblical Worldview?

A major situation confronting Paul during ancient times was trying to make sense of the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. Ultimately, the solution to breaking the barrier comes through Christ alone. Christ died for all humankind not just one kind. This view of Christ as the true solution is also the answer to the oppositions in the book of Romans. Two major oppositions are seen in Romans 8:1-11, between good and evil and spirit and flesh. Paul, who confronts many issues in Rome, cannot resolve these oppositions. Rather, "he proclaims liberation from the existential rupture in human nature, formulated by means of the figures that express opposition between flesh and the spirit, through participation in Christ." Romans 8:1-11 proves that living in the Spirit results in ultimate freedom and everlasting life. This freedom in the Spirit then means that the bondage of the law of sin and death is released.