Developing a Biblical Worldview 1

Developing a Biblical Worldview 1 OBJECTIVES: NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview 1. Christian worldview is a biblical ‘toolbox’ for interpreting the world. At salvation, the believer is given two things: i. Biblical Mandate: He or she is brought into an eternal relationship with God (knowing God through Christ), and ii. Cultural Mandate: The believer is given a ‘lens’ for interpreting the world truthfully according to the Word of God. (1 Cor 2:12-16). Sometimes evangelicals are better at sharing the Gospel than at interpreting the world. Lesson One Read 1 Corinthians 2:12-16. If you have a MacArthur Study Bible, please read the notes on this passage. 1a. Describe from v. 14 the natural man’s lack of capacity to understand the things of God. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 1b. How is the believer’s comprehension of divine truth described in the following verses: vv. 12, 13, 15, 16? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 1c. The spiritual man has the ‘mind of Christ’—he is able, by the illumination of God’s Spirit, to think God’s thoughts after Him. Why is that ability necessary if we are to interpret the world ‘truthfully’? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ In this lesson the student will be introduced to the following concepts: I. What is a Christian worldview? The student will learn a thorough definition of Christian worldview. II. Why is it so important to build a Christian worldview? This lesson addresses why Christian worldview is a vision of life, and it is a vision for life. Imagine trying to take in the grandeur of the night sky by looking through a keyhole. That is what it is like to attempt to interpret the creation apart from God’s revelation in Scripture. I. What is a Christian worldview?

2 Developing a Biblical Worldview NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ 2. Christian worldview answers every ultimate question: • Where did we come from? • Why are we here? • What is a human? • Is God knowable? • Why is there evil, death & suffering? • What happens after death? • What is man’s destiny? These are ultimate questions because they cannot be answered with certainty by unaided human investigation (by science or philosophy). The world is adrift on a shore-less sea of relativism. Therefore, people have no certainty regarding their origin, purpose, and destiny. As a result, they live in an atmosphere of fear, doubt, uncertainty, anxiety, moral relativism, spiritual darkness, escapism, and foolish speculation. They cannot answer even one ultimate question with absolute certainty. Our task in defending the Christian faith (apologetics) is to raise and answer ultimate questions. When Christ came to earth, He answered every ultimate question! He is the believer’s certainty about all things, from origins, to purpose, to destiny. Only the Holy Scriptures authoritatively answer every ultimate question. The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview Lesson One 2. ‘Light’ is a metaphor for God’s truth; darkness stands for error, rebellion, and ignorance. Christ is ‘God’s light to the world’ to lead people out of the satanic realm of darkness. Since unbelievers have rejected Christ who is ‘God’s light’, how do they attempt to answer ultimate questions—give some examples of their ‘darkened thinking’: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Many folks go through life without ever asking ultimate questions or being challenged as to why they believe what they believe. By contrast, the Christian has the bedrock assurance that the answer to every ultimate question is found in God’s Word. Read John 1:4, 5; 8:12; 12:46. Relativism: the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute, but changeable. When Christ came to earth, He answered every ultimate question!

Developing a Biblical Worldview 3 NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ 3. Christian worldview is biblical discernment, enabling us to bring every fact under Christ’s Lordship. (Col 1:18; 2:1-15; 3:23-24; 1 Cor 10:31; 2 Cor 10:3-5). The Fall into sin in the Garden of Eden did not destroy our original calling to rule over the works of God’s hands, it just made that task much more difficult (Ps 8). Mankind’s responsibility includes the responsibility of raising up God- fearing communities through the infallible Word of God. Christianity has the intellectual resources to stand up to the academy (i.e. secular education). The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview Lesson One 4. Would you exhibit more boldness in evangelism if you were confident that there are biblical answers to every important life question and why? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 4. Biblical worldview is about total reality, not just about religious truth. Christian worldview lays out God’s design for every aspect of life—whether for economics, history, politics, law, ethics, family, or church. God’s ‘blueprint’ for us is governed by His character and truth. We are to follow this all-wise divine design in order to discern what is good and right and holy. Commitment to Christian worldview is ideal training for effective evangelism because it produces a pervasive confidence that there are biblical answers to every important life question. Biblical worldview is dynamic in all its purity and power, it has the power to bring world today. unified truth to all of life and to transform the 3. Why does the command to glorify God in all of our activities include eating and drinking? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Read 1 Corinthians 10:31 Unified Truth: God’s truth is a coherent whole as opposed to being made up of competing or unrelated concepts. Christian worldview lays out God’s design for every aspect of life. Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

4 Developing a Biblical Worldview 1. Only by the total truth set forth in the Biblical worldview can we unify our fragmented lives and recover spiritual power. Christianity is not just religious truth, but truth about total reality. It is total truth.1 We are seeing more and more ministries characterized by theological minimalism and a downplaying of divine truth as the real foundation of the church. John MacArthur states, “Bible teaching, even in the best venues today, has been deliberately dumbed-down, made as broad and as shallow as possible, oversimplified, adapted to the lowest common denominator— and then tailored to people with short attention spans.”2 II. Why is it so important to build a Christian worldview? NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview Lesson One NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Theological Minimalism: taking biblical truth and dumbing it down to make it as broad and shallow as possible. Biblically constructing the Christian worldview is worth the effort. A Christian worldview contributes greatly to wisdom, comfort, discernment, joy, confidence, boldness, and a unified Christian walk. 2. Biblical worldview provides a vision for Christian education. Christian worldview helps complete the ‘scope’ of vision necessary for effective training in Christian education, evangelism, and leadership development. Biblical worldview offers a solid foundation for understanding the times in which we live. We will ultimately be ministering to those who live in a ‘post-Christian’ era. Our culture is characterized by a vicious civil war over values. Worldview training equips us to understand the times so we will know how to help our brethren engage our culture. By obtaining a grasp of God’s unified truth as the ‘big picture’ believers are equipped with a powerful weapon in the war against fragmented truth. ‘Scope’ of Vision: sets out to establish the size of the task at hand, and then to plan the stages for its accomplishment. Christian worldview provides a ‘big picture’ vantage point.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 5 NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ The Importance of building a Biblical Worldview 3. Biblical worldview brings a dynamic unity to the truth claims we preach and teach. Most Christians have received their religious training in a ‘devotional manner’. As a consequence, they assume that religious truth belongs in a religious compartment. Worldview training overturns this deficiency by setting forth God’s truth as total truth. All of God’s Word applies to all of God’s world. God’s revelation is not merely about ‘religious’ things; it is God’s absolute truth about the cosmos, origins, history, providence, anthropology, and destiny. Ideas have consequences; erroneous ideas have negative consequences; they bear bad fruit. In a media-saturated culture, there is a relentless reinforcement of ideas which make up erroneous worldviews. Devotional Reception of the Truth: to receive or be taught Christian truth as if it was merely spiritually helpful, rather than what it really is, total truth. Read Psalm 104. 5a. Prove from this text that God’s Word is not solely about ‘religious truth’. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 5b. Cite 3 examples from this text (Ps 104) which show that God is intimately involved in actively caring for His creation? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 4. Biblical worldview sets up an antithesis or contrast between God’s Word and the deadly lies of our culture. Worldview training raises our consciousness of the reliability of God’s truth. If the church is to be ‘salt and light’ in this present age, then she must see clearly the gulf that divides light from darkness, and the believer from the unbeliever. According to Colossians 2:8, every individual falls into one of two camps – either he or she is: • a captive of false philosophy, or • free in Christ. Christians don’t have to be intimidated by the common ‘defeater beliefs’ that are parroted by unbelievers: “evolution is a fact; all religions have validity; Christianity is the cause war; it is wrong to make moral judgments; etc.” Believers can learn to deconstruct commonly accepted ‘defeater beliefs’—and in so doing, overcome the charge that the Gospel is implausible. Read Colossians 2:8. 6. How would it affect your compassion for the unsaved if you viewed them as this text states: ‘captives’ deceived by lies. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ Every individual is either a captive to false philosophy or free in Christ. Lesson One Defeater beliefs: False ideas believed by a large part of society that supposedly defeat or disprove Biblical truth.

6 Developing a Biblical Worldview 5. Biblical worldview provides the ‘spiritual weapons’ necessary to stand against the unrelenting tide of our culture. The false worldviews of our culture can send shockwaves through the faith of those not established in the Word of God. Biblical worldview helps strengthen and stabilize believers. The truths of biblical worldview fit together like the interlocking pieces of a puzzle: • Reality is God and His plan for His creation. • One cannot know God, the world, or himself apart from Christian truth. • Christianity is defensible in the marketplace of ideas. • The fact of evil in our world is a powerful validation of God’s revelation in Scripture. • The doctrine of biblical creation grounds our accountability to God. • Moral truth is the expression of the character of God. • Idolatry is behind all sins. Christian truth fits human experience like a key fits a lock. It is the Christian worldview alone that corresponds with reality. When armed with that confidence, the evangelist exhibits compassionate boldness knowing that the unbeliever’s worldview will not stand up under scrutiny. NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview Lesson One The unbeliever cannot explain what evil is, nor can he explain its source and origin. The existence of evil is an important puzzle piece in Christian worldview; though evil is universally recognized, the world does not define evil as God does. Read 1 John 3:4. 7a. How is sin defined in this passage? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 1 John 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. ‘spiritual weapons’: In the context of our lesson, this refers to our use of Scripture in the battle for truth. Particularly, the ‘sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God’ (Eph 6:17, 2 Cor 10:3-5) 7b. What does ‘practice sin’ mean and does a true believer in Christ ‘practice sin’? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Christian truth fits human experience like a key fits a lock.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 7 NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ 6. Biblical worldview helps preserve the integrity of Christian life. When God’s unified truth is applied to all of life, it is transforming in its power. Many professing believers live a ‘disconnected life’—in other words, what they say they profess to believe is disconnected from how they live. Biblical worldview deals with this ‘disconnect’ through the power of unified truth. Believers committed to biblical worldview learn to bring every area of life under the lordship of Christ. One of the greatest advantages of systematically studying Christian worldview is that one becomes aware that God’s unified truth is total truth. There is both joy and confidence that arises from discovering that God’s Word speaks to every area of life. There is an answer from God’s Word for everything you experience from day to day. Thus, biblical worldview is a vision of life and a vision for life. Therefore, there are no compartments ‘exempt’ from the lordship of Christ. 7. Biblical worldview reveals that there are really only two worldviews: God is ultimate OR chance is ultimate If chance is ultimate then there is no accounting for these transcendentals: purpose, meaning, value, dignity of life, free moral agency, morality, love, rationality, logic, justice, mercy, etc. Chance cannot account for: truth, morality, logic, uniformity in nature, beauty, meaning, soul, order, law, a rational universe, and a rational mind. If chance is ultimate, then: • man is utterly determined by nature (a product of his genes in all he is and all he does), • morals, ethics, meaning, dignity, good, evil, and love are illusions, • matter created itself, and then matter created man, and then man thought up the idea of a god (or gods). But Scripture proclaims the opposite: • God created matter, and then • He created man from that matter, and • God gives man the knowledge of Himself, and • redeemed man gives his Creator the worship He is rightfully due. The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview Lesson One God’s Word speaks to every area of life. Rational Universe: The cosmos possesses inherent order, identity, & lawfulness making the universe knowable to a conscious, rational being. Believers have the assurance that the Scriptures are able to answer and refute every manmade philosophy. Creation itself argues for a divine cause. The creation itself argues for divine causation. The rational universe around us gives overwhelming evidence that it is the product of the rational mind of God.

8 Developing a Biblical Worldview NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 8. Biblical worldview states that God’s relation to the creation determines all other questions—His relation to the universe is ultimate reality. Biblical theism teaches that God’s relation to the creation is as follows, He is: Creator, Owner, Definer, Upholder, Redeemer, and Judge. Questions related to cosmology are: • What is the cosmos (universe)? • Does it have a purpose or meaning? • What is man? • What is man’s place in the cosmos? • Why am I here? Where am I going? • What is my ultimate purpose? • Why do I have significance? If you start or begin with self, you will never have a shred of certainty about the answers to these questions. If we reject the knowledge of our Maker, and operate from ‘self’ as the fixed, authoritative point of reference, we will manifest foolish, absurd thinking (Rom 1:18-22; Eph 4:17-19). The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview Lesson One Read Romans 1:18-22 8. Why does starting with self always produce foolish thinking? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Cosmology: the study of the origin, meaning, structure, and destiny of the universe. God is: Creator, Owner, Definer, Upholder, Redeemer, & Judge of creation This a perfect picture of why starting with self produces foolish thinking. We could add a little thought circle above his head which says, “I always trust my own opinions.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 9 The Importance of Building a Biblical Worldview Lesson One R1.1 Explain this statement: biblical truth is total truth, not just religious truth. (2.1, 2.3, 2.6) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ R1.2 Name at least three advantages, or benefits of studying Christian worldview. (2.1 – 2.8) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: R1.3 What is necessary in order to interpret our world truthfully, to the glory of God? (1.1, 2.3, 2.8) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R1.4 Why does starting with the self instead of God produce foolish thinking? (2.5, 2.8) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R1.5 Name at least one ultimate question which the Lord Jesus Christ answered authoritatively and provide the Scripture reference for your answer. (1.2) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ R1.6 Why can believers have complete confidence and certainty about the things which matter most in life? (2.5) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

