MY WORLD VIEW,
BELIEFS & UNDERSTANDINGS
By Brooks A. Harris
What Is A World View
Your "world view" is the foundation of your belief system in morals, ethics, and values as well as politics and religion. It helps shape your perspective of what is important in your life and helps you prioritize them. It shapes your thoughts, desires, decisions and actions. It guides how you analyze your experiences in life, how you decide what to believe about issues, and how you base your opinions. It helps you determine if there is a purpose for your life and if so, what that purpose may be. It also helps you determine the value of life itself - your’s and others’, and who has the right to take away someone’s life as from the unborn, murderers, the terminally ill, or even the mentally ill.
Our world view comes from what we hear, see, read and study through TV, movies, radio, songs, books, recordings, museums, conversations, peer influence, etc. It is our philosophy about our origins, our ancient past, our present existence, what happens to us at our death and our immediate and ultimate future. It helps us determine how to relate to other people and those in authority.
Many people today have materialistic, secular, and humanistic world views, where taking care of "self" is much more important than helping others. They believe that they have no ultimate authority over them, no one to answer to for their actions. They are free to do whatever they please. They believe that there are no absolute truths; each person has the right to decide what is right and wrong for themselves. They also feel that their views should be tolerated, even though they may not tolerate the views of others.
They often have an "if it feels good, do it" attitude. Such an attitude has led to drastic increases in lawlessness which has caused a drastic rise in crime. Such an attitude has also led to drastic increases in immorality which has caused a drastic rise in divorces, broken families, unwed mothers, sexual diseases, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, irresponsible behaviors and many emotional problems as guilt, depression, regret, embarrassment, etc. They believe in the "Survival of the Fittest" philosophy, where the strongest survive. They believe that humankind evolved from other animal kinds, so therefore we are just animals. This belief devalues human life and makes it equal in value to other animals. Therefore if it is alright to get rid of unwanted kittens it is also alright to get rid of unwanted unborn babies.
To many people success in life is determined by how much money and material possessions you have compiled. They believe that to be happy they must become wealthy. They let the world dictate what they need. Their desire is to have what the world offers and they expect to live like this materialistic, secular, and humanistic world says to live.
Biblical Reliability
My world view is based on my faith that the teachings in the Bible are reliable. It is not based on a blind faith; it is based on scientific research and historical records and their support for Biblical reliability. I have found through extensive research that there is a tremendous amount of evidence which supports the existence of God, the reliability of the Bible, and the reality of Jesus and His creative acts. I feel that it is very important to teach these evidences to our congregations so they can defend their faith from unbelievers. I want to help restore the authority of God by showing people that science, history, archaeology, fulfilled prophecy, manuscript preservation and other evidences drastically support His Word. Just preaching the gospel of Jesus is no longer effective to a rapidly growing number of people who no longer trust the accuracy of the Bible nor believe in God.
Years of intense study has taught me that all original scripture in the Bible was inspired by God and the Bible has been shown to be trustworthy. To my knowledge, other than for a few copying and translation errors from the original version, no real mistake has ever been demonstrated in the Bible: in science, in history, or in any other subject, and not one statement in the Bible has ever been disproved by any real facts of science or history. True science and history have always confirmed the Bible. Those who argue that the Bible cannot be trusted, speak largely on the basis of misinterpretations, bias, unjustified assumptions, taking scripture out of context, and/or simple ignorance of the facts.
Accurate, confirmable information, written in simplistic terms so most common people can understand, is found throughout the Bible on topics as genealogy, archaeology, geology, anatomy, epidemiology, biology, and many others. From our studies concerning the fossil record, embryology, comparative anatomy, and the indescribable complexity and organization of living creatures, we see that each one testifies to the creative genius of God that passes all understanding.
After over a century of detailed, scientific archaeological excavations, no discovery has ever disproved a Biblical reference. Many archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail thousands of historical statements in the Bible, as specific places, persons and events.
There are also remarkable evidences of hundreds of Bible prophecies having been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after the prophetic writer has passed away. The Bible records predictions of events that could not be known or predicted by chance or common sense. Totally accurate prediction of the future is the domain of the Bible exclusively. The Bible is like no other book in prophecy fulfillment. Through fulfilled prophecy, God has given sufficient evidence of His existence and of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures.
The Bible text is far more accurately preserved than any other text of ancient history. Although we do not have any original text, manuscript copies of the Bible are far more numerous, far more accurate, and written far closer to the original manuscripts than any other comparable writings from the ancient world. The 1947 discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls demonstrated unequivocally the fact that the Jews were faithful in their transcription of Biblical manuscripts.
In many ways the Bible shows how unique and reliable is the Christian faith versus all other religions. Unlike other religions Christianity is a historical faith based on objective facts and historical records which are subject to examination by the ordinary criteria of objective investigation. The Bible is a reliable history book unlike writings from other world religions. Christians worship a "living" Lord. All other religious founders or leaders are dead. Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead was the final and greatest proof of His absolute uniqueness and is documented in both Biblical and secular history with strong evidence to support its truth.
