Christian Apologetics Defending the Faith Session 6 Biblical vs Secular Worldview What is the Gospel? What is the Value of a Biblical Worldview? REVIEW What is the Bible? The Bible is a HISTORY BOOK Reveals actual, historic accounts of major events that are foundational to it s life saving message 1
REVIEW What are the two predominant worldviews? Biblical Worldview and Secular Worldview The Biblical Worldview is based on what? God s Word and the Bible s account of history The Secular Worldview is based on what? Man s ideas from outside the Bible to explain the events of the past REVIEW What are the Seven C s of History (chronologically)? Creation Corruption Catastrophe Confusion Christ Cross Consummation God created the universe Adam disobeyed, sin enters Global flood of judgment Disobedient man scattered Creator born to reconcile Jesus s death redeems man Jesus returns, new heaven/earth 2
The Seven C s of History (Biblical Worldview) vs The Secular Worldview So we took a hard look at and know now what the Biblical Worldview is, how one who holds this worldview understands the history of the world What s the Secular Worldview s answer? Let s take a look in a side-by-side comparison Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Creation In the beginning, 6000 years ago, in six 24-hr days, God made a perfect Creation (Gen 1) Animals and man formed fully as they exist today (kinds) Universe created by a big bang 14,000,000,000 yrs ago, no Creator Earth congealed 4.5 5 billion yrs ago Animals and man have evolved into their current state 3
Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Creation Man (Adam) formed on Day 6 of Creation Man evolved from apelike creatures (which had evolved from single cell organisms to apes) somewhere in Africa, then evolved into different races in different areas of the world Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Corruption First man, Adam, disobeyed the Creator, sin entered the world Adam s sin brought death and destruction to God s very good creation (Gen 3:6-7) Sin and guilt don t exist; they re only psychological conditions that man must overcome World has always had disease, struggle, death 4
Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Corruption Man born into Adam s sin; there is nothing good in man Man is born a blank slate and learns bad behavior (not sin) from his environment Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Corruption Violent anger = sin (murder) Adultery = sin Violent anger = intermittent explosive disorder Adultery = a fling, an affair, or a sexual response that is evolutionary holdover from our ape days 5
Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Catastrophe Adam s race became so wicked God judged the world w/a global flood (Gen 6-8) Only 8 men on Noah s ark saved Reject flood as myth or legend IF there was a flood, it was localized in the Mesopotamian area and elevated to mythical proportions; no one outside this area affected Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Confusion Noah s descendants disobeyed God s command to fill the earth God confused their language, forced them to spread over the earth (Gen 11:7-8) Different races of people evolved gradually over millions of years Different languages emerged among the races many years later 6
Biblical vs Secular Worldview Christ The Creator became a man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who obeyed God in everything (Math 1) He came to fulfill the Gen 3:15 prophecy If Jesus Christ lived, he was a good man, or a prophet, or a teacher Definitely not the Son of God or the Creator (as Col 1:16 states) Biblical vs Secular Worldview - Cross Jesus Christ, God s promised Messiah, died on a cross to pay for man s sin (1 Cor 15:3-4) He rose from the dead, defeating death and providing eternal life for all who believe in him (1 Cor 15:3-4) Jesus (if he existed) may have died on a cross like other s in Rome, but it has no significance for any kind of salvation Dead is dead 7
Biblical vs Secular Worldview Consummation Jesus the Creator will one day come again and remake his Creation (Rev 21) Cast out death and the disobedient Jesus will dwell eternally w/those who trust in Him in new heaven and new earth No afterlife (no need since no soul); man will eventually evolve into something else Universe will gradually grow cold and die, or Universe will contract in a big crunch (possibly causing another big bang and a do over ) The Seven C s of History So What? Why does one s worldview matter? What difference does it make if I believe and defend God s (the Creator) history book or look at the world through the science of evolution? 8