10 Developing a Biblical Worldview It is common for concerned Christians to look at our society and ask, “What’s going on out there?” We are shocked to see behaviors which used to be justly condemned as immoral, now being normalized and even defended. But what has caused the ‘floodgates’ of immorality to swing open so widely? The only way to answer this question with certainty is to realize that humanity has torn itself away from God’s blueprint for His creatures. That’s why there has been an unraveling of goodness and truth (Rom 1:18-28ff.). Man’s defiance against God’s blueprint is causing suffering, people are experiencing divine judgment in ‘slow motion’— the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven [now] (Rom 1:18-23). An ‘explosion’ in immorality has as its underlying cause the rejection of the knowledge of God. In its place are lies about freedom and fulfillment. These lies are attractive; but the hidden price tag is costly—people are plunged deeper into ignorance, darkness, deception, bondage. Consequences such as broken homes, abused neglected kids, abortion, suicide, perversion, sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancies, same sex marriage, violence, substance abuse, and pornography have not developed in a ‘vacuum’. These tragedies are accelerating because the precious things of God are being eroded and people are taking pleasure in sin and not in the knowledge of God.3 NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ OBJECTIVES: It is common on university campuses today to hear people say that biblical morality is oppressive to personal freedom. Read Romans 13:8-10. Explain the connection between the moral law of God and genuine love. 1. Explain the connection between the moral law of God and genuine love. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ In the two-part thrust of this lesson, students will learn that we study Christian worldview because: I. Our world is hostile to the truth and God expects believers to exercise biblical discernment. II. Truth has been torn apart in a public-private split. Mastering Christian worldview is a huge part of addressing this error. I. Our world is hostile to the truth; God expects believers to exercise biblical discernment. The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two Rejection of the knowledge of God is the underlying cause of the explosion in immorality. 1. Christians are correct to ask, “What is going on?”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 11 Secularism removes God’s standards and allows man to substitute his own standards instead. These pagan ideas now direct the public affairs of our nation. Without God’s Word, man has no reliable moral compass. People make decisions based upon their felt needs and desires. Each individual becomes a law unto himself - choosing what is ‘right’ in his own eyes without respect to God’s standards. God’s Word says in Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” There could hardly be a more accurate assessment of our country today than the description found at the end of the book of Judges. Darwinism teaches that there is nothing outside of man which governs him or defines him. It is ironic that the majority of university students are searching for meaning, yet they are taught that they live in a ‘meaningless’ universe! Therefore, they are supposedly ‘free’ to create their own meaning. Progressives insist that absolute answers to ultimate questions are unknowable (For example, What is the authoritative source of right and wrong? Has God revealed Himself clearly and authoritatively? For more, see Lesson One #2) Secularists suggest that those who think they know the answers are dangerous to freedom. And a major reason why is because they deny that their philosophies are actually built on faith. Augustine explains why faith and reason operate together, “Man seeks knowledge by a double impulse of authority and reason. In seeking knowledge, man is moved to faith by others’ witnesses in the matter of things not seen directly. We know by sight, but [we] believe by the testimony of witnesses, thus faith prepares the way for reason. Faith is the start point of knowledge; it is the evidence or proof that you believe testimonies.”i Christianity is a religion of truth, and of faith in that truth. The Word of God is our Creator’s authoritative Word, His testimony to man (1 Jn 5:6-12). The New Testament’ Testament’s validation turns upon the authority of Christ communicated through His Apostles—the issue is the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ bestowed upon His Apostles who are His eyewitnesses and His ‘sent ones’ who go forth in His authority (1 Pe 1:16; 1 Jn 1:1-3).ii NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ Read 1 John 5:6-12. The gospel is a proclamation, and it is God’s witness of what He has done through His Son. 2. Describe how, in this passage, God’s testimony of Christ’s saving work is confirmed to a Christian. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 3. Public school students are taught that man is not designed by a Creator. The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two 2. America is no longer guided by Christian principles. Christianity is a religion of truth and of faith in that truth. 4. The secularists make faith and reason into bitter opponents. Secularism: The separation of government (state) from religious influence – a man- centered worldview Moral compass: without God’s commandments, there is no way to navigate life by adherence to God’s moral standards.

12 Developing a Biblical Worldview 6. Secularism rejects God’s testimony of the fall, and therefore treats death as normal. 5. Secularism produces lies which often become believable over time. Social Engineering: Centralized planning in an attempt to manage future development and behavior of a society. Plausibility Structures: In the social context, a false idea may become believable (like evolution) and true idea may become unbelievable (like Christ’s resurrection). Once these lies have been circulated long enough, they become ‘plausibility structures’ in our culture. Public universities are dispensing these lies under the name of education. The majority of these falsehoods are not even questioned by college students. Some of the most prevalent lies in our universities are: • The starting point for objective knowledge is a closed universe (self-sustaining world not acted upon by a personal God). • Spirituality is esoteric (internal), not exoteric (God acting from outside of us). • Mankind is ‘normal’, there was no space-time fall marking man’s entrance into sin. • History is cyclical and not linear (there is no divinely ordained day of judgment). • Morality is always evolving - there is no transcendent moral code outside of man. • The human intellect is trustworthy apart from divine revelation (the Scriptures). • The demand for absolutes in knowledge and morality is a power play (oppressive). • The best view of freedom is an unrestrained vision of freedom (free expression). • Man has no eternal soul. • The Bible’s teleology (design or goal) for mankind opposes human liberty. • Biological determinism (genetics) is the most reliable explanation of human behavior. • The human body is utilitarian (useful - not sacred). Spirituality is unrelated to the body’s use. • Prime reality is matter and motion; prime reality is impersonal, not personal. • Morality belongs in the realm of subjective values, and not in the realm of truth. • Human harmony will be best achieved by removing our differences. Thus, the Scriptures proclaim that man’s condition is one of depravity, darkness, and rebellion. The Word of God is absolutely clear, man’s problem is ethical, not metaphysical. Therefore, the only true effective redemption must change what man is morally. And that can only come from outside of man. Karl Marx put forth the idea that man lives in disharmony because of the alienation produced by differences (economic, racial, gender, religious, etc.) Marx laid the ideological framework for social engineering: ‘remove what divides us and you’ll get a movement toward utopia’. Every time communism has been forced on a people group, the result has been oppression, slaughter, and tyranny. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Read Matthew 15:18-20. 4. Explain why social engineering cannot bring about a just society. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two 3. Name three of the lies most relevant to you (in your own words) & give a Scripture to expose the error of each lie. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 13 7. Sin brings four major separations that make a utopia engineered by depraved man sure to fail. A man-made utopia will fail. 8. Secularism falsely assumed that it has the answer to man’s sin and its effects. Only Christ can heal these four separations. With the entrance of sin came four major separations: • Spiritual/theological (the separation of man from God), • Sociological (the separation of man from man), • Psychological (the separation of man from himself), and • Ecological (the separation of man from nature). What is immensely significant is that fallen men recognize these separations but oppose God’s testimony of why they exist and what must be done for man’s deliverance. False worldviews seek to solve these separations by human means alone. Because of the four separations, a utopia (a perfect society) engineered by depraved men is sure to fail and make matters worse. In the Word of God, we see His plan to install His Kingdom (Rom 16:25- 27). The glorious benefits of the consummation of this plan will fill the earth and the cosmos. Thus, we reiterate, the Lie in Eden believed by Adam and Eve was the cause of these four separations listed above. This lie has not gone away; a form of the lie is being utilized by the powers of darkness to deceive the world concerning HOW these four separations may be bridged and removed. Marxism, globalism, state-ism, monism, feminism, neo-paganism, the homosexual agenda, and LGBTQ are all expressions of the lie. Each of these variations of the lie offers its part in seeking a utopian answer to the four separations caused by sin. Each of these four separations (separation from God, from others, from oneself, from nature) can only be healed by Christ. Each separation will ultimately be fully ‘healed’ in the coming Kingdom. NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two 2 Corinthians 5:20b-21 “…we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Hebrews 9:14 “how much more will the blood of Christ…cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

14 Developing a Biblical Worldview 1. Private, religious convictions have been cordoned off from the real world. A two-story view of reality (dualistic philosophy) led to a devastating view of the Christian life—namely that the material world is reality and the immaterial world is non-reality. In a word, the things of God were regarded as having no contact with things of earth. This split, or double- truth theory, can be pictured as a building with two stories, an upper and a lower-story. Religion, morals, and absolute truth claims are viewed as occupying the upper story, whereas facts which can be observed and measured by science belong in the lower-story. Can you see where this is going? Observable ‘facts’ came to be regarded as real and values as subjective or less real. Thus, facts and values were regarded as contradictory even antagonistic.iii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two II. Truth has been torn apart in public-private split. The ‘two-story’ view of reality is designed to show that in this view, ‘facts’ (measurable things) are placed in the lower story, ‘the real world’ and values (things of God and morals) are placed in the upper story, where things that are subjective and ‘less’ real belong. While I was on a flight recently, I was seated next to a huge football player. As we chatted, he mentioned that in a few months he would be drafted by the NFL. I began to share the gospel with him. I was pleased to hear that he had received some Christian discipleship, and had even worked with the Christian organization, ‘Athletes in Action’. Toward the end of our conversation, he confided in me, “I have a problem,” he said, “I have doubts that the Person of Christ ever existed.” That comment took my breath away, but sadly, perfectly illustrated the truth split. For, my athletic friend had placed Christianity into an upper-story category in which religious truth is a ‘value’ but not necessarily ‘factual’.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 15 2. The American educational system has taught students to make sense of the world apart from God. 3. The public-private split of truth changed society’s view of Christianity. Christ is the source of purpose, meaning, value, dignity, and reconciliation with God. …And without the hypothesis of a Creator. Why? The religious truth claims of Biblical Christianity are now regarded by our culture as a private set of personal values and not the truth about reality. As a consequence, most Christian students at the high school and college level do not know how to express their faith perspective in language suitable for the public square. They only know how to present Christ as aiding a person’s spiritual journey. The Christian religion came to be viewed as existing to meet emotional needs and not as an authoritative truth claim about all reality. The last two centuries have seen an ever-widening chasm between the public and the private realms of truth. This has made it more difficult to cross over to the public arena with the truth of Christianity. The ‘privatizing’ of Christianity has changed the nature of religion—it is no longer seen as absolute truth claims upon which to build the stable fabric of society as well as every segment of life. Now biblical truth is regarded to be in conflict with public agendas. NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two Acts 17:30-31a “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness….” Colossians 1:16a &17 “For by Him [Christ] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible… He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Truth is being torn in half – separating public and private truths.

16 Developing a Biblical Worldview 4. Privatization ruptured Christianity’s task of interpreting the whole of reality. Dominion Mandate: Human beings are created for and commanded to exercise dominion over the earth as stewards. The dominion mandate set forth in Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 8, includes interpreting the whole of reality truthfully, to the glory and honor of God. Secularization ‘broke the lens’ of Christianity as the interpreter of reality. Christianity lost its universality (its influence in defining our entire existence) and was no longer regarded as total truth. What remained was religion in the private sphere (religion for emotional nurture, for spiritual help, but not for total truth). This radical public/private split has wormed its way into our own minds as a dichotomy (a split), or as twin realms of truth. In a poll with shocking results, Christian students were asked if public universities have the truth and teach the truth. Many of them said, ‘yes’. This gives evidence that many Christians are also thinking in a dualistic way. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two Read Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 8. 5a. From these verses, write out a short definition of the dominion mandate and why it is important. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 5b. Name two careers you would consider pursuing. _____________________________________________________________________ 5c. How would your work in these careers be a function of fulfilling the dominion mandate? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Psalm 8:4 “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?” This runaway balloon detached from earth is a powerful way to depict how values have been torn from facts. This fact-value split represents man’s rebellious thinking. In reality, this is God’s world, and values and morals are truthful, and are facts which are just as real as gravity.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 17 5. This public-private truth split is one of the main reasons Christianity lost America. 6. Evangelicalism failed to promote the knowledge of the truth - so it lost its public authority. Theology: The systematic study of Biblical truth/doctrine providing the basis for unity of knowledge. It may be difficult for today’s believing high school students to envision that at one time in America, Christianity exerted a powerful influence over education, economics, government, law, the press, and entertainment. How did this beneficial influence dry up? The answer is that Christianity began to position itself as the religion of faith, rather than the religion of truth. What contributed to this shift is that Christian leaders primarily aimed their study of the Word of God as addressing faith. These leaders did not learn to meditate on Scripture in such a way that allowed it to shine its light on all of life. The secular world took notice, and their response went something like this: “We will let you Christians define your private world of faith, and we will publicly define truth and reality.” That was a tragic turn of events. For Christianity came to be regarded as solely the private realm of personal religion, whereas the academy (public education) took up for itself the mantle of ‘public truth’.iv Because of evangelicalism’s failure to teach systematic truth, secularism acquired the ‘truth label’ by default. It wasn’t always that way, for secularism did not create the university, the Bible did. Protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther saw the need for an education in theology and the liberal arts which was not controlled by the Roman Catholic Church, and which was not filled with Greco-Roman mythology. The educational vision of the Reformers was that the university would train godly leaders who would look at all reality through the light of the truth revealed in God’s works and Word.v NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ NOTES _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two Read Psalm 78:1-8. God intends that truth be transmitted especially by fathers instructing their children. Notice that in communicating God’s truth, it is to include His attributes (v. 4 strength, etc.), & His wondrous works (v. 4). 6a. How does v. 4 join God’s character with His works in history? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 6b. List the benefits of receiving this instruction found in vv. 6-8. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Theology (the queen of sciences) ‘reigns over’ and informs every discipline and field of study. In fact, when the Pilgrims arrived in America, one of their first endeavors was the founding of Harvard University in 1636. Christo et Ecclesiae, “for Christ and Church”, was the initial motto of Harvard. The motto was later changed to, Veritas, “Truth.” It is sadly ironic that truth is impossible to retain if Christ is not central. But, for the first 200 years after its founding, theology served as queen of the sciences at Harvard. In the interest of instructing in total truth, theology operated in near perfect symbiosis (mutually beneficial) with the liberal arts and physical sciences. Only after its first 200 years did Harvard become a bastion (protector) of secular humanism.

18 Developing a Biblical Worldview 7. God’s Word answers life’s most important questions. 8. The lack of free inquiry is robbing students of a true education. God’s Word addresses the questions essential in a true education. The Holy Scriptures address the questions essential in a true education. A genuine education involves free inquiry. The four questions which are vital to the apprehension of truth and which are intrinsic to a genuine education are: 1. Who am I? (the issue of the image of God), 2. Where did I come from? (the issue of origin), 3. Why am I here? (the issue of purpose, to know and glorify of God), 4. Where am I going? (the issue of destiny). But, this kind of prime inquiry is ruled out in today’s education. That means our public universities are pursuing education but not truth. If you and I are not created by God for Himself, then we exist for ourselves alone. And, only if the former is true, will my life direction be oriented to the consuming goal of pleasing God, my Creator. If all that exists is impersonal matter and motion (chance) then I exist for myself alone, and I may determine what is ultimately true or false (based upon what pleases me). But that is a formula for disaster much like the ‘days of Noah’ (Gen 6:5). Things would be in place for a dystopian society (a post-apocalyptic world of injustice, gross wickedness, and suffering).vi In a secular education, we are told that to say, “God made me,” cannot exist in the public discourse in the academy. But that prohibition cancels out understanding man’s place in cosmos, man ruling creation, man fulfilling his created purpose, and the reality that God made us for Himself and for eternity. So, if you can’t teach that truth in the course of education, then you have ruled out true education. And have sent culture into a death spiral (regarding a death spiral, consider that this concept of a meaningless mankind was the philosophy used by the most cruel, bloody, nihilistic regimes of the 20th Century). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two Read Psalm 33, Hebrews 11:1-3, and Revelation 4:11. 7. What is the significance of God creating all things ex nihilo (out of nothing)? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Psalm 33:6a “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made….” Genesis 1:27 “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 19 R2.1 Explain what it means today that religious truth claims are viewed by the world as belonging to an upper-story category. (2.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R2.2 Describe the role of theology at Harvard University during its first 200 years? (2.6) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ The Need for Biblical Discernment in a Hostile World Lesson Two NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R2.3 Read Romans 1:18-28. Describe how the rejection of the knowledge of God leads to immorality (the breaking of the floodgates of sin). (1.1) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R2.4 In public universities today, students are taught that ‘nothing outside of them defines them’. What are some of the problems which come from believing this lie? (1.5) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: R2.5 Prove from Psalm 19 (and any additional Psalms) that truth is not split into two categories (the physical world, and the spiritual or moral) (1.6) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ R2.6 What is the connection between theology and a genuine education? (2.7) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