Most of the foundational ideas upon which most societies are built find their beginnings in Genesis - the first book in the Bible. Genesis gives the beginnings of the universe, life, man, plant and animal "kinds", Sabbath (the 7 day week), death, marriage, family, language, cities, literature, art, sin, redemption, and sacrifice. Also Biblical history, beginning with the creation week, coincides very nicely with evidences, not speculations, of our world’s ancient history when viewed from a Biblical perspective.
Visit my blog site -
http://biblicalreliability.blogspot.com/ and read the articles "Evidence for Biblical Reliability," "Man’s Early History" and "Creative Views of Science" for much more information on the reliability of the Bible.
What I Now Believe
I believe in the one absolute authority, God, who has given us, in the Holy Bible, absolute truths, rules, laws and right from wrong values which we are to live by. I believe that God is actively involved in my life everyday and I have a responsibility to follow His rules. For me absolute truths, what is right and what is wrong, are not based on man’s opinion but based on God’s opinion.
I believe that Genesis, the first book of the Bible, is a true historical record of our origins and explains the cause, reason and beginning of natural disasters, diseases, pain, suffering and death. When God created man (human kind), humans were His ultimate creation. He loved His humans very much and wanted them to love Him in return. He did not want to force them to love Him, for that would not be true love. So God gave us "free will" so we could choose whether we wanted to love Him or not. This "free will" of ours is what lets us decide whether to sin or not. Genesis explains sin (actions that separate us from God), sin’s consequences, our need for redemption because of sin, and God’s plan to provide redemption for us. I believe that sin means "going against God’s will" which we all have done at least once in our lives, therefore all people are sinners. Noone lives up to God’s perfect standards, so noone can earn their way into God’s heavenly kingdom through good righteous behavior and works. I believe that the price for sin is death and everyone deserves to die and deserves eternal separation from God. I believe we have to accept Jesus’ sacrificial death to pay for our sins so we may dwell in God’s heavenly kingdom forever. I believe in Jesus’ virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven and His promise to return for His believers.
Christianity is a part of my everyday life, not just something I think about on Sunday at church or in my nightly prayers. When I am outside, I think about God and His involvement in nature. I believe that Genesis accurately explains the source of matter, space and time. It also explains the beginning of life, of different kinds of organisms, of mankind, of the different nations ("races"), of the universe, and even the source of geological formations - multiple rock layers and their innumerable fossils. When I see trees and animals, I think about their amazing design and purpose, realizing that their original "kinds" were created, completely formed, to be what they are and did not slowly mutate from one organism into another over long periods of time. Whenever I see exposed rock layers, it always reminds me of the effects of the world-wide flood which occurred about 4500 years ago (we find millions of dead things, buried in striated, sedimentary rock layers, which were laid down by water all over the earth). When I see stars, I think about God’s awesome power, intelligence, and presence everywhere. When I see natural disasters and people with physical or mental disorders, I think of man’s original sin and sin’s consequences of a fallen world and God’s promise of eternal restoration.
I believe that God created a perfect, defect-free world including the environment, the animal kingdom, and mankind. When God finished His creation on the sixth day, He said that what He had created was "very good." Pain, suffering, struggle for survival, and death were not part of God’s original creation. The Bible teaches that sin is the ultimate cause of suffering and death. God’s original creation was as God intended life to be for us, without any suffering, but mankind chose to disobey God and God’s response to man’s sin was to curse all His creation, since it was not right for sinful mankind to live in a perfect world. We have all had to suffer from this curse, some much more than others. Our entire universe has been deteriorating ever since and now faster than ever with ever worsening natural disasters, cancers, diseases and disorders. Although we will suffer in this present life, there will be no more suffering or death in God’s final kingdom. I realize that someday in the future, all will be restored, by God, to the original perfection as God had intended for mankind to enjoy with no man, plant, or animal having any defects. This perfection will not happen by random, chance-evolving of all things, nor will it occur by man’s authority or actions as some people believe. This perfection, or paradise, will be restored and sustained forever by God for us who love Him.
Although Jesus was fully human, He was also and still is fully God, therefore He knows what God knows. God sees everything, hears everything, knows everything. Since Jesus is God, He has seen and experienced everything that has ever happened to every person who has ever lived. Therefore Jesus could say "Been There - Done That." He knows what it is like to be you and He knows how you feel. He understands your suffering, your confusion, your disappointment, your guilt, your shame, your anger, your heartache, your loneliness, your frustration, your doubt, your desires, etc. He knows that your existence here in this lifetime is brief compared to your eternal life to come, so your suffering now is only for a moment. Life may seem difficult and unfair at times and it is hard for us to understand why we must suffer and endure hardships, but all things work for good when God is in charge of our life. So trust Jesus and remember - He understands.
I learned that - what I believe does not matter if I am wrong. What does matter is "What is True." Just because we believe something, this does not make it true. If God is real and the Bible is reliable, then what happens if we die and we do not believe in God? We will have to accept the consequences no matter what we believe.