The Seven C s of History So What? The Biblical Worldview and the Secular Worldview are diametrically opposed to each other and the Secular Worldview never gets to the Gospel Our culture PUSHES the Secular Worldview on us, our children, and those who have not yet received the Good News (Gospel) The Seven C s of History So What? Secular Worldview has infiltrated our churches; theologians, clergy, lay leaders and scholars have tried to combine millions and millions of years with the Bible s historical account of history If Christian leadership isn t clinging to the Biblical Worldview of history, Christian credibility is damaged (if Genesis not true, why is the Gospel?) With a damaged credibility, how do we share the Good News of Jesus Christ, who was born, lived, and died to redeem us? 9
The Seven C s of History So What? God s Word, and a Biblical Worldview, represent TRUTH (and the world doesn t WANT truth!) It is the believer s responsibility to defend it, share it, and stand firmly on it *Trusting God s history book, His Word, from the very beginning is essential to the integrity of the Gospel The Seven C s of History So What? Let s face it The Biblical Worldview (trusting God s Word) leads to life The Secular Worldview (trusting man s word) leads to death and destruction 10
Defending the Faith What is the Gospel? Gospel Question to ponder as we begin -- Which, do you think, should come first; good news or bad news? Last week we saw how the Seven C s of history gave us a framework for understanding the Bible and it s true history of the universe Seven C s can also be useful as a framework for understanding and presenting the Gospel 11
Gospel Before we go on, let s settle on a definition I feel like Pastor Ben in Confirmation class What is the GOSPEL?? CENTRAL MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE!! Let s go to Scripture Gospel 1 Cor 15: 1-5 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 12
Gospel What are the 3 elements Paul preached in this simple explanation of the Gospel? Christ died for our sins Christ was buried Christ was raised on the third day Gospel Simple as can be, right? So when we meet people who do not know Jesus, all we have to do is walk up and tell them Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day to pay your debt Right? 13
Gospel But what if they don t know they re sinners? What if the don t think they re sinners? What if that makes them angry? What if they think the good things they do far outweigh the bad? Gospel How can/will they accept the Good News (Gospel = euangelion (Gk)) if they don t know the bad news? How can they accept the cure if they don t know they re sick? 14
Gospel A man (or woman) needs to know the peril he is in before he can understand or appreciate being saved from the danger (and that s the tough part) Back to the original question: Which, do you think, should come first; good news or bad news? Gospel While there are many ways to approach evangelism (oh no, he said the word!), the Seven C s of history can be a framework to help explain the relationship between the bad news and the Good News So let s walk through the Seven C s of history and relate them to the bad news/good News of the Gospel 15
Gospel - Creation Gen 1:31 2:4 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning the sixth day. 2 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Gospel - Creation When God finished creating, everything created was very good No death, no disease, no pain, no suffering One rule (given by the Creator): do not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17) 16
Gospel- Corruption Gen 3: 6-7 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Gospel - Corruption When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, it was rebellion against God s authority Their act of rebellion brought sin into the world and corrupted God s very good creation Tried to cover their sin with fig leaves 17
Gospel- (More) Corruption Gen 3: 21-23 21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. Gospel - Corruption God, in his grace, provided animal skins First record of death in history (the poor animal that gave up it s skin for Adam and Eve) Foreshadows what? Death of the perfect lamb to not just cover up but to take away our sins 18
Gospel- (More) Corruption Rom 5:12 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned The corruption Adam brought into the world was passed to ALL his descendants This is the beginning of the BAD NEWS Gospel- Catastrophe Gen 6: 5-7 5 The LORD saw how great the man s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth 7 So the LORD said, I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth Gen 7:11 11 on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 19
Gospel- Catastrophe Sin continued to increase on earth God was grieved, and judged sinful man with a global flood that destroyed every air-breathing, landdwelling creature (except for 8 men/women) Because God is holy, He must judge sin man is a sinner This is even more BAD NEWS Gospel- Confusion In Gen 11: 9b we saw that the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. Once again, Noah s descendants (Adam s as well) deliberately disobeyed God s command to fill the earth 20