20 Developing a Biblical Worldview Pre-evangelism: Building a conversation bridge to share the Gospel. Dualism: divides something conceptually into two opposed aspects – rather than all things being reconciled in Christ (spiritual and material existence). ‘Pre-evangelism’ involves building a case for creation in a biblically illiterate culture (demolishing the fables that are used to keep out the Gospel). Basic Christian apologetics begins with: • who God is, • who we are, and • what we owe God. This is ‘pre-evangelism’—it comes before the heart of the gospel message. We’re dealing with a culture that has been taught to believe that religion is an upper-story matter (belonging to a category of things mythical, not real), as if our Biblical truth claims are merely intended to salve the psyche or comfort the soul. Dualism has robbed the church of the power of its all- encompassing truth claims. Christian worldview helps us to recover our ability to speak biblical truth in every area (science, politics, work, medicine, relationships, ethics, beauty, sociology, etc.). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Lesson Three Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism OBJECTIVES: In this lesson the student will be introduced to two major concepts: I. Four simple questions that can diagnose any worldview. These are incredibly useful in ‘pre-evangelism’. II. Every person seeks knowledge through some worldview ‘gate’. The fear of God is the only ‘God-approved’ entry gate for reason and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). I. Four simple questions that can diagnose any worldview. 1. ‘Pre-evangelism’ involves building a case for creation Christian worldview is the God-given lens which enables believers to look accurately at all of life. For example, we speak of truth being split into upper and lower stories. The lower story is viewed as ‘real’ and the upper story regard as myth or untrue. All knowledge and all reality is united in Christ. The view of dualism divides the facts of our existence into two opposing categories. One major instance in which we see this is the dualistic secular trend to make the Bible and science into irreconcilable opponents.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 21 The biblical events of Creation, Fall, and Redemption form a diagnostic test to examine every worldview. We employ four ultimate questions to test a person’s worldview: i.) Where did we come from? (Who made you and me?) The Almighty Creator made the universe out of nothing. He upholds it; He has a perfect plan and purpose for it which He is executing with faithfulness, goodness, and wisdom (Acts 14:15-17; 17:16-31). ii.) Who are we? (What is the value and purpose of a human being?) We are created in God’s image to know God. He made us in His likeness so that we might have fellowship with Him. Our worth, dignity, and purpose are bound up in the fact that we are created in the image of God (Gen 1:26- 28). God has an absolute claim upon us and a perfect ‘blueprint’ for us His creatures. iii.) What has gone wrong with the world? When our first parents (Adam and Eve) broke faith with God, sin entered as a destructive principle; it caused death, suffering, ignorance, fear, and separation from God (Rom 3:9-20). Sin is behind war, injustice, oppression, and greed (James 4:1-4). iv.) What can we do to fix it? God has a perfect plan to restore man to his created purpose of knowing God, loving Him, worshipping, obeying Him, enjoying Him, and serving Him. The only begotten Son of God came to earth 2000 years ago to explain God to man and to lay down His life in crucifixion as a perfect sacrifice and substitute. Only by Christ’s death is sin put away and forgiven. And only by Christ’s death are men and women forgiven and restored to their created purpose to enjoy fellowship with God (Titus 3:1-7). Every utopian-based ‘ism’, from Marxism to progressive liberalism is an erroneous attempt to fix what is wrong. Communism’s utopian vision for society resulted in the deaths of 150 million in the 20th Century. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Over the last 15 years, I have asked these four worldview questions to over 200 different individuals. Common answers were: • We came from lower life forms through biological evolution. • We are a high form of animal life, defined by having speech, having four limbs, and walking upright. Our value is based on the contributions we make. • As a species we are selfish, we don’t work for unity. • We ought to have a mandatory, re-education program to teach people how to behave. Each time I patiently listened to their answers, I found that they were quite willing to hear the Biblical answers to the 4 questions! By asking these four questions, and sincerely listening, it won permission for me to share the gospel. The gospel IS the true answer to each of the four questions. Lesson Three Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism Titus 3:5 “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done, but according to His mercy…”

22 Developing a Biblical Worldview We must build a case for creation BEFORE expecting people to understand the message of sin and salvation. Redemption: The aspect of salvation through Christ which addresses the believer being delivered from the bondage and enslaving guilt of sin. We find true life in the restoration of God’s created purpose for us. We need to set a context for redemption as restoration. Redemption overcomes, not only the Fall, but also the corruption, decay, and curse. The cosmos itself will be restored (2 Pet 3:11-13; Rev 21:1-8). In Paul’s address on Mars Hill in Athens, Greece he begins with the creation and the character of God (Acts 17:24-31). By contrast, Peter was dealing with a Jewish audience steeped in the truth of creation. The people we will be evangelizing in our culture, are for the most part, biblically illiterate—thus, we have every reason to emulate Paul by building a case for creation BEFORE we expect people to understand the message of sin and salvation. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 2. There is power in presenting redemption in a context of restoration. Lesson Three Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism Today’s unbeliever is frequently educated but Biblically illiterate. Therefore, like Paul in Acts 17, we ought to know how to briefly lay a foundation of Biblical worldview. Biblical worldview provides the proper context for the gospel. For, only if God is Creator, Owner, Law-giver, Ruler, Redeemer, and Judge will the Gospel make sense. Read Acts 17:16-34. 1a. What was the reaction of the Greeks when Paul proclaimed the resurrection of Christ (see v. 32)? _____________________________________________________________________ 1b. Why won’t the gospel make sense if God’s relation to the world is not taught? (That He is Creator, Owner, etc.). _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 2 Peter 3:13 “But according to His [God’s] promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 23 Absolutize: To convert to a fixed reality, an absolute that is not relative to other things. Reliable knowledge begins with the reverential fear of God (Prov. 1:7). Our knowledge depends upon God’s knowledge. Knowledge is ethical (moral) in nature, for not a single truth exists apart from God’s authority. Knowing is predicated upon God’s relationship to the world. Why is our ability to know truly dependent upon knowing God’s relation to the world? Because, He made it, owns it, upholds it, and defines it. All things from plants to planets are God’s ‘covenant servants’—in other words, they serve God by revealing God.”vii God wills to be known, all His works declare Him. “All things are Thy servants” (Ps 119:91). God’s testimonies in creation and conscience saturate the unbeliever’s thought processes— the natural man is suspended so to speak in a ‘sea’ of divine revelation (Ps 19:1-6). The denial of God’s ‘knowability’ stems from a personal moral situation of rebellion and enmity (Jn 3:19-21; Rom 1:28).viii Every natural man absolutizes some aspect of the creation. In so doing, he worships and serves the creature and the creation—Romans 1:23-25. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ II. Every person seeks knowledge through some worldview ‘gate’. 1. The fear of the Lord is the only ‘God-approved’ gate to knowledge. (Prov 1:7) Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism Lesson Three Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Everyone accesses knowledge and reasoning through a particular ‘gate’ or worldview. Because this is God’s world and the creation itself is His thought, only if we fear and reverence Him and His infallible Word will we be assured of true knowledge.

24 Developing a Biblical Worldview Pagan Worldview: The belief that the creation is infused with the divine – related to pantheism (God is part of creation). Commonly expressed in the worship of nature. Darwinism has had its impact on the ethics of life – eroding the meaning of true education and the fear of the Lord. One cannot say in the public university: “You are made for God who appointed a Redeemer to deliver you from sin and self.” As a consequence of that opposition to the truth, you are living in a culture derived from a pagan, or nature- worshipping, worldview which denies the infinite distinction between Creator and creature. Romans chapter one records this slide into a pagan worldview. Romans one is the record of the de-evolution of religion—of how mankind willfully spiraled away from God’s truth. This abandonment of divine truth opened the floodgates of sexual perversion and its advocacy, which we are now witnessing. Concerning this downward spiral; first sexual perversity is the unthinkable, then it is acceptable, then affirmable, then laws are made to advocate it, and ultimately laws are made to punish those who oppose it. Sodom began as a farm town, over time it became the iconic emblem of society advocating sexual perversion and thus, meriting the judgment of God (Gen 18-19). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 2. Darwinism is a faulty gate to truth because it removes true education from education. Lesson Three Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism The humor here is that fossils do not come with tags showing their age. Darwinists assume evolution, then make up extreme ages for fossils. Those who hold to the idea of evolution date fossils by their own theories and not by observable science. Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness...”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 25 In public education today, the secular worldview operates in a kind of ‘silo’, cut off from the illumination of God’s light, the Lord Jesus Christ. Education departments today are hiding from the ‘sunshine’ of God’s light thus, they function in their own darkened ‘silos’. These isolated silos are departments which have names such as: Black History, Gay History, Feminist History, Native American History. But let us bear in mind, no manmade narrative can serve as the ‘sun’ which illuminates all reality. There is not anything that can be imagined by the fallen finite mind of man which could possibly provide a true overview of reality. Is it any wonder then, that without Christ, we hear from university professors that history does not even deal with truth, only with points of view? It is into this darkened world that the Christian proclaims what our contemporary world has lost, the total truth of God’s self-revelation, the Holy Scriptures.ix He asked a potent rhetorical question, why is the true, the beautiful, and the good immediately known by the mind of man? The answer is tied to biblical anthropology (the doctrine of man). For Augustine argues that the reality of the mind (in its creation by God) is given in the very act of knowledge.x In other words, the soul brings thought forms to the sensible world. There is a fixed correspondence between our minds and created reality—a God-created link between categories of knowledge in each: the mind and the world. Our doctrine of knowledge is built upon the fact that our creation in the image of God makes knowledge possible. Our Creator has placed knowledge in mankind (Job 38:36). God is the source of truth and knowledge and man as the image of God was created with the ability to receive that knowledge.xi NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 4. Augustine spoke of the biblical way true knowledge is gained. 3. Public education blinds students to God’s light, the Lord Jesus Christ. Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism Lesson Three Read Job 38:36 and John 1:9. 2. Describe from these two passages why we naturally appreciate family, beauty, art, music, nature, literature, virtue, excellence. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Job 38:36 “Who has put wisdom in the innermost being Or given understanding to the mind?”

26 Developing a Biblical Worldview Truth is an ethical matter because knowledge has a divine source. God is the Author of our knowledge and the Author of our faculties of knowing AND the author of our acts of knowing. Our ability to know anything is because God has impressed upon our faculties ‘impressions’ from the divine world of ideas. In other words, God has put into the mind of man the categories which correspond to the real world.xii That means that truth is an ethical matter because knowledge has a divine source. Both perception and conception are ethical. The most important truth of all, upon which all wisdom and knowledge hinge, is the knowledge of God. Therefore, to suppress the truth or to embrace the truth is a ‘whole man’ act, it reveals what a man is morally. The doctrine of divine revelation in Scripture—meeting a man through God’s grace, is the only cure for the effects of sin upon the mind. Man’s possession of true knowledge is tied to his dependency upon divine revelation.xiii Just as it is natural for a child to depend upon his parents for knowledge, so also, we are to depend upon our Creator. Dependency upon God for knowledge is inseparable from a theistic (God-centered) view of the universe. “In Your light we see light” (Ps 36:9). The authority of God is behind certainty and the absolute security of our convictions. Man is utterly dependent upon God’s revelation for knowledge. Man’s reason, unaided by revelation, is far too weak to rise to the knowledge of divine things (1 Cor 1:18-21). God commands man to seek the knowledge of Himself in and by, His revelation, the Holy Scriptures.xiv NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 5. Because God created our faculties of knowing, our ability to know depends upon Him. 6. We are to depend upon God for knowledge. Lesson Three Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism Read Psalm 36:9 and 1 Corinthians 2:12. 3. Explain why we as believers can have complete certainty about the things that matter most. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 27 Worldview Diagnostic Questions in Pre-Evangelism Lesson Three R3.1 What is ‘pre-evangelism’? (1.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R3.2 Explain why the 4 worldview diagnostic questions provide an effective strategy in evangelism. (1.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R3.3 Why is the fear of God the only ‘God-approved gate’ by which to enter the realm of reason and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). (2.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R3.4 Read Psalm 36:9; 119:89-96; 138:2; Jn 17:17; and 1 Cor 2:12. Explain why we as believers can have complete certainty about the things that matter most. (2.6) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS:

28 Developing a Biblical Worldview God is the God of the human spirit and of nature and of history. The way to find joy in life is to offer up all to the worship of God (joyful integration and power is the result). Most of us don’t tend to think of having a unified Christian worldview as a source of joy, but it certainly is. We emphasize that there is great value and power in possessing a unified, total truth, completely consistent worldview. In other words, the study of Christian worldview is a God-glorifying exercise in removing partitions from one’s life. The Lord desires the whole man or woman, rather than simply most of the categories in one’s life. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four OBJECTIVES: In this lesson we will explore how to pursue a unified worldview with the following concepts: I. Why does a unified worldview bring joy to a believer? Biblical worldview is a total picture of life and reality. II. Your view of knowledge depends upon who you are and where you are standing. I. Why does a unified worldview bring joy to a believer? 1. Genuine believers find great joy in a unified Christian worldview. As a new believer in my early 20’s, I took a summer backpacking trip in the High Sierra mountains. Nature had always been a passion of mine, I even majored in zoology in college, but, now, as a Christian (a new creation, 2 Cor 5:17), everything took on a dazzling new significance. The wildflowers, lakes, hummingbirds, and glaciers were all evoking from me very vocal praise to God. I was experiencing the ‘healing’ of my dualism! Partitions were being removed — I was finding joy in a unified worldview, the Lord who had so recently saved me was the Lord who created all of the mountain splendor I was experiencing. In meeting my Savior, I met my Creator. I could say with the hymn writer, “This is My Father’s World.” Joy was mine, I no longer had a separate category for religion, for pleasure, and another for nature.4 It can be a pleasant surprise when the believer discovers that all of the truths involved in Christian worldview all fit together. That unity brings personal joy.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 29 Our Biblical worldview begins with the foundation of creation, for it defines God and man. We will arrive at unified truth (the Christian worldview) only when we shed our two-level view of truth. We are liberated from a fragmented view of truth and knowledge ONLY by the holistic, total truth of Christian worldview. Our Biblical worldview begins with the foundation of creation, for it defines God and man. Creation is the context for redemption, for the creation account tells us mankind was made in the image of God, Who is the source of human dignity, value, and high calling. Creation doctrine anchors our accountability to God, for God owns what He has made. “For the world is Mine, and all it contains.” (Ps 50:12b). If in our evangelism, we fail to mention creation and start only with sin, then the Fall may seem trivial because we have said nothing about from what man fell and how far he fell.xv Luther and the Reformers sought unified knowledge (‘total truth’; no dualism) with a renewed emphasis on the dominion mandate (Ps 8). They emphasized that all vocations have dignity. Every part of creation bears God’s fingerprints (reflects His character in their original form). Our world is not normal at present—it is in a fallen and cursed state (see Romans 5:12-21 on the reign of sin and death, and Romans 8:19-22 on the curse.) NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 2. A two-level view of the truth works against unified knowledge (unified truth). 3. Luther and the Reformers sought unified knowledge. Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four The Christian worldview is not like a series of truth compartments or truth categories, but rather, it is more like the interlocking puzzle pieces of a puzzle which perfectly fit together, every piece belongs, and every piece depends on the other, and is therefore essential.