I believe that heaven and hell are real places and everyone will dwell in one place or the other for eternity once they pass from this present earthly existence. I look forward to God’s heavenly kingdom and eventual eternal paradise. After researching much literature and hearing several testimonies, I truly believe that as soon as a Christian dies their spirit goes to be with our Lord Jesus Christ and with our loved ones who have gone before us. Although I still wonder greatly about our heavenly kingdom to come, I have no fear of death. I look forward to a perfect, defect-free, resurrected body living in a world of no more pain or sorrow or tears. I have learned to have faith in the unknown because I believe in God and His word. I believe that our heavenly kingdom will be a glorious place to live an eternal life in the presence of God.
I believe that God created the very first man and woman, Adam and Eve, with perfect defect-free bodies and provided them with all the nutrients, through plants, that they needed to survive and thrive forever. Although their sin caused them, and us, to lose immortal life and eventually caused a loss of the abundant nutrient supply (mostly from Noah’s flood), I believe that we will once again be given glorious, defect-free, resurrected bodies (as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ received) and eternal life with an abundant perfect nutrient supply in a renewed paradise. I believe that although we may be forced to endure pain, suffering, and hardships during this present life, this life is only temporary and brief compared to our wonderful eternal life to come, free from worry, pain, tears, suffering, disappointment, etc. The hope of this paradise to come helps Christians cope with their troubles in this life and often allows them to have no fear of death.
Present Day Events
Christians are to spread the teachings of Jesus to people of all nations. We are to show how God loves them - through His Word (The Scriptures) and through our actions. We are to love others unconditionally, as Jesus loves everyone. We are to love people for who they are, not what they do. We do not have to approve of their behavior to love them. We are to guide people to a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Those who truly love Jesus will want to follow His teachings and commandments. Part of loving Jesus is our confessing of our sins to Jesus and then repenting of our sins. Although all people are sinners (even true Christians), we are all to avoid sinful acts in our lives. We are to recognize what is sinful, then do our best to avoid such behavior.
As a society begins to tolerate deviant behavior (sins as adultery, fornication, pornography, homosexuality, and types of lying, stealing and murder), this behavior is eventually seen as normal behavior and accepted in the society, making it difficult to restore previous values and ethics. In order to justify immoral lifestyles, our entertainment industry, especially through TV, movies, and music, has been aggressively promoting acceptance of such deviant behaviors. A growing problem is getting people to understand what is sinful in God’s point-of-view, then getting them to willingly turn away from such behavior. Unfortunately many "So-Called Christians" are picking and choosing which scriptures they want to believe and ignoring, reinterpreting, or discarding the rest, in an effort to justify what they want to believe and justify their lifestyle choices. Christians are supposed to remind each other of the Bible’s teachings and encourage each other to follow these teachings. Therefore when individuals or our society are living in contrast to Biblical teachings, we as Christians are to make them aware of it and try to correct it so it does not influence other Christians to sin.
I compare my present day happenings to what the Bible says about our origins, our distant past, problem areas in the present, and what to expect in the future. I believe that we are all equal in God’s eyes. The only race God made was the "Human Race." Only the differences in our spiritual belief systems should separate us, not the color of our skin. The Bible says that believers are not to be yoked to non-believers. We are to live in this world, but not be conformed to it by compromising our values, ethics or belief system.
I believe that Genesis gives us the beginning of families and marriage (one man to one woman). Sex is a gift from God. It was designed for pleasure (between a husband and his wife) and for procreation (to fill the earth). Sex outside of marriage will damage present or future marital relationships often for ever.
Also the Bible forbids sexual relations between two people of the same sex. According to the Bible, homosexual behavior goes against the natural affections of man to a woman and woman to a man as has been instilled in us by God. Such unnatural behavior is an abomination to God. Since the Bible is absolutely reliable, truthful, and trustworthy, it (not man’s opinion) is our "absolute authority" on what is right and wrong. Therefore there is no doubt that homosexual acts and relationships are wrong as demonstrated in Lev. 18:22, 29 & 20:13; Rom. 1:24-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10. Practicing homosexuals who claim to be Christians, apparently do not believe that their homosexual acts are sinful and are obviously not trying to turn away from these acts. As an act of love and concern, Christians should calmly show them the error in their ways, according to the Bible, and encourage them to stop practicing homosexuality.
The Bible teaches that lying, cheating and stealing are wrong, but for many years now, people, like many politicians, have been teaching our society that these acts are alright if you think they are and you do not get caught. The Bible also teaches that all human lives are valuable and should be preserved, and that we are to protect the weak and helpless. Therefore I believe that destroying human life through ways as abortion and killing weak individuals are all forms of murder and are absolutely wrong. In my opinion, for most people, abortion is a way to allow people to practice immoral lifestyles without the consequences of an unwanted baby. Some countries are even killing old people who are living in nursing homes and have developed dementia, in order to make room for other "more valuable" people needing rooms in nursing homes. Such acts are driven mostly by selfishness and the love of money.