Gospel- Confusion Once again, man proved that he is sinful to the core Once again, God, in His holy justice, judged sin, confusing language and scattering man Gospel- Confusion All people, regardless of skin color, nationality or language trace back to Adam through Noah ALL of mankind, to a person, is in need of salvation from their sin (inherited from their ancestor Adam) And the BAD NEWS keeps getting worse 21
Gospel The first four of the Seven C s of history clearly spell out the bad news All have sinned and are in need of salvation Now that God s history book has spelled out the bad news, the way is paved to proclaim the Good News! (the Gospel ) Gospel - Christ John 1: 14 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Note the word became. This indicates a transition of some kind, from one thing to another The Word clearly existed before He became man 22
Gospel - Christ Christ (Jesus) came into the world as God in the flesh He lived a perfect life He never sinned He fulfilled the promise first made in Gen 3:15 This is the beginning of the GOOD NEWS Gospel - Cross 2 Cor 5: 21 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. On the cross of Calvary, God poured out his righteous wrath against all our sins onto the only sinless man who ever lived 23
Gospel - Cross Without the cross there would be no eternal life, only judgment and death Jesus demonstrated His victory over the death Adam had brought into the world by rising bodily from the grave Appeared to more than 500 witnesses Now sits at God s right hand as our advocate This is amazingly GOOD NEWS Gospel - Consummation Rev 21: 1 8 tells us that Jesus will return to judge the world in righteousness and there will be a new heaven and new earth Here, all who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus s salvation work on the cross will live with him forever This is the Good News that offers freedom to every sinful man! 24
Gospel So What? So how do the Seven C s of history help us share the Gospel? C s #1 thru 4 explain clearly, thru historical events, that man is doomed C s #5 thru 7 explain clearly, thru historical events, that God had a plan and sent a Savior Gospel So What? For those who do not know Jesus, understanding the bad news of how and when sin entered history and corrupted God s perfect creation clearly helps make sense of the need for the Good News of salvation through Jesus (They ll never hear that from a Secular Worldview!) 25
Gospel Christians must stand firmly on the true history of the world that is spelled out in the Bible (God s history book) Be able to defend the Biblical Worldview Christians must be able to articulate why that history matters (the bad news) and use it as a springboard to declare the Good News that is the Gospel Defending the Faith The Value of a Biblical Worldview 26
Value of a Biblical Worldview What Have We Learned? For six weeks now we ve explored many ideas concerning the truthfulness and usefulness of God s Word How to study the Bible How we got the Bible The nature of God The framework for understanding history Value of a Biblical Worldview What Have We Learned? God s nature is truth, and we find truth in God s history book (the Bible) Christians need to make sure we re looking at the world through Biblical glasses Whether trying to understand the origin of the world, why bad things happen, or the nature of man, we must start and end with the Bible 27
Value of a Biblical Worldview What Have We Learned? The world, with it s prevailing Secular Worldview, doesn t want to hear the truth But just maybe if they hear the bad news they ll be more receptive to the Good News We who have a Biblical Worldview have something the world desperately needs the end of the story! The Good News of Jesus Christ! Value of a Biblical Worldview How do we strengthen and deepen our Biblical Worldview? By being conformed day-by-day into the image of Christ Let s take a look at how scripture tells us to do that Please open your Bibles to Col 2: 1-10 (and stay there) 28
Value of a Biblical Worldview Col 2: 1-3 2 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Value of a Biblical Worldview Why did Paul write this letter to the Colossians? So they may be encouraged in heart and united in love Where, according to Paul, can we find the fullness of who God is and the richness of His mysteries? In Christ (vs 3) 29
Value of a Biblical Worldview Col 2: 4-5 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. Value of a Biblical Worldview Why was Paul telling them to look for wisdom and knowledge in Christ? So no one may deceive them by fine-sounding arguments (like science" and evolution and billions of years? ) 30
Value of a Biblical Worldview Col 2: 6-7 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Rooted in Christ (salvation) Built up in Christ (sanctification) Value of a Biblical Worldview Col 2: 8 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. This is a strict warning: don t be cheated/fooled by philosophies based on human ideas/traditions 31