30 Developing a Biblical Worldview To preach the gospel is to bear witness of the truth of what God has done through Christ. Christ’s role as Lord of all knowledge is unmistakable in Scripture. “In whom [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:3). In the Gospel of John alone, the word ‘truth’ or ‘true’ appears 40 times in 21 chapters. At our Lord’s trial before His crucifixion, He proclaimed, “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (Jn 18:37b). Christ sends the Holy Spirit into the world as the ‘Spirit of truth’ (Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). Thus, to preach the gospel is to bear witness of the truth of what God has done through Christ. The disciples were sent out as eyewitnesses of the truth. Peter states, “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Pet 1:16). Pagan religions are based upon mythical stories and not truth. Only the gospel is the Word of truth, the infallible record of God’s redemptive works in history. In the prologue to his gospel, Luke describes his history-taking as follows: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus” (Lu 1:1-3). 4. Christ, Lord of all knowledge, is our ultimate reference point for knowing truth. Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 31 One’s view on the most debated social issues today such as abortion, euthanasia, same sex marriage, pornography, stem cell research, and transgenderism, will always take a person back to the ultimate question, “What is a human being?” This should make it clear that in our approach to moral knowledge we cannot reason without a governing frame of reference. Every conflict between ideas has an underlying set of worldviews. Every erroneous worldview denies that mankind is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-28). By way of example, how would a Darwinist view the topic of morality? From his perspective, morality is nothing more than a survival mechanism which ‘has evolved’ to keep people from harming each other. A person’s view of morality is controlled by his or her perspective or worldview.xvi Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ II. Your view of knowledge depends upon who you are and where you are standing. 1. The debate over social issues today always come back to the question, “What is a human being?” Genesis 1:26a “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...” This shows that the starting point of one’s views IS one’s frame of reference or foundation. That foundation determines one’s view of morality and bears different fruit. The frame of reference also governs the debate concerning every social issue today.

32 Developing a Biblical Worldview The Heart: The Bible teaches that the heart is the core of a person and the seat of intellect, affection, will, and spirituality. Many Christian students have a kind of eureka moment (an ‘a hah’ moment of discovery) when they understand that the heart is involved in the formation of one’s worldview. Rather than merely developing one’s worldview on the testimony of ‘experts’, something deeper is involved; the heart is what is relied upon in forming our assumptions and core beliefs. This is what the Bible teaches, a worldview is a vision of life that is rooted and expressed through the human heart. The Bible teaches that the heart is the core of a person and the seat of intellect, affection, will, and spirituality. Life proceeds out of a vision of the heart. “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” (Prov 23:7). “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs [issues] of life” (Prov 4:23). “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’.” (Ps 14:1) Like the bulk of an iceberg, unseen because 90 percent of it is below the waterline, a person’s heart commitments are out of view (concealed below the waterline). What we do see are a person’s behaviors (speech and actions). Just below the ‘waterline’ is the person’s ethics, and below ethics is their worldview, and supporting their worldview is their starting point: either man or God, and supporting their starting point is their heart commitment (what they are morally).xvii Notice that how a person forms his/her worldview is ‘below the waterline’, in other words hidden from view. But rest assured, according to Scripture, heart commitments form belief commitments. For what a person is morally, in the heart, will determine his or her ‘starting point’, and therefore, his or her worldview. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four 2. The heart is involved in the formation of one’s worldview.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 33 The human heart will either worship God or an idol, the Creator or the creation – Who or what do you worship? We were created to love, worship, enjoy, and serve God, therefore human beings are inescapably religious beings. You cannot, not worship! Or as one worldview professor says, “Some things you cannot, not know.” Thus, if our creational identity is primarily that of worshippers, then it is inherent in our nature to adore and to worship. And as worshippers, by virtue of our created design, mankind is necessarily an observer, an interpreter, a namer, and a distinguisher. We see that this naming capacity was Adam’s first assignment in the Garden. Because we cannot escape our creational identity as worshippers, we are created to commit to something ultimate—something we regard as stable, foundational, something trusted and secure. This sheds tremendous light upon our understanding of worldview, for worldview is a function of what we worship. The human heart will either worship God or an idol, the Creator or some aspect of creation (Rom 1:23-25). Out of that worshipping perspective on life comes our worldview, and out of that worldview flows our life direction and commitments. The god of one’s heart determines the light and direction of one’s life.xviii 3. We were created to be worshippers and servants to God. Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-20 that man’s problem is not a failure to conform to external rules, but actually an evil heart that generates sin. Matthew 15:18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”

34 Developing a Biblical Worldview “For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.” Objectivity: Being objective: not being influenced by feelings or interpretations – based on facts alone. (Opposite of subjectivity) Every view comes from somewhere, knowledge is always viewed from a perspective – there is no neutral ground. As C.S. Lewis says, “For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.” It can take a while for us to think in these terms, for we are used to listening to the experts without acknowledging that they have a perspective or worldview. Every so-called expert sees the world from a vantage point at the core of his being. As believing scientist Michael Polanyi has said, “As human beings, we must inevitably see the universe from a center lying within ourselves. Any attempt to eliminate our human perspective from our picture of the world must lead to absurdity.” For Polanyi, all knowledge was personal knowledge, and that fact could not be forgotten for the sake of science and as a component of a truly human life. The notion that the mind can operate with a complete absence of emotional feeling breaks down rationally.xix Proverbs 1:7 makes it crystal clear that we will not arrive at true knowledge unless our access point to the kingdom of knowledge rests upon the fear of God—this fact sheds great light on what is taking place in public universities. Unbelieving professors tend to suggest that they are operating from academic neutrality, as if all of their research is done in a ‘philosophy-free zone’. But this assertion is to suggest that they did not enter the realm of knowledge through a worldview gate, but instead utilized total objectivity, as if the facts being studied contain their own interpretation and do not require a frame of reference in order to interpret them. I have a fossil sea shell in my living room. There is no date inscribed on it which reveals it age. It does not have a record of its ancestors or descendants, nor does is have the story of how it died. In spite of this, Darwinists teach that this fossil is tens of millions of years old, and that it is an ancestor of more complex life forms. This assumption is their ‘frame of reference’ by which they interpret data—they seek to ‘prove’ the theory of evolution by the theory of evolution (that is by assuming the theory is true, and then imposing it on facts). 4. Every view comes from somewhere, knowledge is always viewed from a perspective – there is no neutral ground. Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 35 Naturalism: A system in which man has no soul and the universe is closed (self-sustaining and unacted upon by a personal God). The vast majority of public university professors are operating with the following frame of reference: • man is the measure of all things, • the mind of man is reliable and autonomous (free to self-govern), • man is able to acquire knowledge without dependence upon God or His Word. But that atheistic view tends to expose students to academic bullying. For instructors conceal their worldview commitments and pose as if they possess complete objectivity. The majority of these professors hold to the worldview of naturalism in which man has no soul and the universe is closed (the universe is self-sustaining opposed to being sustained by God). In that worldview, supernatural events are regarded as impossible. But they have presupposed this worldview, they have not proven it to be true, but assumed it. The naturalistic worldview has seven major points: 1) The physical universe is all there is and God does not exist. 2) The universe operates uniformly by natural law in a closed system. 3) Humans have evolved from lower lifeforms – the mind and personality are functions of a biological organism. 4) Death is the extinction of the person. 5) Ethics are established by human beings, not God, and ethics are relative. 6) History is a purposeless process with an uncertain future. 7) Science will give us all the knowledge that we need as a species, and technology as the offspring of science is the hope of the survival of the race. These seven points make up the worldview of most of the academy. Naturalism is their perspective – the worldview where they are standing when they approach the kingdom of knowledge. Therefore, these seven points will completely shape their conclusions as well. Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four A professor friend of mine relayed that when his wife was attending the prestigious Wellesley College, she found that one of her professors was regularly battering Christianity in class. She went up to him after class and said, “You lecture as if you are totally objective and have no worldview bias. I would like you to own/acknowledge your worldview of naturalism in class. And, if you don’t, I will ask you to in class.” The surprised professor from then on showed respect for Christianity and asked this female student’s view on every topic. 5. Many public university professors are operating with the assumption that man is the central frame of reference. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Hebrews 1:3a “And He [the Son] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”

36 Developing a Biblical Worldview 1) The infinite, personal, triune God is the Maker of heaven and earth. 2) The created universe exists is an open system with uniformity of cause and effect (i.e. the course of nature acts with regularity). 3) Human beings are created in God’s image, and they possess unique faculties, dignity, and worth. 4) Sin accounts for the troubled, broken human condition, and sin has been atoned for by the sacrifice of Christ, who reconciles believers to God and renews their humanity through faith. 5) There is a transcendent moral order rooted in God’s character which holds the human race accountable. 6) The larger story of history revolves around the themes of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration leading to the final fulfillment of God’s purposes on earth. 7) Humans have been created with a capacity for knowledge and are capable of knowing God and the world with the assistance of natural and special revelation (such as creation and Scripture). Even a brief glance at the seven Christian distinctives above shows that there is an intrinsic, holistic unity to the truth taught. Christian worldview sets forth the coherence of life in its moral vision rooted in the fixed character of God. This affords a solid foundation for the moral judgments we ought to exercise in discerning erroneous worldviews.xx Worldview provides and an illuminating role on all of life. Worldview conveys a person’s deepest convictions and conceptions about the basic nature of reality and makeup of life. Worldviews demonstrate that knowledge is always perspectival (inseparable from who you are, and where you are standing). In this drawing we poke fun at the idea that this little amphibian has a strong motivation to evolve feet so someday he could wear sneakers. In reality, blind chance cannot anticipate what is needed. Mutations are harmful and are not waiting around until the rest of a complex design, like feet, accidently evolve. 5. By contrast, the Christian worldview has seven distinctives. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four

Developing a Biblical Worldview 37 R4.3 Why do people set heart commitments aside when they are deciding what to believe about God and about life? (2.2 and 2.3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R4.4 How would you inform an atheist that he or she is a worshipper? (2.3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R4.5 What difference does it make that the message of salvation through Christ is not based on a dream or vision, but upon actual, documented historical events? (2.5 and 2.6) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Viewing All of Life from God’s Perspective Brings Joy Lesson Four R4.1 Why does a unified worldview have the power to produce such joy in a believer? (1.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R4.2 What is academic bullying? (2.4) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

38 Developing a Biblical Worldview God has infallibly (without any error) communicated who He is through His Word, through His Son, and through the creation. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom 1:18-21). A. His Oneness: The Lord our God is one, the only living and true God. “…there is no God but one.” (1 Cor 8:4). “…there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him” (1 Cor 8:6; Deut 6:4). B. His Self-existence: He is self-existent and infinite in being and perfection. “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation” (Jer 10:10). “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. Surely My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand together.” (Is 48:12-13). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five OBJECTIVES: This lesson answers the problem, “How can we worship and love the God whom we know so little about?” Solution – a brief summary of the doctrine of God: I. God has revealed His own character and attributes. II. God owns, upholds, rules, and defines His creation. III. God exists as an eternal, Tri-unity of Persons. IV. A true knowledge of God comes only through Jesus Christ the Lord. I. God has revealed His character and attributes. 1. God has infallibly communicated who He is. 2. God is uniquely characterized by specific attributes.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 39 C. His Incomprehensibility: His essence (i.e. nature) cannot be understood by anyone but Himself. God cannot be equated with anything in the creation. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Ex 3:14). “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7; Is 5:8-9). D. His Spirituality: He is a perfectly pure spirit. He is invisible and has no body, or changeable emotions or passions. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn 4:24). “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim 1:17). “who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light…” (1 Tim 6:16). E. His infinitude (infinite/unlimited) and immutability (changelessness): He is infinite, unchangeable, immense (He transcends all space), and He is eternal. God is immutable, He does not change. In every way He is absolutely holy, perfectly wise, wholly free, completely absolute. “Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Ps 90:2). “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” (1 Ki 8:27). “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Mal 3:6). “And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory’.” (Is 6:3). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five 2. God is uniquely characterized by specific attributes. (continued) God’s justice is not compromised when He shows great mercy because Christ, by His cross, satisfied the justice of God against sin on behalf of every sinner who believes. It may not make sense to us to read what God tells Moses, “I am who I am.” But consider that God is utterly unique and cannot be equated with anything in the creation. “I am,” therefore speaks of God’s self-existence. Review the verses in section C above and Read Deuteronomy 4:9-19. 1. Write a sentence or two on why attempting to depict God by something in the creation is idolatry. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

40 Developing a Biblical Worldview F. His Sovereignty: He works all things according to the counsel of his own unchangeable and righteous will for His own glory. “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” (Ps 115:3). “Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” (Is 46:11; Eph 1:11). “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.” (Prov 16:4). “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36). G. His Love: He is most loving, gracious, merciful, and patient. He overflows with goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. He rewards those who seek Him diligently. “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth…’” (Ex 34:6; 1 Jn 4:8). H. His Justice: At the same time, He is perfectly just and terrifying in his judgments. He hates all sin and will certainly not clear the guilty. “However, You are just in all that has come upon us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.” (Neh 9:33). “The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” (Ps 5:5-6). “A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; the LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet” (Nah 1:2-3). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five 2. God is uniquely characterized by specific attributes. (continued) Review the verses in section F above. 2. Write a short prayer that focuses on God’s sovereignty and sovereign plans and what that means for you personally. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 41 A. His Self-sufficiency and independence: God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself. He is all-sufficient in Himself. He does not need any creature He has made, nor does He derive (by necessity) any glory from them (Eph 2:10). Instead, He demonstrates His own glory in them, by them, to them, and upon them. God alone is the source of all being, and everything is from Him, through Him, and to Him (Rom 11:34-36). “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself” (Jn 5:26). “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; do not forsake the works of Your hands” (Ps 138:8). “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes” (Ps 119:68). B. His dominion over all creation: He has absolute sovereign rule over all creatures, to act through them, for them, or upon them as He pleases. In His sight everything is open and visible. “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Dan 4:34b-35). “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb 4:13). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five II. God owns, upholds, rules, and defines His creation. 1. God’s relations to His creatures and His creation. Psalm 19: “The heavens are telling the glory of God. . .” The Lord has revealed Himself in Christ, our Savior, and in His infallible Word, but also, according to Psalm 19 and Romans 1:18-23 (and many other Biblical texts), God has revealed His divine nature in creation and in the conscience of man. Thus, every unbeliever is without excuse for his unbelief (Rom 1:18-20).