If you do not have a firm foundation in your belief system, you will be more likely to be influenced by others to change what you believe. Many people today compromise absolute Christian beliefs by accepting some secular, materialistic, and humanistic views into their belief system. They do not accept the Bible as their source of truth or God as their absolute authority. They often choose to believe whatever justifies their thoughts and actions. To them, murder may be acceptable if they believe that the other person’s life has no value. Also abortion may be seen as morally acceptable if they believe that the baby is not human until it is completely born. Often they either do not know the teachings of the Bible, or they believe that the teachings are no longer relevant to today’s times or they believe that the teachings do not really mean what they say. But careful interpretation reveals that the Bible has been relevant to every generation since written.
People who habitually sin and have no conscience of doing wrong are severing their relationship with God. If one habitually succumbs to temptation and finds sin still dominating his life this indicates that he is probably not really "saved." God gave us two warning systems in our body to tell us when something is wrong and going to harm us. The first warning system is physical pain which lets us know when something is causing physical damage to us. The second is our conscience which lets us know when something is hurting our spirit. Some Christians never experience spiritual growth or victory because they are not willing to count Christ more valuable than the follies of sin. Spiritual growth results from the Christian’s obedience, renunciation of filthiness, Bible study and prayer, and attentive learning from true ministers of the Word. The Christian who neglects his Bible can not grow well spiritually.
I believe that most of the problems we have in our personal lives and in our society are due to our rejection of the lessons taught in the Bible and our rejection of God in our society, resulting in the rejection of the Bible and God as our ultimate authority of what is right and wrong. Our quest for more and more freedom has led to a desire to be free from God. I believe that a nation which trusts God will be protected by God, otherwise they better prepare for destruction. We must get back to worshiping God, practicing God’s laws and studying the teachings in the Bible to restore morality and ethics in our society.
Biblical history taught us that if we as a nation worship God alone and no other idols, He will protect and provide for us. But if we neglect God, He will let us, as a nation, suffer the consequences of our own decisions, the decisions and actions of others, and even the actions of nature.
My Biblical world view helps me understand present day events. Even the conflicts in the Mid-East and Israel, in particular, remind me of end-time prophecies. Since Israel is God’s chosen nation and He has promised to bless those who side with Israel and destroy those who harm Israel, we as a nation better choose to protect Israel. The people of the world today are acting exactly as the Bible has said they would in the last days (rebellious, selfish, lawless, etc.). This understanding helps me cope with present day situations and gives me hope for fulfilled promises for the future. I believe that the present-day fulfilment and convergence of many end-time prophecies indicate that we are living in the end times. Therefore we must be prepared for Jesus’ return at any time in the near future. It could be many years away still or any day now.
How-To-Live Instructions
The Bible is God’s wonderful instruction manual for all people, nations and generations. Multitudes of people, past and present, have found from personal experience that the Bible’s promises are true, its counsel is sound, its commands and restrictions are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need for both time and eternity. Most true Christians can testify to the changes God has made in their life and His answers to their prayers and their wonderful personal relationship with their Lord - Jesus.
Often people are concerned about what they will lose if they become a Christian. But in reality as Christians grow in their spiritual maturity they begin to lose their arrogant pride, greedy attitudes, ease to become angry, selfishness, inappropriate desire for wealth and other wrongful desires, and their tendency to worry so much. By trying to live a life of high morals, ethics and values, they are avoiding unnecessary heartache, disappointment, shame and pain. True Christians will often tell you too that they have gained a more loving relationship with their spouse, parents, children, coworkers, friends, and people in general. They have also gained more contentment with what they have and the ability to more easily forgive others. They have gained joy and comfort in their lives too by putting God first and trusting Jesus as their spiritual friend, leader, provider and protector. They also have gained hope for their future here on earth and for eternity.
The Bible shows us accurate and ageless guidelines on how to live healthy, joyful, successful lives full of love, hope and understanding. Jesus wants us to live our lives abundantly (not in material things, but spiritually). It has been said that the Bible gives us Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It wisely teaches us how to handle many problems we regularly face in our lives such as financial, health, family, social, emotional, and relationship problems. The Bible provides God’s detailed instructions for how we are to deal successfully with the practical affairs of everyday life and teaches skillful living in the multiple aspect of everyday life. It touches upon every facet of human relationships such as our relationships with God, parents, children, neighbors, and government and teaches how to prevent and correct ungodly lifestyles.
The Bible teaches that parents should train their children in the way they should go (to be responsible citizens). Too many children today are neglected by letting them have their way and consequently they show little to no respect for the rules or laws of parents, teachers, employers, law officials, governmental authorities and God. Children must be taught to respect authority and to obey the rules of these authorities (unless they contradict God’s laws) and taught the consequences of their actions. They must be made to suffer the consequences, especially when they are young, so they can learn responsibility for their actions. Unfortunately some consequences are life altering, especially later in life, so they must learn from their mistakes when they are young. Whenever they do break the rules they should be calmly counseled on how to avoid consequences in the future. Children must also be shown love, care, compassion, respect and understanding by parents and others with authority, using Jesus as their example.
