The Story in Four Words

Every person has a worldview. There are dozens of worldviews out there, both secular and religious. Each one tries to answer 4 basic questions: How did we get here? What went wrong? How do we fix it? How do we live now? Thankfully, the Bible is very clear in answering these four questions. 1 Peter 1:3-12 was written to encourage the people then, and us now, that “he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” Thankfully, our hope is not in a principle, but in a person who lives eternally. Faith in Jesus means we also live eternally. CREATION – How did we get here? Gen 1:1, 27; John 1:1-3; Psalm 139:13-14; Hebrews 3:4 -Everything that exists came into being at his command and is therefore subject to Him, finding its purpose and meaning in Him. -God created the natural world and natural laws -God created our bodies and the moral laws that keep us healthy. -God created our minds and the laws of logic and imagination. -God created us as social beings and gave us the principles for social and political institutions. -God created a world of beauty and the principles of aesthetics and artistic creation. FALL – What went wrong? Genesis 2:17; Psalm 51:5; Rom 5:12;18-21; 1 Cor 15:22 Why is there war, suffering, disease, and death? God created the universe and created us in His image to be holy and to live by His commands. He also gave us the unique dignity of having a free will, which allows us to make choices and choose between good and evil. God forbade Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Through their rebellion, humankind became corrupted, and introduced Original Sin to humankind until this day. We are not sinners because we sin; rather, we sin because we are sinners. This affects everything in the world. Sin disrupts our relationship with God and alienates us from each other. REDEMPTION – How do we fix this? Eph 1:7; Gal 1:4; 2:20; Hebrews 9:15; Acts 3:19; John 10:10 There is a reason why John 3:16 is one of the most well-known and well-loved verses of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God always had a plan and Jesus willfully gave His life as a ransom for those t hat trust His plan and surrender their life to Him. RESTORATION- How do we live now? Matt 22:37-40; Acts 3:19-21; 1 Peter 5:10; Rev 21:1-5 As Jesus followers, we are called to live differently. We are to love God and love people. We are to be more and more conformed into the image of Jesus. This is what transformation looks like. As we take holiness to the world, God uses us to bring His light and hope to a dark world. Ultimately, we are joined with Him and He makes all things new. If the Scriptures tell the true Story, then our current cultural moment is part of its story, and we must put it in its context. When you put these words in your mind, complex issues become much more clear. You can see the lens that someone is looking through. You can see how their worldview aligns with Scripture, or how it is damaging to God’s plan. It gives you a grid to know how to live. What is your worldview? Read the Word and let it transform you!