42 Developing a Biblical Worldview Transcendent Holiness: God’s righteous and holy nature is independent of the material universe and beyond physical laws. God is not measured by any created standard; He Himself is the standard of absolute holiness. A. His Absolute knowledge: His knowledge is infinite and infallible. It does not depend upon any creature, so for Him nothing is contingent or uncertain. “Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “So you think, house of Israel, for I know your thoughts…” (Ezek 11:5). “Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all” (Ps 139:4). B. His Transcendent Holiness: He is absolutely holy in all his plans, works, and commands. “There is no one holy like the LORD, indeed, there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God” (1 Sam 2:2). “The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds” (Ps 145:17). C. His Absolute claims upon His creatures: Angels and human beings owe to Him all the worship, service, or obedience that creatures owe to the Creator and whatever else He is pleased to require of them. “Saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.’ And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’ And the four living creatures kept saying, ‘Amen.’ And the elders fell down and worshiped” (Rev 5:12-14). The ‘fear of God’ is His rightful due. “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is your due! For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You” (Jer 10:7). D. His infinite worth and absolute beauty; God is wonderful, the focal point of existence, and He is worthy to be loved: His character is perfect, wonderful and excellent. We were created to be satisfied in Him and all that He is for us. It is the creature’s duty to live for His glory—that duty flows from our being made in His image. We glorify God by trust, thanksgiving, worship, and obedience. The Law summarizes love to God and neighbor as this: love God enough to live a life of gratitude to Him and love your neighbor enough not to covet. “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment” (Mt 22:37-38; Deut 6:4-5). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 2. God is worthy to be obeyed and worshipped. Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five

Developing a Biblical Worldview 43 This divine and infinite Being consists of three real Persons, the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three have the same substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence without this essence being divided. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt 28:19-20). “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves” (Jn 14:11). “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him” (1 Cor 8:6). “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (Jn 1:14, 18). “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal 4:6). All three Persons are infinite and without beginning and are therefore only one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being. “’You are My witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me’” (Is 43:10). Yet these three are distinguished by several distinctive characteristics and personal relations. This truth of the Trinity is the foundation of all of our fellowship with God and of our comforting dependence on him. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom 8:26-27). “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us” (Rom 8:33-34). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five III. God exists as an eternal, Tri-unity of Persons. 1. The unity of the three Persons. 2. The distinction between the three Persons. 3. The explanation and relevance of the Holy Trinity. Read John 14:14-20 (examine the notes in the MacArthur Study Bible for John 14:16). We see the beauty of the Trinitarian formula in the way we ought to pray: to the Father, in the Name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit. 3. Explain why this Trinitarian formula for prayer honors the Triune nature of God. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

44 Developing a Biblical Worldview Will you believe Jesus Christ as revealed in the truth of Scripture and then repent of your sin and follow Him or will you follow your own heart? For Christ has existed from all eternity—before the universe was made. Christ in His pre-existence precedes all things; He is before all things (Col 1:17). Christ’s eternal pre-existence is taught in John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Christ spoke of His eternal pre-existence. “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (Jn 17:5; 6:62). The Old Testament speaks of Christ’s eternal pre-existence. “From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Mic 5:2b). All things were created by Him and for Him (Col 1:16). All things in creation are upheld by Him (Col 1:17; Heb 1:3). All things came into being by Him (Jn 1:3). The world was made through Him (Jn 1:10). • He forgives sin (Col 3:13; Mk 2:5-12). • He bestows eternal life (Jn 10:28). • He receives and answers prayer (Jn 14:14; Acts 7:59). • He will raise the dead at the resurrection (Jn 5:21; 28-29; 11:24-25). • He builds the Church and keeps it (Eph 4:7-16; Mt 16:18). • He exercised absolute authority over the laws and institutions of God (over Law, Mt 5:31-38; over the Temple, Mt 12:6; over the Sabbath, Mt 12:8; over the Kingdom, Mt 16:19). • He is the final Judge of the world (Acts 10:42; 17:31; Jn 5:21-23, 26-29). Only One who is fully God could bear the infinite penalty for sin (Is 53:6). A being who is merely a creature and not God could never reveal God to man (Col 1:15); could not bring man back to God (1 Pet 3:18); could not be the perfect Mediator between God and man (I Tim 2:5). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five IV. A true knowledge of God comes only through Jesus Christ the Lord. 1. The pre-existence of Christ affirms His deity. 2. The role of Christ as Creator and Upholder affirms His deity. 3. The works of Christ testify that Jesus is God (only God can do these things).

Developing a Biblical Worldview 45 • He spoke of Himself as the supreme object of saving faith (Jn 14:1; 3:36). • He claimed that all other relationships must yield to Him; He requires that the believer must keep Him first in the affections (Mt 10:37; Lu 14:26). • He claimed that all the spiritual and eternal needs of humanity are met and satisfied in Him. Consider all of the “I am’s” that came from His lips: “I am” Bread, Way, Living Water, Door, Shepherd of the sheep. • Christ provides the knowledge of God (Mt 11:27; Jn 14:6), Rest for the soul (Mt 11:28-29), Fruit-bearing ability and energy (Jn 15:5), Rivers of living water (Jn 7:37), Sanctification (1 Cor 1:30; Heb 2:11; 12:2), Completeness for the believer (Col 2:10). • He repeatedly preached Himself as God’s eternal truth incarnate (Jn 14:6). • He demanded and received divine worship. Men and angels are created; they rightly refuse to receive worship: (Apostles said no, Acts 14:11-15; Peter said no, Acts 10:25-26; Angels said no, Rev 19:10; 22:8-9). Christ received worship: (from His disciples and followers, Mt 14:33; 28:9 from those upon whom He worked miracles, Mt 15:25; Jn 9:38). Worship was accepted by Christ, though Christ had declared that men should worship God alone (Mt 4:10). Christ’s oneness with the Father is such that, according to Scripture, man’s attitude toward Christ is man’s attitude toward God: • To know Him is to know God (Jn 8:19; 14:7) • To see Him is to see God (Jn 12:45; 14:9) • To believe in Him is to believe in God (Jn 12:44; 14:1) • To hate Him is to hate God (Jn 15:23) • To honor Him is to honor God (Jn 5:23) • To receive Him is to receive God (Mk 9:37) • The Father commands worship of the Son (Heb 1:6) • The host of heaven worships the Son (Rev 5:8-14) • Finally, all will worship Christ the Lord (Phil 2:10-11) NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five 4. The claims that Christ made of Himself could only be true of God. 5. Christ’s oneness with the Father affirms His deity. John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him.”

46 Developing a Biblical Worldview • Only begotten Son (Jn 3:16) • “Thy throne, O God” (Heb 1:8) • Mighty God (Is 9:6) • The First and the Last (Rev 1:17-18) • God blessed forever (Rom 9:5) • Lord of all (Acts 10:36) • Lord and Savior (2 Pet 3:2) • Lord of Glory (1 Cor 2:8; Ps 24:8-10) • King of Kings, Lord of Lords (Rev 19:16) • The True God and Eternal Life (1 Jn 5:20) • The Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:14) • Immanuel (God with us) (Is 7:24) “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The LORD said to My LORD, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32-36). Christ’s obedience unto death on a cross is cited as to why God has exalted Him above every created thing. “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:8-11). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ This smug little character says, “I think of God the way I imagine Him to be. . .” This sad image points to a common problem: countless people have an ‘idolatrous view’ of God that stems from their imaginations rather than from God’s authoritative self-revelation, the Scriptures. Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five 6. Christ has titles that belong only to the One who is truly God. 7. Christ’s Lordship is joined to His victory over sin and death. The deity of Christ refers to His divinity or divine nature as God, very God. 4. List at least three passages of Scripture which teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is God. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 47 Introduction to the Doctrine of God Lesson Five R5.1 Why does possessing a bare ‘God concept’ leave Christians spiritually weak? _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R5.2 It is rightly asserted that all pride is based upon ignorance. Read Psalm 100 and write down the truths designed to humble us. (1.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R5.3 Using a MacArthur Study Bible for reference, select one of the following passages which addresses knowing God: Hosea 6:1-3; Philippians 3:7-11; 2 Peter 3:17-18. Then, describe from your passage the importance of knowing God (as it is addressed in context). ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R5.4 Explain this statement: God doesn’t need glory from us, but He brings glory to Himself by creating us, by saving us, and by caring for us. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R5.5 When we study the Holy Trinity, we know that it is Christ, the only begotten Son of God laid His life down for His people. What is the role of the Father and the Holy Spirit in our salvation? (3.1-3.3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

48 Developing a Biblical Worldview The biblical mandate is that every genuine Christian should study the Godhead. Among the many benefits of studying God are the following: • the magnification or enlarging of the soul (to take in more and more of the glorious things of God); • humbling of the whole person; • personal consolation and comfort; • spiritual maturity, etc. The Bible also speaks of the consequence of not studying God: • you go through life ‘blindfolded’; • you waste your life; • you are tempted to nihilism (a meaningless existence); and • you ultimately lose your eternal soul (Ps 10; 2 Thess. 1:6-10).xxi NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six OBJECTIVES: In this lesson students will discover how and why we must endeavor to know God in a growing relationship of love, trust, and obedience. We will examine these major points: I. Why is the study of God so important? II. What are the qualities of people who know their God? III. How do we study the Bible in order to know God better? IV. Why does God demonstrate both grace and wrath? I. Why is the study of God so incredibly important? 1. It is a biblical mandate. John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’” The blindness apart from God’s illuminating Word can be expressed as follows: in life there are but two paths, two sets of values, two priorities, and two destinies. Without the light of God’s truth, men walk in darkness (Jn 8:12; 12:35; Prov 4:19). Our origin, calling, responsibility, and destiny are only known from God’s revelation, the Scriptures.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 49 The Father purposes salvation; The Son purchases salvation; and The Spirit applies salvation. There are five core principles of knowing God. These five principles are not merely helpful options, but are central to our purpose and are therefore pillar truths in Christian worldview: • God has spoken to man in His Word. It is given to make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim 3:15). • God is Lord and King of His world. He rules all things for His own glory, displaying His perfections in all He does that men and angels would worship and adore Him (Jer 10:7). • God is Savior. He is active in sovereign love through Christ to rescue believers from the guilt and power of sin and to adopt them and bless them as His children accordingly (Titus 2:14, 3:5). • God is triune, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and the work of salvation is one in which the three act together. The Father purposes salvation; the Son purchases salvation; and the Spirit applies salvation (Rom 8:26-34). • Godliness means responding to God’s self-revelation in trust, obedience, faith, worship, prayer, praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God’s Word. Only this is true religion (Rev 4:11; 5:12-14). The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 2. There are five core principles of knowing God that are central to our purpose. 1. How will you use your knowledge of God—what is your goal for biblical literacy (knowing your Bible)? Is your motive to know the truth in order to be conformed to it and transformed by it (Rom 12:1, 2) (to know, enjoy, and please God)? And if so, elaborate. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Read 2 Peter 3:14, 17-18. 2. Is your knowledge of God for the purpose of a clear vision of God and why? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

50 Developing a Biblical Worldview The real knowledge of God is not merely propositional truth (truth grounded in the infallible Word of God), but experiential knowledge accompanied by ‘joy inexpressible’ (1 Peter 1:8).xxii God’s redemptive plot, His story if you will, is ultimate reality. Thus, to be brought into ‘God’s story’ through salvation in Christ is to discover why you were born. It is to be adopted into God’s ‘forever family’, a place of perfect love and belonging. The blessed result of truly knowing God through Christ is seen in the following marks, or evidences of believing: • Believers have great energy for God (Dan 11:32). • They have great thoughts of God (Ps 145:1-6). • They show great boldness for God (Acts 5:29; 20:24; Eph 6:18-20). • They have great contentment in God (Rom 5:1; 1 Tim 6:6).xxiii How is this propositional truth about God actually turned into relational knowledge of God? (see the 5 principles/propositions in Section one, number 2 – 6.I.2) The answer is through Scripture meditation, faith, and obedience. When we act upon the knowledge of God in trust and obedience, it produces wisdom and a growing knowledge of God and spiritual maturity (Col 1:28-29). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six II. What are the qualities of people who know their God? 1. The real knowledge of God is experiential knowledge accompanied by joy inexpressible. 2. Propositional truth about God can be relational knowledge of God. This illustration is meant to show that as the believer is conformed to the truth of the Word of God, he or she will have a testimony that is both salt to influence others for righteousness sake and light to shine God’s truth into people’s lives. Read Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 3:7-10; James 1:19-27; 1 John 1:6, 2:29 3. According to the above Scriptures: Why is it not possible to ‘keep truth’ if one walks in habitual sin? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 51 Knowing God is eternal life (Jn 17:3; Jer 9:23-24; Hos 6:6). Knowing God through Christ restores our created purpose of loving fellowship with our Maker. Our whole business here is to know God; living as His image by reflecting Him through knowing Him (Eph 5:1, 2). The following three points help explain our relationship with God: • Knowing God is dependent upon His gracious self-disclosure and not upon our ambition—He is the initiator. He wills to make Himself known to His people. We cannot find God on our terms by casual seeking, by good deeds, or by religious rituals. God has told us we come to Him on His terms, through His Son (Jn 14:6). We come as ruined guilty sinners in need of a perfect Savior (Lu 18:10-14). Through the Gospel, God reveals Himself savingly to the convicted sinner in a sovereign act of illumination and calling (2 Cor 4:6; Gal 1:15, 16). • Salvation involves mutuality, “My beloved is mine; and I am his,” (Song of Songs 2:16). There is both mutual love and mutual knowing of one another (Jn 10:14). We are saved unto a covenant partnership with God. Biblical analogies of knowing God and being known include a sheep and shepherd; husband and wife; father and son; servant and master; etc.xxiv God has called us to personal communion with Himself. Two-way love is only possible if there is a degree of mutual knowledge of one another. • Knowing God involves His desire for us to be His friends (Jn 15:15) (friendship, the result of reconciliation, see 2 Cor 5:14-21). That means that our relationship with the Lord is based upon: - trust: we rely on His promises and we taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8). - commitment: we now serve Him, His truth and cause, His interests, and His people (Rom 12:1, 2). - communing: we are born for relationships and born again for relationship with God and the brethren. We give ourselves back to God daily in order to abide in Him (Jn 15:4-10). - obedience: we walk in obedience to Him and in loyalty to Him, caring for the relationship with Him He has given us by His grace (1 Jn 2:4, 9-11; 3:6, 11; 4:18-22). Read Romans 5:4-5, 8:16-17, 15:13; Galatians 5:22-24 Joyful mutuality means that the true believer knows that he or she is forgiven, loved, and secure. 4. How does a true believer come to that conviction and confidence? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six 3. Knowing God is about knowing and being known by Him. God has told us we come to Him on His terms, through His Son. (John 14:6)