I believe the Bible is an accurate account of our earliest history, God’s laws and instructions for us to live by, God’s expectations of us, and His promises for us. The Bible is God’s way of revealing to us what He wants us to know about Himself, His nature and mankind’s origins and past, our purpose in the present, and the hopes or fears for our future. People must realize that the Bible’s prophecies in the past have been very accurately fulfilled and its prophecies of the future must be taken seriously. Heaven and hell are real places and everyone will eventually spend eternity in one place or the other. The Bible is full of warnings about living an immoral life, making poor decisions, and hanging with the wrong crowd. Those who choose to ignore the teachings of the Bible and choose to live the way of this immoral world eventually find themselves in trouble.
I believe that each person has been put on earth for one main purpose and that is "to prepare for eternity." If we want to live a life separate from God, then just reject God and live however you want, but be prepared for eternal separation from God in hell. If you want to enjoy everlasting love, peace, harmony, joy and God’s presence in your life both now and forever, you must learn to love, respect and build proper relationships with God and your neighbors. The more we learn to love and respect God and others before we die, the easier our transition will be from life in this present world to God’s ultimate, eternal, heavenly kingdom community. God knows if we truly love Him and our neighbors; He knows what is in our heart.
I believe that God wants us, as individuals and as a society, to develop a strong relationship with Him through worship, prayer and our actions. God desires for us to develop a close personal relationship with Him through communication with Him. The more you talk to someone the closer your relationship becomes. He is always available to listen to my concerns and my appreciation of Him. I have learned to pray often throughout each day. Before I start listing my desires, I praise God and thank Him for the many blessings He has bestowed upon me and for answering my prayers. Also a sincere plea for forgiveness shows God that I recognize my sins and I need Him as my Savior. Although He already knows my needs, He still wants me to ask for His help. God is a good Father; He wants to help me, but in His own way. God often communicates to us during our prayers if we take time to stop and listen and through reading and meditating on His written word - the Holy Bible.
The Bible states, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." (John 14:21) We show our love for God through our obedience to Him (doing our best to obey His laws and commandments) and by truly repenting (admitting to our wrong doings, asking for forgiveness, and doing our sincere best to quit doing wrong), and truly accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord as well as our personal savior (accepting His sacrificial death on the cross as full payment for our sins and believing in His bodily resurrection from the dead), and keeping in touch with God on a daily basis through prayer. I learned that to become a strong Christian I needed to surround myself with a positive Christian lifestyle as with daily prayer, Bible study (by reading the Bible and/or daily devotionals, by TV and/or radio ministries programs, and/or by study groups), listening to Christian music and broadcasts on the radio, talking about my beliefs with other Christians as well as non-Christians, and reading Christian-based literature.
We know we love God when we want to spend time with Him, communicate with Him, do things for Him, and show our appreciation and respect for Him. Think about your relationship with your spouse, your family, your friends, and your neighbors, we should want to show our love for them in the same way.
We are also supposed to love and respect other people. Many places in the Bible emphasize this. The first four of the ten commandments written by God and listed in the Bible give instructions on how to love and respect God, and the last six commandments tell us how to love and respect our neighbors (Exodus 20:1-17). There is even a "Golden Rule" in the Bible which states that we are to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In other words "treat others like you would want to be treated." I understand that "love and forgiveness" are the secret to a joyful life. Hatred and unforgiveness lead to a bitter, wasted life.
Matthew 25:31-46 states that those who help provide the needs of other people are blessed in God’s eyes. Jesus said "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." So Jesus sees our "doing good deeds for others" as having done the good deeds for Him. Therefore we should willingly and joyfully do things for other people, treating them as we would want to be treated, treating them as if we were doing these things for Jesus Himself.
As Christians we are supposed to help those who can not help themselves, such as those who are truly disabled (physically or mentally), the elderly (especially widows), children (as orphans and the unborn), and the poor. But Proverbs warns those who can work but won’t, that laziness leads to poverty.
It is easy to think "I am a good Christian because I avoid the ‘sins of commission’ as adultery, murder, stealing, lying and coveting," but what about our "sins of omission"? These are the sins we perform by not doing what we should to help others.
Although we are not saved by good works, our good works show evidence of our faith. It has been said that "We are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus from sin and sin’s penalty for God’s kingdom to do good works." Christians are expected to do good works, not to be saved, but because we are saved.
This all tells me that the most important thing we Christians can do in life is to show our love for God. We show others our love for God best by demonstrating our sincere love for our neighbors. Who are our neighbors? Our neighbors are all other people - our family members (spouse, parents, children, relatives), co-workers, people in our community, state, nation and whole world. According to Matthew 25:31-46 we show our love for others by helping to provide for their needs: by providing food and water for those who are hungry and thirsty, by providing shelter for the homeless, by providing clothes for those in need of clothing and by visiting and caring for those who are lonely, sick and /or imprisoned.
I learned that although God does not like what we do a lot of times, He still loves us unconditionally. This is how we are supposed to love others, especially our family (our parents, spouse, and children). We show our love for others by trying to imitate the character of God, using Jesus as our ultimate example. Think - "What would Jesus do?". Treat others as you would want to be treated. You find JOY in life by putting Jesus first, Others next, and Yourself last. We are to serve others and learn to be content with what God has provided for us. I’ve noticed that the most content people are those who appreciate God’s blessings in their lives and enjoy helping others. We are not to worry; instead we are to trust that God will provide for our needs in His time. When we worry, we are not trusting God.
