Christian Worldview Concepts

Basic Beliefs of the Christian Worldview - God Is and God Spoke

Christian Basic Beliefs: God Spoke - The Epistemological Necessity

The first basic belief of the Christian worldview addresses the question of reality — what exists? In chapter two we answered this question — God Is. God is the Source of everything that exists. This is a metaphysical statement — a statement about ultimate reality, that is, what is ultimately real.

How do we know that God exists and that He is the Source of everything else that exists? The answer to that question is that the God who is there has also spoken. This is an epistemological³ truth claim, that is, a statement about knowledge. God has revealed himself, which answers the problem of knowledge (epistemology). God is the Source of all knowledge. How has God revealed Himself? In the Christian worldview, the answer is that God has revealed Himself in three distinct ways: Creation, Christ and Scripture

Creation
The existence of the physical world requires an explanation for its presence. How did it get here? We answered that question by exploring three options: the existence of the universe cannot be explained, it can be explained as a purely impersonal, natural phenomenon or it must be explained as of a supernatural origin, brought into existence by an uncreated personal Being. We conclude that the universe had a personal, supernatural beginning brought about by an eternal, self-existing and personal God.

The physical world is a revelation of the existence and nature of God (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:18ff). God has spoken through creation. Although the knowledge about God gained from creation tends to be general, it is nevertheless a justified understanding of reality. Believing that God is the Source of all that exists is more than a leap of faith. It is a reasonable and logical inference to the best explanation for the evidence of purpose and design in the universe.

Christ
Jesus Christ is the revelation of God in human flesh (John 1:14). If anyone desires to know what God is like, all he or she needs to do is look to the Lord Jesus Christ. His incarnation answers that question in the following ways:

1. Reveals the nature of God (Col. 1:15)
2. Reveals the glory of God (John 1:14b)
3. Reveals the love of God (1 John 3:16)
4. Reveals the power of God (Col. 1:16)
5. Reveals the wrath of God (Matt. 25:31-46)
6. Reveals the wisdom of God (Matt. 21:25)
7. Reveals the compassion of God (Matt. 9:36)
8. Reveals the holiness of God (Hebrews 4:15)

It is significant that the Apostle John refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Logos or Word of God. Jesus is not only the revelation of the nature of God, he is the revelation of the truth of God, even God Himself (John 14:6). The Incarnation (literally God in human flesh) is an essential part of God's self-revelation. Until the Incarnation, virtually every image of God was a form of idolatry. It is through the Incarnation that God becomes personal, tangible and approachable (1 John 1:1-3).

Scripture
In addition to God's self-revelation through Creation and the Incarnation, God has also revealed Himself through the Bible. Despite attempts to eradicate the Bible from society or to trivialize its authority with claims about internal contradictions, myths, etc., the Bible remains the authoritative source of faith and practice for Christians. There are several reasons why we can rely on the Bible as God's self-revelation. Foremost among these reasons is the forthright claims the Bible makes about its origin. The Bible claims to be inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16, 17), which literally means "God-breathed." Essentially, the words of Scripture come from God himself, communicated through the Bible's human authors (2 Peter 1:20, 21). Just as God "breathed" or spoke the universe into existence, God spoke the words of Scripture.

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³ Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of knowledge and how we know what we know.