52 Developing a Biblical Worldview When the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of Truth,” comes to indwell a person, that individual’s relationship to God’s Word is forever changed. For the Spirit illuminates and assists us in applying Scripture to ourselves so that we love the truth in order to do the truth (obey). The Holy Spirit enables the believer to think God’s thoughts after Him. The believer has, “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16) because of the Spirit’s ministry. The believer has ‘an anointing from the Holy One’ enabling him to receive the Scripture for what it is: the words of God Himself (1 Thess 2:13; 1 Jn 4:6). Also, the Spirit is the agent and witness of the authenticity and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 15:26; 15:27). The Spirit’s role in bearing witness to the truth is directly joined to our complete conviction that the Bible is the very Word of God. Thus, our proper response to the Spirit is to rely upon Him, recognize Him in His work, surrender to Him as the Author of God’s Word, and recognize that His witness authenticates our own Gospel witness (Jn 12:49-50; 17:8, 14; 16:12-14; 15:26-27).xxv The Bible world and our world are separated by thousands of years of history. How can I relate to God who was dealing with people who wrote on clay tablets and rode donkey’s? Yes, culturally the Bible world and our world are ‘light years’ apart, so we may ask, ‘what connects the Bible world to our world?’ The answer is God Himself. Believers of every age worship and serve the same unchanging God. In Himself God bridges the cultural, chronological gulf for He is unchanging. Consider that the true people of the God of Scripture throughout history have constancy and connection in their experience of God because of God’s immutability (unchangeability) (Ps 90:2; 93:2; 102:26-27; Is 48:12). This constancy may be expressed as: unchanging God, unchanging truth of God, unchanging ways of God, unchanging purposes of God, unchanging Son of God, and unchanging believers in God. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six III. How does God use our study of the Bible so we know Him better? 1. When the Holy Spirit comes to indwell a person, that individual’s relationship to God’s Word is forever changed. 2. God Himself bridges the cultural, chronological gap. Though the Bible world had only ‘ox cart’ technology, believers have a connection across time because the God who saves, sanctifies, and cares for them and us does not change. Read 1 Peter 5:10 and Hebrews 2:9-11 5. Describe the benefits that God produces in His child through testing and trials. ______________________________________________________________________ 6. Why is this faith response to the Father amidst our affliction a necessary part of walking faithfully with God? ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 53 When we study Scripture, we are coming face to face with God’s majesty. Our God is infinite in majesty (He is personal, yet majestic). The attributes and character of God will move a true believer to reverence and awe. When a genuine believer studies who God is in Scripture, that endeavor will not be treated merely as an exercise in gaining information; for the new birth has fitted the believer to respond to who God is with worship, honor, and adoration. As we study Scripture, there will be godly attitudes which are necessary in order to retain our grasp and spiritual sight of His majesty: • We will show readiness to face the trauma of ongoing repentance (confessing and forsaking the sin in our lives, 1 John 1:9). • We will require frequent reminders of His absolute authority (we do not live self-directed lives, but are called to live lives surrendered to God, Romans 6:16-23). • We will have to release any thoughts that God is manageable. • We will have to entertain thoughts that God is without limitations. What is to be our response to God’s majesty? • We must abandon human thoughts of God (Isaiah 55:6-11). • We must repent of our slowness to believe God (Heb 3:7-4:2). • We must learn to wait upon God (Ps 37:3-9). • We must practice holy expectation toward God. He is glorified when we treat Him as trustworthy, expecting Him to keep His promises toward us (see Ps 103; 105; 106; etc.). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six 3. Scripture brings us face to face with God’s majesty. ‘Facing the trauma of ongoing repentance’ means that a true Christian will at times experience a degree of devastation over indwelling sin. So rather than excusing his or her sin, a true believer is willing to say the same thing about his sin as God does in His Word. Read Proverbs 28:13. 7. What does it mean to confess and forsake one’s transgressions? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 8. Review the bulleted points above (section III part 3). Compose a short prayer incorporating several of the points. Ask the Lord to help you prepare your heart so that you will come to the study of the Word with those attitudes in mind. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Proverbs 28:13 “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”

54 Developing a Biblical Worldview We must come to the Word acknowledging our utter dependence upon God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom in dealing with His people is recorded in historical narratives of Scripture. The wisdom of God: how do we properly relate to the infinite wisdom of God? • Understand that God is in the pride destruction “business” (1 Cor 1:18-25). • Realize that all pride is based upon willful ignorance of the truth (Prov 16:18). • Affirm that God has declared that His purpose is to destroy human wisdom (1 Cor 1:18-31). • Trust that God is manifesting His perfect wisdom in dealing with His people (Jude 1:25). The following truths and attitudes constitute our proper response to God’s wisdom:xxvi • Realize He is renewing true believers to the image of Christ (Rom 8:28-30). • Understand that we constantly need to rely on God’s wisdom (Prov 3:5, 6). • Have reverence for God by maintaining the attitude “my Father knows best” (Heb 12:9). • Trust God while being suspicious of self (as the Psalmist does) (Ps 19:12; 39:23, 24). • Know that wisdom is not the ability to figure out His providence (Eccl 3:11). • Commit yourself to display the true fruit of wisdom which is faithfulness (1 Cor 4:2). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six 4. We must acknowledge our utter dependence upon God’s wisdom. What key examples of divine wisdom do you see in God’s dealings with the patriarchs in the book of Genesis? We marvel at God’s wisdom in how He brought Joseph to the throne in Egypt in order to save the Mediterranean world from famine. One Bible professor challenged his students in this way: try to think up a different way God could have taken a Jewish shepherd lad and put him on the throne in Egypt. Of course, the Bible students were baffled by their professor’s challenge and admitted they had not a clue. The unique way Joseph was brought to the throne in Egypt is a powerful testament to God’s infinite wisdom in His providential dealings.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 55 God governs by means of His Word. He rules over all by means of His Word (2 Pet 3:5-7). God and His Word are one in terms of purpose, perfection, power, and authority. God’s Word is His executive instrument by which He rules His people and exercises His sovereignty over all. The whole of the Scriptures maintains this truth. Thus, the Word of God is our foundation for all of life. The following points set forth the proper reverence we ought to have for the authority of God’s Word: • God’s commands are true (guarding love, dignity, humanness, and virtue) (Deut. 30:19, 20). • God’s commands set boundaries which are wise, just, good, and loving (Ps 19:7-11). • God’s promises are backed by God’s honor and attributes (Ps 119:89-96; 138:2). • God’s followers must believe and trust Him in order to obey Him (Heb 4:1-4). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six 5. God governs us by means of His Word. God and His Word are one in terms of purpose, perfection, power and authority. I was debating an atheist who made what he thought was his crowning argument, “I would never bend the knee a god who would allow a child to starve.” My answer was two-fold, “You didn’t derive that value from Darwin, he taught survival of the fittest; he believed that evolution progresses as nature takes its course in eliminating the weak.” Next, I mentioned that he seemed sensitive to suffering, but not to sin (its ultimate cause). “If you are asking God to remove all suffering without removing sin, you are asking for Him to square a circle, something impossible. And, if God did invade history to remove all suffering by removing all sin, what assurances do you have that you would not be swept away in judgment?” In His goodness and longsuffering, God has a time table in which He will judge the world (Rom 2:1-16). The Bible states, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14). Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”

56 Developing a Biblical Worldview Moral Ill-desert: Because of our moral failure and rebellion, we deserve condemnation and eternal punishment. Only the grace of God in Christ can deliver us—we are saved from condemnation by Christ’s perfect sacrifice and righteousness. Retributive Justice: The justice of God in meting the severity of punishment so that it matches the crime. Retributive justice is final judgment, there is no rehabilitation of the criminal. Spiritual Impotence: The inability and helplessness of the sinner to reform himself, please God, or change his own heart. Sinners in their stubbornness are opting for the wrath of God by refusing to believe and repent (Jn 3:19-21; Mk 9:47; Mt 16:24-26; Rom 2:1-12). These four points help shed light upon God’s wrath: 1.) The meaning of God’s wrath: the wrath of God is His settled anger; it is His holy and just response to sin (Nahum 1:2-8; Rom 2:5; 5:9; Eph 2:3; Rev 17-18; 20). 2.) The revelation of God’s wrath: impenitent sinners are being given over to their sins in a present revealing of God’s wrath even now (Rom 1:18-23; 24-28). 3.) The deliverance from God’s wrath: the work of Christ saves true believers from the wrath to come (Rom 3:9-10, 19-26, 5:9; 1 Thess 1:10; 5:9) 4.) The manifestation for God’s wrath: the perfection of God’s holiness is made manifest in divine wrath. God will demonstrate His holy avenging justice on vessels of wrath according to Romans 9:22 (see also 2 Thess 1:9-10). Because God is Judge, His retribution is comprehensive, extending to “every careless word,” (Mt 12:36, 37) (See also, Gen 18:25; Rev 20:12- 13; Rom 2:6-11; 2 Cor 5:10). “Grace is only grace if hell is hell.” Thus, God’s grace is best understood against the backdrop of the following Scriptural truths: • The moral ill-desert of man: we fall hopelessly short of God’s requirements (Rom 3:9-19). • The retributive justice of God: He is holy and righteous in punishing all sin (Mt 5:22, 27-32). • The spiritual impotence of man: sinners cannot deliver themselves (Jer 13:23; 17:9-10). • The sovereign freedom of God: the Lord freely chooses His objects of mercy (Rom 9:15-16). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six IV. Why does God demonstrate both grace and wrath? 1. Sinners in their stubbornness are opting for the wrath of God. 2. Because God is Judge, His retribution is comprehensive. Grace is only grace if hell is hell.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 57 Incarnation: The eternal Son of God taking on human form. The incarnation of the Son of God was necessary in order for Him to die on behalf of His people (Jn 1:14; Heb 2:17-18; 4:15-16). “. . . although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8). Christ, by His sacrifice, quenched the just wrath of God against our sins, on behalf of all who will believe (Rom 3:24-26).xxvii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six 3. The Incarnation of the Son of God was necessary. Romans 8:3 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh” According to Hebrews chapters 2-4, there are more than a dozen glorious effects of Christ’s life and incarnation on behalf of believing sinners. Read Hebrews 2:9-18. 9. Write down at least 3 benefits of Christ’s redemptive work. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Hebrews 2:17 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Our Savior was born into the human race that He might fulfill the mission given to Him by His Heavenly Father, which was to lay down His life in order to redeem sinners.

58 Developing a Biblical Worldview The Importance of Knowing God Lesson Six R6.1 Why is knowing God so important in our study of Christian worldview? (1.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R6.2 List two of the qualities of those who know their God. (2.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R6.3 Why can God’s grace only be properly understood against the backdrop of human sin and condemnation? (4.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R6.4 Why is it impossible to keep both truth and sin? (2.2) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R6.5 When we read the Old Testament narratives of God dealing with men and women, what connects our experience to those who walked with God thousands of year ago? (3.2) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R6.6 When we study God’s majesty, we must prepare ourselves to be rocked and staggered (for God cannot be compared to anything in the creation). Name two attitudes or responses which must accompany our study of God’s majesty? (3.3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 59 Humanistic Thinking: Attaches prime importance to human rather than divine matters. Because of sin, it is natural for mankind to trust human reasoning in place of the Word of God. But when this arrogant perspective is set forth in philosophy and is then accepted by a culture, that unbelieving outlook can become the dominant way of seeing life. In Nancy Pearcey’s landmark book, Total Truth, she describes how the acceptance of this false philosophy ‘split’ the Western mind. By split we mean that knowledge became divided into two different categories: facts and values. Facts, things that could be measured in a laboratory such as weight and density, were regarded as ‘real’. And things which would not fit in a test tube, such as Biblical truth claims, values, and morals, were regarded as less real and as mere personal preferences. This split way of thinking (facts versus values) fills our public universities today and has become so widespread, it has become the prevailing worldview of every educational, political center in the Western world. The arrogant claim of humanistic thinking is that man’s reason can function just fine, independently of God’s Word. Reason is regarded as both capable and competent to understand all facts outside of theology. The ‘creed’ of the Enlightenment (early 17th C.) was human autonomy: Truth is discovered by reason alone and not by the study of God’s Word. Therefore, it makes sense to overthrow all external authority; for man’s reason, apart from God’s revelation, is utterly competent. Nature is the only reality. Science is the sole path to truth. William of Ockham, a 14th C. English philosopher, took God out of rational categories, relegating the divine to an idea conceived of by men. As humanism progressed, reality began to be identified, not with God’s thoughts and purposes, but with scientific materialism and with its vision of a mechanistic universe (a view of the cosmos in which matter operates by natural laws; God, as Designer and Upholder, is out of the picture). In this view, whatever is not subject to scientific study is an illusion.xxviii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven OBJECTIVES: Students will be introduced to the secular thought forms which push Biblical truth claims into an illogical category. The following questions will be explored: I. How has humanistic philosophy shaped Western thought? (The enthronement of human reason) II. How did the Biblical worldview of theism become ‘privatized’? III. How can believers engage in effective personal evangelism in a world of postmodern/cultural relativism? I. The enthronement of human reason: How has humanistic philosophy shaped Western thought? 1. When faith and reason are torn from divine revelation, God’s truth becomes arbitrary. Man is not autonomous (able to function independently from God’s authority or truth). The unsaved person is alienated from God and hostile in mind toward God. The natural man is an enemy of God in his mind. (see Colossians 1:21)

60 Developing a Biblical Worldview The beginning of secular dualism is generally traceable to French philosopher, Rene Descartes (1596-1650). Nature, animals, the cosmos, the human body were all seen as “machines.” As merely clusters of molecules obeying the cause and effect laws of nature. Walker Percy’s quote regarding Descartes is noteworthy, “[a] dread chasm has rent the soul of Western man ever since the famous philosopher Descartes ripped body loose from mind and turned the very soul into a ghost that haunts its own house.” If nature is but a machine-like mechanism governed by natural laws (like gears of a clock) then how is there room in this scheme for human spirit or soul? The path to universal truth was increasingly viewed as science and not as religion.xxix God’s thoughts were placed in a separate domain that did not touch the world of phenomena. Kant’s dualism has been the major shaper of Western thought. The humanistic philosophies that preceded Kant have passed through his perspective as through a funnel. Kant is responsible for popularizing the two-level approach to truth. In Kant’s two realm theory of truth, knowledge is depicted as occupying two different floors of a building. The autonomous self resides in the upper story. And the lower story is occupied by material reality. The world and its contents are viewed as a great machine (molecules obeying natural laws). (Immanuel Kant lived from 1724-1804). Kant made human reason into God. For man’s mind (apart from divine revelation) was viewed as the determiner of truth, reality, and all categories of knowledge. In this split view of truth, the lower story constitutes accepted facts about our world. The upper story contains values, morals, and socially agreed upon norms of behavior. According to Kant, God, the soul, and immortality all belong in the upper story. Kant’s understanding of reality has been so thoroughly popularized that most Westerners don’t even bother to question his fact/value split perspective on truth! They just assume that his way of conceiving of the world matches reality. Without even knowing the name ‘Kant’, today’s rising generation can parrot his two-level perspective of knowledge as their own personal world and life view. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven 2. Rene Descartes’ philosophic approach to truth left a legacy of secular dualism. 3. Philosopher Immanuel Kant’s two-realm concept of truth became a major force in shaping Western thought. The facts versus values drawing is meant to show how humanists and relativists view values and morals. They regard them to be relative to the individual, to be solely a matter of choice; merely personal preferences, and not anchored in the absolute truth and fact of God’s moral government. This depicts the erroneous idea that God cares only about one’s soul, and not the physical body (i.e. the body is merely like the seashell inhabited by the hermit crab). According to Scripture, body and soul function together, the deeds of the body revealing what the heart serves.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 61 When man is defined as a ‘biological machine’ (a mere coincidence of nature without innate meaning, value, dignity, or purpose)—it leaves an immense moral vacuum (mankind is left to drift upon a shore-less sea of relativism). What Kant had begun to systematize in philosophic theory, Charles Darwin completed. Darwin filled the final gap to complete a naturalistic picture of the universe. So much so, that the upper story (values, faith, religion, morality) was cut off from any connection to history, science, and reason. After all, if evolution produced the human mind, then religion and morality are not transcendent truths (timeless and universal) but are human inventions. Evolutionary theory, masquerading as empirical science (as if the data supported the evolutionary theory), made it possible to be an ‘intellectually fulfilled’ atheist. For Darwin had completed a naturalistic portrait of the universe, and he claimed to have done so using ‘science’. As Darwin’s theory gained in popularity, his speculations were increasingly accepted as the scientific explanation as the origin of life. Many Christian leaders began to ‘back-pedal’ as paleontologists (the branch of science which studies fossils) placed additional fossils on public display (as if each fossil find were another nail in the coffin of special creation). Evolutionists hailed the discovery of each new fossil to be ‘proof’ that the origin of the species took tens of millions of years. In order to retain the integrity of the Bible, leading theologians felt they had to accept the idea of theistic evolution—that God must have used millions of years of evolution to create people, animals, and plants.xxx NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven 4. When man is defined as a ‘biological machine’ it leaves an immense moral vacuum. 5. Why did the church begin to retreat in the face of Darwin’s evolutionary theory? As each newly discovered fossil was displayed in museums and in newspapers, it was assumed that these bones supported Darwin’s idea of millions of years of evolution. The story the fossils actually told was of the Genesis flood, the catastrophic judgment of the world by water. Read Psalm 94:7-11. 1. Explain why v. 7 illustrates an atheistic and autonomous attitude. Explain how that arrogant attitude is answered in vv. 8-11. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