In "The Lord’s Prayer" we ask "...Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven... ." I know God is everywhere and is present in our lives at all times, is all-knowing and all-powerful, and He wants us to live an abundant spiritual life with Him. We can either live our lives acknowledging His presence and desiring His involvement in our lives or we can try to ignore Him and try to live our lives on our own. If God is all- knowing and He designed each of us and He has a purpose and plan for each of us, doesn’t it make sense to ask for His guidance in our decisions and actions every day of our lives?
Since I know that God knows what is best for me, it only makes since that I desire and accept His will to be done in my life. I want my will to become His will for me. I have learned to ask for His guidance in every aspect of my life. I want the Holy Spirit to guide every decision I make whether it is related to my marriage, my family, my work, or anything else. I know that I have free will to make my own decisions and unfortunately I do not always listen to His advise or don’t wait for it before I jump in with my decisions, but I desire His will for my life. I still make mistakes though when I do not heed his advise. I realize that God is full of grace and love and nothing is impossible with God. He can do anything He wills to be done. I know He will provide what I need in life, but not necessarily what I want or what I think I need.
Since we are constantly being indoctrinated by materialistic, secular, and humanistic philosophies by the world around us, we must change our environment to support and strengthen our Christian world view. I believe, as the Bible says, that Christians are to live in this world but not be conformed to it. You can do this as I have done by praying to God often throughout every day, listening to positive and encouraging Christian radio stations (music and talk radio), reading the Bible and other Christian literature regularly, subscribing to magazines which support God’s creation and influence in our world, watching Christian based TV and discussing my faith, beliefs, and understandings with other people (believers and non-believers). As 1 Peter 3:15 says, we should all be prepared to calmly give reasons for why we believe what we believe.
Lastly I believe that the most important thing for each person to do in this life is to be saved or "born again." To do this means admitting that you are a sinner, sincerely repenting (confessing and turning away from your sins), asking God for forgiveness for your sins, and truly accepting, and proclaiming to others, Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. I believe as Jesus said "The only way to the Father (God) is through (belief in) the Son (Jesus)." To just say "I believe" is not enough; you must believe in your heart. I believe that this is the only way to know that you have secured an eternal life with God. Since we normally do not know when we will die, it is very important to discover for yourself who God and Jesus are before it is too late. Just pray for God to show you the truth, if He is true. I encourage you to study God’s world (nature) and God’s word (the Holy Bible) to test your beliefs and discover for yourself what is truth.
We all have "free will" to decide what we want to believe. Noone can force anyone to truly believe anything. We all have to decide whether we want to believe in God and the Bible or not. If you still do not believe or you have doubts about the truth of the Bible, or of God, or of Jesus, or of these many evidences which support the Bible, I challenge you to research for yourself. If you would like to see some of the information that has brought me to believe what I now believe, contact me for free handouts or visit my blog site - http://biblicalreliability.blogspot.com. Also visit such web sites as
http://www.answersingenesis.org/ (look under "Get Answers"),
http://www.lwf.org,/ http://www.family.org/,
http://www.gnmagazine.org/ http://www.allaboutgod.com/,
http://www.bibleuniverse.com/,
http://www.creationism.org/,
http://www.evolution-facts.org,/,
http://www.equip.org/ (select: "Need Answers"),
http://www.christiananswers.net,/ http://www.bible.ca/,
http://www.icr.org,/ http://www.christiananswers.net/,
http://www.gnmagazine.org/ http://www.creationresearch.org/,
http://www.creationevidence.org/ and
http://www.apologeticspress.org./
MY WORLD VIEW,
BELIEFS & UNDERSTANDINGS
By Brooks A. Harris, O.D.
Study Guide & Questions
The article "My World View, Beliefs & Understandings" is Dr. Harris’s point of view on how Christian principles shape his thoughts and actions. As individuals read through this article, they can see how their beliefs compare to his. This study guide and questions supplement is designed to aid groups in discussions of topics presented. Use any or all of the questions listed to encourage thinking and discussions in your small group. The headings and questions will follow the format of the article.
What Is A World View
How would you describe your "World View"?
How does your would view differ from your parents’, children’s, and friends’?
Are your morals, ethics, and values pretty well fixed or are they relative?
What influences your way of thinking?
How does your world view affect your way of living?
Do you feel there is a certain purpose for your life?
What are materialistic, secular, and humanistic world views?
Is there such a thing as an ultimate authority?
Do you have an ultimate authority in your life?
Is there an ultimate standard for people to follow?
Are there absolute truths or is truth relative?
Who should decide what is right and what is wrong?
Should Christians tolerate views which are contrary to Biblical teaching?
Why have we seen a drastic rise in divorces, broken families, and unwed mothers? Why have we seen a drastic rise in sexual diseases, unwanted pregnancies, abortions?