Value of a Biblical Worldview What, exactly, is the Secular Worldview? What, exactly, is billions of years and evolution? Philosophies based on human ideas/traditions!! These ideas are not founded in Christ Value of a Biblical Worldview Col 2: 9 10 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. Fullness = completeness We have been completed in Christ 32
Value of a Biblical Worldview So how does Scripture say we strengthen and deepen our Biblical Worldview? We look for wisdom and knowledge in Christ alone, knowing we have been completed in Him We stay rooted and built up in Him We allow ourselves to be conformed day-by-day into the His image So What is the Value of a Biblical Worldview? Paul sums it up better than I ever could 1 Tim 6:20-21 20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. 33
So What is the Value of a Biblical Worldview? Believers are to guard the truths of Christ Stay away from the godless chatter that falsely passes as knowledge Do not be deceived and stray from the faith Take Aways from This Study God s Word is the foundation of our lives and the standard we use to judge every thought God s Word (all of it) must be the absolute authority The Triune God reveals His character in the Bible The Bible records actual history God provides salvation from sin through Jesus Christ 34
Ponderings as We Depart This Study I know I m supposed to use Scripture to inform my worldview do I really do so? Am I making the effort to study God s Word so I can apply the knowledge gained there? Am I seeking wisdom only in Christ, or am I looking to human ideas and philosophies? Ponderings as We Depart This Study Are there areas where I know my thoughts do not line up with what Scripture teaches? Am I praying that God will form me into the image of Christ? 35
The Seven C s of History QUESTIONS? Coming Soon... Next Week A New Study: RESTORED IN CHRIST w/pastor Hank 36
Christian Apologetics Defending the Faith Session 6 Biblical vs Secular Worldview What is the Gospel? The Value of a Biblical Worldview In case there s time 37
Worldview Quiz True or False? Absolute truth exists True: The idea that there is no such thing as absolute truth must be absolutely true or it is false, so the argument is self-refuting, The Bible is the source of absolute truth Worldview Quiz True or False? There is only one way to heaven True: True: In John 14:6 Jesus Himself says I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me 38
Worldview Quiz True or False? The Bible is a book of true history True: Since the Bible is the only eyewitness to the whole of history, it contains the only accurate history of the universe. The Bible references its historical nature many times and has been confirmed by many archaeological findings Worldview Quiz True or False? Abortion is acceptable in many circumstances False: Since the Bible makes it clear that life begins at fertilization, any abortion is an act of murder a clear sin (not, however, a sin that is unforgivable to a repentant heart). Psalm 51: 5-6 and Luke 1:41 are two of many passages that confirm this 39
Worldview Quiz True or False? Humans evolved from an ancient ape-like creature False: Genesis is abundantly clear that God formed Adam from the dust and Eve from his side. There is no room in the text to allow for an evolutionary process Worldview Quiz True or False? The God of the O.T. is harsh, while the God of the N.T is loving False: God s character never changes (Mal 3:6, James 1:17). God has always been merciful and just 40
Worldview Quiz True or False? People in the O.T. times wre saved from their sins by sacrificing animals and doing good works False: the sacrificial system was never established to provide forgiveness of sins, but to cover over the sins (Heb 10) until the perfect Lamb would come to be the final offering to take away the sins of the world Worldview Quiz True or False? The Bible prohibits a darkskinned person from marrying a light-skinned person False: there is no Biblical prohibition of marriage between different people groups! All are descendants of Adam thru Noah 41
Worldview Quiz True or False? All death and suffering in the world is a result of Adam s sin True: God s original creation was very good and there was no death of any kind. All death was ushered in as a result of Adam s sin Worldview Quiz True or False? Science can prove the Bible is true False: If outside evidence could prove the Bible were true, that evidence would be a greater standard than the Bible itself. That cannot be, since the Bible is the Word of God and the ultimate standard 42
Worldview Quiz True or False? Noah took dinosaurs on the ark True: Since dinosaurs were land-dwelling, airbreathing animals, and Noah took a representative of each kind of animal on the ark, dinosaurs were on it Worldview Quiz True or False? The Bible has guidance for every situation that an individual might face True: all wisdom comes from God and the Bible contains the Word of God 43