Did humans evolve from other animals or were they created fully human?
Are humans of greater, lesser or equal value to other animals?
How do you define success in life?
How does the world around you influence the way you live?
What will it take for you to live a happy, joy filled life?
Biblical Reliability
Is your "World View" based on a reliable foundation?
What is "Blind Faith"?
Is your belief in God, Jesus and the Bible based on a faith which is blind?
Do you have evidence to support your "Belief System"?
Can you defend your faith from unbelievers by giving them reasons to believe?
Do you believe the Bible is reliable and can be trusted? All or just parts of it?
How would you demonstrate the trustworthiness of the Bible?
Is preaching the gospel of Jesus alone still an effective way to reach non-believers?
Do you believe that all original scripture in the Bible was inspired by God ?
Do you believe that there were errors in the original versions of the Bible books?
How do modern scientific evidences or historical records effect support of the Bible?
Since the Bible does not explain things in modern scientific terminology, is the Bible out of touch with modern times?
Should Christians change the Bible to fit today’s culture, or should we change our culture to fit with Biblical teachings?
What things in nature, if any, testify to the creative genius of God?
How have archaeological findings affected the validity of the Bible?
Other than the Bible, what ancient writing has recorded prophecy and its much later fulfilment?
Are the prophecies and their fulfilment true and reliable in the Bible?
Are the stories in Genesis true, literal history or are some of them just figurative or symbolic stories?
How close are the scriptures of today to the original text?
What efforts were made to assure duplication accuracy of scripture?
How does the Christian faith compare to all other religions in its history?
What kinds of things find their beginning in Genesis?
What I Now Believe
What does it mean for God to be our one absolute authority?
Are the rules, laws, and values absolutely true in the Bible?
Do you believe that God is actively involved in your life?
Do we, as God’s children, have a responsibility to follow His rules?
Who should decide what is right and what is wrong in our society - man or God?
How do you explain the reason for natural disasters, diseases, pain, suffering and death?
How do you explain "free will"?
What does "sin" mean to you?
Are all people sinners in your point-of-view? Why or why not?
Can we earn our way into God’s heavenly kingdom through good righteous behavior and works?
Do you believe in Jesus’ virgin birth, His sinless life, and His miracles?
Do you believe in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for our sins?
Do you believe in Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven?
Do you think about God throughout the day or only at specific times?
When do you communicate with God?
Does your view of nature involve God?
What evidences in nature support the stories in Genesis chapters 1-11? Is there any?
How do the happenings in Genesis chapters 1-11 affect our lives today?
Was Jesus fully human or was He fully God or was He both?
How can Jesus understand your feelings and problems?
Just because we believe something, does this make it true? Why or why not?
Will we have to accept the consequences for what we believe (not just our actions)?
Are heaven and hell real places?
What do you think God’s heavenly kingdom will be like? Physically? Spiritually?
Will we have a resurrected body like Jesus had at His resurrection?
What do you believe happens to a Christian as soon as they die and shortly after?
Most of us fear dying, but do you fear death? What is the difference?
Do you have faith in the unknown? How or why?
Does hope in heaven to come help you cope with the troubles in your life?
Present Day Events
Does the "Great Commandment," of spreading the gospel to all nations, apply to Christians today?
What does it mean to love others unconditionally?
What does it mean to have a loving relationship with Jesus Christ?
What is the difference in confessing of our sins and repenting of our sins?
How do we know if a behavior is sinful behavior or not?
What is deviant behavior? How does it affect our society?
Are values and ethics affected by toleration of deviant behavior?
What in our society is promoting acceptance of deviant behaviors?
Which scriptures are people choosing to not believe or to ignore in order to justify their lifestyle choices?
Should Christians remind each other of the Bible’s teachings and encourage each other to follow these teachings? Why?
Should Christians try to correct our society when they are living in contrast to Biblical teachings? Why? How?
What does "we are all equal in God’s eyes" mean? What about race, gender, age, or nationality?
How have we compromised our values, ethics or belief system to live in this world?
What does the Bible say about marriage being between one man and one woman verse same sex marriage?
What is the importance of "sex" according to the Bible?
What does the Bible say about sex outside of marriage?
Does the Bible forbid sexual relations between two people of the same sex?
What does the Bible say about same sex sexual relationships?
Should we believe man’s opinion or God’s word about same sex sexual relationships?
Should Christians try to show people the error in their ways?
Should Christians try to encourage people to stop practicing homosexuality?
In what ways is it alright to lie, cheat, or steal?
Why do you think some people in authority roles lie, cheat, or steal?
How does Exodus 21:22-25 pertain to today’s abortions?
Should Christians today still try to protect the weak and helpless? How?
At what point after conception does the Bible indicate a being becomes a living being?
In what situations should abortion be legal?
Why are people opposed to abortion?
How do you determine the value of someone’s life? (Age, race, size, level of healthiness, level of dependancy, level of development, level of authority, rich vs. poor, etc.)
How do you determine who is more valuable?
Who should be authorized to determine the value of someone’s life? Why?
Should people be expected to be more responsible for their decisions?
What does it mean to have a firm foundation in your belief system?
How do you develop a firm foundation in a belief system?
What things do you believe are influencing people to change what they believe?
What are absolute Christian beliefs?
How are people compromising absolute Christian beliefs?
Why are people compromising absolute Christian beliefs?
Once you become "saved," is it important to continue to grow spiritually?
What might be the consequences for someone if they do not continue to grow spiritually?
What hinders spiritual growth?
How does one continue to grow spiritually?
How important are the lessons taught in the Bible, to our personal lives?
How important are the lessons taught in the Bible, to our society?
What does Old Testament Biblical history teach us about neglecting God?
Should present day events be associated with end-time prophecies?
How-To-Live Instructions
What group of people was the complete Holy Bible intended to influence?
Can you testify to the changes God has made in your life and His answers to your prayers?
Have you ever kept a "Prayer Journal" (recording your prayers and later answers to them)?
Has becoming a Christian caused you to lose anything valuable to you?
What have you gained since becoming a Christian?
Do you use the Bible as a guide on how to live a healthy, joyful, successful life?
What did Jesus mean by His wanting us to live "more abundantly"?
What kind of problems, which we regularly face in our lives, does the Bible teach us how to handle?
Why must children be taught to respect authority?
Why must children be made to suffer the consequences of their actions?
How can parents, and others in authority, show love and respect for children?
What all has God revealed to us, through the Bible, that we would never have been able to discover on our own? (Not only the book of Revelation)
Should the Bible’s prophecies of the future be taken seriously? Why or why not?
What problems can be caused by choosing to ignore the teachings of the Bible?
For what purpose do you believe people have been put on this earth?
How important is it to learn to love and respect others?
How do we develop a close personal relationship with God?
How do we develop a close personal relationship with other people?
If God already knows your needs, why should you pray?
How do we show our love for God?
What does it mean to accept Jesus as your Lord and not just your Savior?
How important is it that a Christian believe in the resurrection of Jesus?
How important is it to surround yourself with a positive Christian lifestyle to grow in your faith?
What have you done which helped you grow in your Christian faith?
How does loving God compare to how we show love for others?
How does our obeying the Ten Commandments show our love for God and others?
How are "love and forgiveness" the secret to a joyful life?
If we treated others as if they were Jesus Himself, how would this change our behavior?
Who are Christians especially supposed to help?
What does the Bible say about laziness?
What are "sins of commission"? Give examples.
What are our "sins of omission"? Give examples.
What do "good works" have to do with our salvation?
If it was illegal to be a Christian and you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
What does loving our neighbor have to do with loving God?
Who are our neighbors?
In what ways can we show our love for others?
What does it mean to love someone unconditionally?
Do you love your children unconditionally? Your parents? Your spouse? Others?
How can you find joy in your life?
What hinders us from being content?
What does worrying tell God?
In which situations should we ask for God’s help?
How often do you rely on your own decisions without asking God for guidance?
What does it mean "to live in this world but not be conformed to it?"
How can you live in this world but not be conformed to it?"
Are you prepared to give reasons for why you believe what you believe?
What does it mean to be "born again?"
What is the "Plan of Salvation?"
Should Christians be prepared to lead others through the "Plan of Salvation?"
Are you prepared to lead someone through the "Plan of Salvation?"
Is it enough to just say "I believe" in God and/or Jesus?
Conclusion
We all have "free will" to decide what we want to believe. Noone can force anyone to truly believe anything. We all have to decide whether we want to believe in God and the Bible or not. If you still do not believe or you have doubts about the truth of the Bible, or of God, or of Jesus, or of the many evidences which support the Bible, you are challenged to research for yourself. If you would like to see some of the information that has brought Dr. Harris to believe what he now believes, contact him for free handouts or visit his blog site -
http://biblicalreliability.blogspot.com.
Especially see:
"Evidence For Biblical Reliability" - Many evidences from science, history, archaeology, etc. with web sites and several specific web articles
"Creative Views Of Science - Origins Lecture" - Several scientific evidences for the origins: of Life, of the Species, of Man, of the Universe, etc.
"Man’s Early History" - Scientifically explains Creation, Pre-Flood Life, the Ark and Flood, Babel, Cavemen, Dinosaurs, Early Civilizations, etc.
"My Walk With God - From Doubt To Understanding" - My Testimony
"My World View" - What I Believe and Understand about the Christian Life
"Fulfilling The Greatest Commandment" - How God intends us to live
"How To Love Your Lord" - Quick Lesson on Relationships
Also visit such web sites as
www.AnswersInGenesis.org (look under "Get Answers"),
www.lwf.org, www.family.org,
www.gnmagazine.org,
www.allaboutgod.com,
www.bibleuniverse.com,
www.creationism.org,
www.evolution-facts.org, www.equip.org (select: "Need Answers"),
www.Christiananswers.net, www.bible.ca,
www.icr.org, www.christiananswers.net,
www.creationmoments.com, www.creationresearch.org,
www.creationevidence.org and
www.apologeticspress.org.