62 Developing a Biblical Worldview Non-determined moral agents: As creatures made in God’s image, we are responsible to God. We are not programmed by nature (biology) so as to be determined by causes external to our will. Free Moral Agency: An individual as a ‘moral agent’ is free and completely responsible for his/her actions to God. Ethics require beings that are free, rational, non-determined moral agents. As Bible-believing Christians, we would stress that as moral agents made in the moral image of God, we answer to an external, fixed, universal standard of morality which corresponds to conscience. Scripture indicates that the moral law of God is written on every man’s conscience (Rom 2:13-16). But according to philosophic naturalism, ethics depend upon the reality of something which a material view of reality declares unreal (ethics are ‘upper story’ only). If one is to be consistent with evolutionary naturalism, one must deny free moral agency—thus the only way to arrive at ethics is to take an irrational leap into the upper story. Naturalism can only give us a model of human nature that is mechanical and determined. For, in the worldview of naturalism, freedom and dignity become fiction—they have no logical basis. Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 6. One has no rational basis for morality if man is a biological machine. Francis Schaeffer offers this example: When naturalism tries to define man, it’s like trying to stuff a 165 lb. man into a one-gallon garbage can, he just won’t fit! It is hopelessly reductionistic to propose that human life with its countless anatomical complexities and with its unified faculties of body and soul is a product of blind, purposeless chance. Only the truth that man is made in the image of God explains man’s meaning, dignity, purpose, creativity, relationships, morals, soul, dominion, etc. There is no upper story ‘leap’ into the irrational when we define man as God defines man—as the image of God (and there is no ‘reductionistic garbage can’ necessary!). Romans 2:13-16 “…for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 63 Naturalism (the prevailing worldview of the academy) cannot explain the world and cannot explain man’s place in it. In chemistry, there are some acids that are so corrosive it is difficult to find containers to hold them. Daniel Dennett, in discussing Darwin’s dangerous idea suggests that evolution functions like a ‘universal acid’ which ‘eats up’ all other proposed universals (or absolute truths). Once evolution was embraced by the academy, the lower story ‘ate up’ the upper story. In other words, the lower story (a materialistic view of the universe) ‘ate up’ morality and meaning. The fact that morality and meaning can only be attained by an upper story leap into irrationality shows that naturalism is a rotten worldview. Without man as the image of God—there is no objective basis for right and wrong. In the two-level approach to truth, the fact realm (lower story) wars against the value, morality, meaning, dignity realm (upper story). Why? Because the philosophy of naturalism seeks to persuade us of a materialistic explanation for everything! According to naturalism, all phenomena (including human behavior) rest upon reality’s ‘ultimate’ foundation which is matter, motion, and natural law. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven 7. Naturalism cannot explain the world and cannot explain man’s place in it. Darwin’s fish eating up Christianity and every concept but itself. Because evolutionary theory attributes everything to time and chance, it cancels out the source of meaning and purpose. Thus, it has been called a universal acid because it corrodes every truth it touches. An anthropology professor who is an acquaintance of mine is an atheist. He shared with me that in graduate school he wrote a thesis proposing that emotional needs accounted for the origin of religion. His premise was that religion is not based upon truth but is traceable to psychological needs such as security and community. In order to do his ‘research’ he joined a church, pretending to be a believer! He wanted to be up close to the ‘lab rats’ in his experiment. His aim was to explain everything in religion as attributable to evolution, even worship, prayer, fellowship, sacrifice, and love. After conducting his deception for a year, church leaders were so impressed by his consistent church attendance, they asked if he would like to be an evangelist. This sad account illustrates that my professor friend felt justified that evolution could explain everything. And, as such, evolution functioned like a universal acid, eating up every truth claim (every universal truth). While this professor pretended to be objective as a university-trained secular anthropologist, the theory of evolution is utterly bankrupt, not only in its absence of proof from science, but also in its complete inability to give an account of meaning, purpose, dignity, etc. My professor friend must borrow (steal) meaning, love, logic, order, morality, conscience, beauty, etc. from Christian worldview. In other words, his daily experience does not match his evolutionary worldview, he does not live as if there were no meaning, purpose, or innate dignity. He does not order his life as if he is a biological robot, a coincidence of nature, determined by natural forces. He actually believes his decisions and thoughts really matter and have significance.

64 Developing a Biblical Worldview Liberalism: A political and moral philosophy emphasizing equality and tolerance. Often leaning toward socialism and rejecting Biblical orthodoxy. Cultural relativism is the view that the beliefs and practices held by a culture should not be judged by an absolute truth standard but instead from that culture’s point of view. In cultural relativism there are no mutually exclusive truth claims, only differing points of view, for everything is relative to the ideas of a particular culture or community. And since theism and relativism are mutually exclusive, in order to survive, theism was put into the upper story of the non-cognitive—and thus, seen as a value not fact. Liberalism accepts lower story materialism as the explanation of reality. As a result, theology is thrust into the upper story (the realm of subjective ideas and values where things exist that are not factual). In order ‘be accepted’, or should we say ‘tolerated’, the worldview of theism attempted to ‘wed’ itself with cultural relativism. The result was a complete loss of religious relevance. Here’s why, theism and relativism are mutually exclusive worldviews. It is impossible to be faithful to God’s Word if one makes its truths merely the ‘point of view’ of Christian culture. Therefore, in order to survive in a relativistic culture, theism retreated into the upper story (of the non-cognitive and irrational). Since the worldview of materialism cannot coexist with theism, the only place remaining for Christian worldview in a relativistic culture was private religion. Believers have seen this radical shift; Christianity has lost its influence in the public square. The former impact Christianity had in government, education, and culture has been eliminated. The last holdout area permitted by our society is solely the realm of one’s ‘private convictions’. ‘Keep your religion to yourself’ is the mantra in our post-Christian world, ‘your Christianity is safe only in the pew, but not in the public sector’. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven II. How did the Biblical worldview of theism become ‘privatized’? 1. Christianity sought ‘peace’ with cultural relativism. 2. Theism attempted to ‘wed’ itself with cultural relativism. This upper story category for religious truth claims is reminiscent of what a little girl said when asked if she could give a definition of faith: “Yes, of course,” she said, “Faith is believing in things that are not real.” She must have never read Hebrews 11:1-6 Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Read the account of the trial of the Apostle Paul (Acts Ch. 24-26) 2. What were some of the charges brought against Paul? (See 24:5-6, 25:24, 26:24). ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 3. Name some of the accounts listed in his defense at his trial which show that his faith was not kept private. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 65 We are sent by Christ into a postmodern culture of metaphysical lost-ness. People are not only spiritually lost and alienated from God, they are also metaphysically lost in that they cannot answer the most basic questions about the nature of reality: Who made me? Who am I? What am I? Because of a prevalent two-story view of truth, our culture has no solid basis for: dignity, freedom, personal identity, morality, or ultimate purpose. Each of these is regarded as an upper story category with no grounding in definite knowledge— that destructive conclusion by materialists is due to the fact that each of these has no real foundation in a materialistic universe. The use of God’s moral Law (the 10 Commandments) in evangelism is a powerful tool to expose mankind’s need of salvation in Christ. (See the use of the moral law in: James 2:10; Rom 2:15; 3:19, 20; 7:7; Gal 3:11, 24; 1 Jn 3:4). The law is the authoritative expression of God’s holy character. And as the appointed diagnostic tool of the human condition, the law applied does the following, it: • Reveals that every person has transgressed God’s commands; the law brings the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20), • Exposes the heart of man (he has a bad heart and a bad record in heaven) (Jer. 17:9), • Stops the mouth of sinners from justifying themselves (Rom 3:19), • Reveals that God looks on sin as that which separates from Him (Is 59:2; Eph 2:12; 4:18), and • Acts as a schoolmaster (or tutor) to show us our need of Christ (Gal 3:24). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven 3. Christ sends us into a modern culture of metaphysical lost-ness. Theologian Francis Schaeffer founded the L’Abri Christian retreat center in Switzerland in 1955. This mountain hideaway was designed to be a place for seekers to find answers concerning Christ and the Biblical worldview. A newlywed couple lodging there had stayed up all night talking. Francis had seen their light on and approached them at breakfast. They told him that life is short, and they wanted to spend every possible minute getting to know one another. Here is what Schaeffer said to them: there is something you need to know if you are to succeed. The best way to know each other is to both know the God who knows you exhaustively. I know who you are because I know the God who made you both; you are created in the image of God for fellowship with Him. It is interesting that Francis laid the foundation for the gospel by answering the most fundamental question of existence, who am I? This same couple came to saving faith in Christ that week. III. How can believers engage in effective personal evangelism in a world of postmodern/cultural relativism? 1. The use of God’s moral Law in evangelism is a powerful tool to expose mankind’s need of salvation in Christ. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

66 Developing a Biblical Worldview Man’s conscience apart from Scripture cannot be trusted to accurately assess the seriousness of sin and its verdict of death and separation from God. The moral law (10 Commandments) stops every mouth that all may become guilty before God (Rom 3:19). Only by proclaiming the character of God and the immutability of His law will sinners conclude that they are lawbreakers in God’s sight who deserve eternal condemnation. ‘…Sin is lawlessness.’ (1 Jn 3:4b). Here are the 10 Commandments explained: The First Commandment: Have no other gods before Me. We haven’t loved God supremely—we haven’t treasured Him and valued Him and pressed on to know Him. We have chosen things in place of God and disregarded Him, despising His ownership of us. We have regarded His loving rule over us to be an intrusion. We have made other gods out of our own will, our own way, and our cravings. The Second Commandment: You shall not make for yourself an idol. We have set our affections on the world; we have worshipped and served the creature and creation instead of God. We have made idols of our lusts and desires. We have refused to love God by a life of continual thanksgiving to Him. The Third Commandment: Do not take the Name of the Lord God in vain. We have not sanctified and set apart the Name of the Lord—we have used God’s Name casually and irreverently. We have dragged His Name into our conversations without reverence and fear and with no thought of His holiness. We have had no passion for His honor and glory. We have been too cowardly to defend His character when others have dishonored His Name in our presence. The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Though not a New Testament ordinance, the principle of setting aside time to draw near to God is timeless. We have failed in this by not leaving our pursuits and pastimes to actively seek God. We have not made it a priority to worship God, to serve Him, and to make Him known to our fellow creatures. We have not come away from our schedules to give Him the best of our thoughts and conversation. We are by nature Sabbath-breakers. The Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother. We have disobeyed by dishonoring our parents countless times. We have deemed them unworthy of our obedience and respect. We have talked back to them and undermined their authority. We have promised obedience and then withheld it. We have been ungrateful having disregarded their God-appointed authority in our lives. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven 2. The moral law stops every mouth that all may become guilty before God.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 67 Here are the 10 Commandments explained (continued): The Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder. In 1 John 3:15 we are told that to hate your brother is murder because it is a spirit of murder. Have you despised and resented those who have mistreated you? Have you held a grudge and wished for someone’s downfall, misfortune, failure, and destruction? Have you entertained violent thoughts against those who have offended you? Have you lashed out in angry words? (Mt 5:22). Do you harbor unforgiveness? Have you sought your own vengeance by gossip and slander? The Seventh Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. This encompasses all sexual sin. We have allowed lusts to rule us. We have looked upon others as sexual objects of desire in our minds. Jesus said that to do that can be adultery in the heart (Mt 5:28). We have entertained discontent with our marriage partner and allowed imaginary lovers to enter the mind. We have loved our lusts above God’s honor. We have not cared to reflect God’s purity in our thinking, desiring, and looking. The Eighth Commandment: You shall not steal. We have many times taken what is not ours. We have robbed employers of a full day’s work. We have cheated on tests and homework. We have robbed God by using our resources for our pleasures without a thought of giving to His Kingdom and the spread of the Gospel. We have stolen the reputation of others by gossiping. We have borrowed from others and not returned, and we have cheated others out of fairness by our greed. The Ninth Commandment: Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. We have lied and covered our sin. We have altered the truth to protect ourselves. We have exaggerated, embellished, and distorted the truth to make ourselves look more favorable. We have misrepresented the character of others. We have not sought the truth in the inward man but have lied to ourselves about God’s faithfulness. We have allowed dishonesty to enter our speech. The Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet. We have desired what is not ours but another’s. We have believed it should be ours and not our neighbor’s. We have envied or been jealous of what others have. We have been secretly happy at the misfortune of those around us. We have been secretly saddened by the promotions and prosperity of those around us. We have complained and grumbled— indulging in self-pity and discontentment. We have felt elevated by the moral downfall of others. We have compared ourselves to others instead of living in gratitude to God for grace. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven

68 Developing a Biblical Worldview God is just and fair to shut impenitent (unrepentant) sinners out of the enjoyment of His glory forever (Mt 10:28). Sinners who reject God’s authority, who do not fear God or believe God, are liable to death and judgment (Mt 12:36). They will experience God’s verdict, the separation of their souls from God forever in eternal punishment (Rom 6:23). The Ten Commandments are not the ‘ten suggestions’, for God is the ‘moral governor’ of the universe. He owns what He created. He rules and judges by His laws. The 10 Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:1-17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. • Initiate conversation – This will take courage. We use the law of God in evangelism because sinners must see themselves as lost before they will cry for mercy; they will not seek to escape danger until they see their desperate condition. The law humbles the proud (Lu 10:25-37; 18:18-25; Mt 21:23-32). Jesus brought conviction using the law of God (Jn 4:7-26). Ideas for gospel conversation: “May I ask if you lean more toward the Eastern or the Christian teaching on spirituality? Do you come from a Christian background?” Remember, every person is made in the image of God, and therefore carries God’s moral image in his or her conscience (Rom 2:14-16). An evidence of that fact is that even an atheist likes to think of himself as a “good” person. • Apply the law – Can you name some, or all, of the Ten Commandments? “Why do you think God gave us the Ten Commandments? As a way to get to heaven or as a mirror to look at to see our sin? Have you ever lied, stolen, dishonored your parents, been greedy, lusted, hated someone?” Can you see how the Ten Commandments are like a mirror? They show us that we have broken God’s laws and that we have taken pleasure in sin. They show us that we need to be clean in God’s sight before the Day of Judgment. The day is coming when God will punish those who have broken His commandments. They will be separated from God forever in a place called hell (Mk 9:43-50). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 3. God has born witness to man’s moral and spiritual condition. 4. Five steps in using the law of God in evangelism. Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven Unbelievers assume it is possible to be good enough to go to heaven. The law overturns that error by showing us just how much we need Christ as Savior. Thus, according to Scripture, the moral law of God serves as a mirror to show us our sin not a ladder to climb to heaven.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 69 • Ask about his specific standing before God – Since God judges everyone by the Ten Commandments, do you think you will be found innocent or guilty? Bring up the fact that sin in the heart is serious before God; He regards lust as adultery – Mt 5:27-28; and hatred as murder – 1 Jn 3:15.) If he answers ‘innocent’, ask, “Why is that?” If he admits his guilt, ask, “Do you think you will be with God in heaven or separated from Him in hell?” If he says he doesn’t believe in hell, state that one’s lack of belief does not change reality. Christ spoke with absolute authority about heaven and hell. Gently tell him that he already admitted breaking God’s commands (specific ones) and that God gave him a conscience that corresponds with the Ten Commandments (so he would know right from wrong). If he says he is guilty but will still go to heaven because God is good and will overlook the sin, point out that in a criminal case, a judge is not ‘good’ if he releases a man who is justly condemned as guilty before the law. If God is good (righteous) He must punish those who have lived in rebellion against Him (by breaking His commandments). If the person admits his guilt and therefore that he is lost, ask if his condition before God concerns him. Ask if he values his eternal soul as much as his physical eyes (read Luke 16:19-31 with him). Only once he is humbled by the law, is he is ready for the grace of God. • Give God’s gracious command is to come and be forgiven – God loves people so much that He made a way for you to be cleansed before Judgment Day. He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cruel cross. Jesus suffered and died in our place (Jn 3:16; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18). Jesus paid the penalty for our law-breaking; He willingly took the punishment upon Himself. He rose from the dead. That means that those who come to Christ for salvation will not have to be punished by God. We can live with Him forever as His beloved children (Jn 1:12-13). • Tell them of the necessary response in order to be forgiven – If you repent and trust in the Savior, God will forgive your sins and dismiss your case. Admit that your sin is so serious that it separates you from God and calls for His judgment. Call upon the Lord to forgive you, tell Him the commandments you have broken. Turn from your sin by giving Christ control of your life. God promises to wash you clean (Is 1:18, 53:6). God promises those who trust Christ will be forgiven and will live with Him forever (Jn 3:36). Do you see that Christ the Savior is your need? Call upon Him in prayer. He will receive you. Then as His newly forgiven child; read your Bible; obey what you read; God will never leave you.xxxi NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven 4. Five steps in using the law of God in evangelism. (continued) 1 Peter 2:24 “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

70 Developing a Biblical Worldview Humanistic Philosophy & Evangelism Lesson Seven R7.1 Describe the divine purpose of the human body? (1.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R7.2 What is ‘free moral agency’ and why is it so important to Christian worldview? (1.6) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R7.3 Read over the Ten Commandments. See if you can write out the Ten Commandments in order from memory. (3.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R7.4 Why did the church retreat and back down in the face of Darwinism? (1.5) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R7.5 How does cultural relativism perceive our Christian worldview? (2.1) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R7.6 What does it mean that Darwinism functions like a universal acid? (1.7) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 71 Behaviorism: the theory that behavior is explained by the conditioning in one’s environment. True freedom is living according to our created purpose. Only a Biblical view of our human nature is utterly realistic and thus, only a Christian worldview shows us utter realism. Note the unrealism of behaviorism, utopianism, Zen Buddhism, scientism, statism, Marxism, etc. None of those worldview philosophies acknowledge our depraved (wicked) condition and need for redemption in Christ. Therefore, none of them are true to our created purpose; they can only lead into a spiritual wasteland of futility. The Fall teaches us that we are prone to sin and that we need moral and intellectual direction and a new heart (Prov 9:6; Jer. 24:7). According to Romans 8:12, “…we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”xxxii If we reject the gospel and follow our own natural way of thinking and desiring, Scripture warns that we will perish under God’s righteous condemnation.xxxiii Utopians (those searching for a man-made utopia) who deny Creation also deny the Fall and its disastrous consequences. They totally reject the idea that human nature is corrupt and prone to evil. Instead, they define all social problems as temporary disorders that can be resolved through education and social engineering. In his book, Utopia against the Family, Bryce Christianson notes, “Utopians are motivated by a desire to overcome the effects of the Fall without relying upon divine redemption.” To defend the family against state agendas (efforts by government to remove the role of the family), we need to make a case that only the Biblical drama of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration gives a realistic, yet humane account of human nature and of the structure and purpose of the family in society. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight OBJECTIVES: Students will be introduced to the concept that the only true freedom is living according to our created purpose. The following points will be covered: I. The utter realism of Christian worldview. II. Every worldview based on faulty views of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration will ultimately be hostile to true freedom. III. The doctrine of the Trinity has profound implications for all reality and for all social relations. I. The utter realism of a Christian worldview. 1. Only a Biblical view of our human nature is utterly realistic. 2. Diagnosing worldviews with the ‘tool’ of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way of death.”

72 Developing a Biblical Worldview Ontological Good: the inherent good which is innate to what God has designed. This is known as statism. In both statism and its companion ideology, utopianism, all social relationships are reduced to individual choice. This logically follows the denial of Creation, for the divine creation structures (marriage and family) that govern our relationships are attacked as well. Relationships, rather than being designed by God, become merely ‘social contracts’ made out of convenience and preference. In Ted Peter’s book, For the Love of Children, he suggests that each parent be required to make a legal contract with his or her children! His proposal is intended to shift from the biological family to choice. This would turn the family into a collection of disconnected, atomistic individuals, bound by no attachments or obligations they do not choose for themselves. This is called ontological individualism. It is based on the idea that individuals are the only reality. Relationships are therefore not ultimate (or designed and ordained by God), only derivative, that is, created by individual choice (social contract theory). The ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) inspired many of the ‘butchers’ of the 20th Century. If you grasp Rousseau’s thinking, you will understand much of the modern world. Rousseau described what he designated a “pre-social” condition or “state of nature.” In this ‘pre-social’ condition, all social relations are not real, but choices. He envisioned man in a state of nature stripped of all social relationships, morals, laws, customs, traditions—even stripped of civilization itself. All that exists are disconnected autonomous individuals whose sole driving force is desire for self- motivation. Rousseau’s view of society is that it is oppressive, confining, contrary to our nature.xxxiv For Rousseau, what was oppressing man’s natural freedom were the ‘chains’ of relationships such as marriage, family, church, and workplace. His line of thought represented a radical break from the traditional Christian social theory which regards the Trinity as the model for social life. In Genesis, the original man in nature was blessed with the institution of marriage. The implications of the doctrine of the Trinity is that relationships are just as real and ultimate as individuals. Relationships are part of the created order, thus ontologically good and real. The moral requirements they make upon us are not impositions on our freedom, but expressions of what it means to be human (our true nature). Participating in institutions of family, church, state, and society are part of the Christian’s development of moral virtues that prepare us ultimately to be citizens of the heavenly city. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight 3. When God’s revealed Word and His moral government are rejected, human government tends to take the place of God. 4. Are moral requirements an imposition of our freedom, or are they the expression of our true nature? God’s creation structures (gender, marriage, family, moral law) are as real and abiding as the mountains, the moon, and the stars. Read Isaiah 24:1-12. 1. Describe how Judah’s social order was radically upset because it turned to idolatry. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 73 Rousseau spelled out a vision in which the state would destroy all social ties, the individual would only have to be loyal to self and since the state was the ‘liberator’, each person would be dependent upon the state. No wonder this inspired so many totalitarian regimes! Thomas Hobbes and John Locke proposed the concept as well (each of these three men wrote before Darwin’s time). Darwin’s creation myth would someday supply the theory that would give credence to the idea of the indeterminate (not designed by the Creator), ‘happy’ beast, namely prehistoric or early man. These pre-Darwin thinkers suggested that the reason social relationships are bad is because they interfere with the individual’s ‘freedom’ to create himself. They incorrectly proposed that relationships that are not the product of choice are oppressive (i.e. the biological bonds of family, moral bonds of marriage, spiritual bonds of the church). The only bond which retains autonomous freedom then is the social contract. Traditional social ties would be dissolved and then reconstituted on the basis of choice.xxxv In Rousseau’s worldview, the state must take precedence over the family, especially in education.xxxvi NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight 5. In opposition to Christian worldview, the state would destroy all social ties and each person would be dependent on the state. John 8:36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” The world’s false ideas about freedom enslave. A seminary professor had a creative idea that would give him opportunities to share the gospel. He designed a flyer that said something like this: Do you feel like you have been ‘beat up’ and deceived by certain lies in our culture? Would you like to share your experiences with others who feel the same way? Meet us at Larry’s Coffee, 8:00 pm on Thursdays. To the professor’s surprise the group quickly grew to 25 people. One woman who had gone through 12 abortions began weeping profusely when she found grace in Christ. She had been told the lie that those precious fetuses were just ‘tissue’ and not unique humans made in God’s image. Her response was to name each baby she had aborted and then have a small head stone made for each. Our culture’s lies about freedom produce devastated lives. The gospel alone exposes and delivers from those lies. John 8:34b “…everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”

74 Developing a Biblical Worldview Every worldview based on faulty views of Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration will ultimately be hostile to true freedom (and will instigate rebellion against God). Why was the 20th Century the bloodiest in history? It was because whole cultures adopted worldviews based upon faulty definitions of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. The ‘autonomous’ (self-governing) individual with his false view of freedom is actually the most vulnerable to totalitarian control. Many students today who have never read Locke can parrot the atomistic notion or minute elements of social contract; they have bought into the liberal idea of the ‘unencumbered self’ (not ‘tied down’ by gender, marriage, family, and church ties they have not ‘chosen’). In the worldview of human autonomy, the core of personhood is our ability to choose our own identity—to create ourselves. This is why relationships and responsibilities are often considered hostile to essential identity.xxxvii The influence of the social contract philosophers is widespread today. We have runaway co-habitation. Marriage among today’s single culture is seen as too risky, not worth giving up their autonomy. Thanks to Sanger, Kinsey, and others, pornography is no longer regarded as degrading. Sexual license is wrongly viewed as our ultimate identity and key to personal development. Therefore, the Christian ‘moralists’ who teach abstinence, self-denial, suppression, and fidelity are exposing their listeners to all sorts of dysfunctions says Sanger. Sexual liberation has become a ‘moral’ crusade with Christian morality as the enemy! Sexual gratification is now a complete ideology with all the elements of worldview.xxxviii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight II. Every worldview based on faulty ideas will ultimately be hostile to true freedom. The people bowing down to the state depict the state of affairs when God laws are replaced by totalitarian government control. If rights are granted by the state, those rights are not inalienable, i.e. those rights can be taken away or denied. 1. Whole cultures adopted worldviews based on faulty definitions of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. 2. The exchange of the truth about God for a lie has opened the floodgates of immorality in our culture (Rom 1:24-32). Romans 1:24 “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 75 As mentioned in earlier lessons, the truth grid of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration provides a powerful tool for comparing and contrasting worldviews. It also explains why biblical creationism is under such relentless attack today. Biblical creation is under vicious attack because it is foundational; it shapes everything that follows, namely God’s ‘creation structures’ for gender, marriage, and family. Critics of Christianity know that the Christian faith stands or falls with the Bible’s teaching of ultimate origins, the truth of God as Creator. The Bible requires us to believe that Adam was a historical person. Some of the clearest testimony about Adam comes from the New Testament. When explaining Genesis 2, Jesus clearly speaks of the first man and the first woman in historical terms and of the institution of marriage in historical terms (Mt 19:4-6). Paul, in referring to Genesis 2, speaks of Adam and Eve in historical terms (1 Tim 2:12-14). In 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5, Paul places Adam and Jesus in parallel relationship. Paul calls Jesus the “Second Adam”—there is no Adamic representative of the human race between Adam and Jesus (1 Cor. 15:47). He also calls Jesus the “Last Adam”— there is no divinely appointed representative after Jesus (v. 45).xxxix NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight Biblical creation is foundational & shapes everything that follows it – gender, marriage, family, etc. 3. Creation is foundational – all hope of unified truth stands or falls with origins. Every lying worldview denies that mankind is created in the image of God. Darwinism teaches that mankind comes into existence by chance and is formed in the image of an animal—this immense error is used to justify sin. Read Colossians 1:15-20 and study the notes on v. 15 in the MacArthur Study Bible. 2. What is important about Christ being the perfect image of God? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Matthew 19:4b “…Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female” The Christian faith stands or falls with the Bible’s teaching of ultimate origins.

76 Developing a Biblical Worldview The Holy Trinity provides the divine basis for all social relations. The human race was created in the image of God (who is three Persons so intimately related as to constitute one Godhead). The balance of unity and diversity in the Trinity gives a model for human social life because the Trinity implies that both individuality and relationship exist within the Godhead. God is “Being-in-communion.” The age-old tension has been between collectivism (often expressed as statism) and individualism. The Trinity is the solution to this tension because the Trinity implies not only unity but the dignity and uniqueness of the individual. Over against radical individualism, the Trinity implies that relationships are not created by sheer choice but are built into the very essence of human nature that is made in the image of God (Who is in communion). We are not atomistic individuals (isolated, without connection) but created by our personal God for relationships.xl The Trinity as the foundation of human sociality is not merely theoretical. In redemption, believers are called to form an actual society—the Church—that demonstrates to the world the balanced interplay between the one and the many, of unity and individuality. In John 17:11, Jesus is saying that the communion of Persons within the Trinity is the model for communion within the Church. It teaches us how to foster richly diverse individuality within ontologically real relationships. Jesus speaks of this link between the Trinity and the union believers have with one another. “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” (Jn 17:11) “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (Jn 17:22-23). Theologian Timothy Ware notes, “The Church as a whole is an icon of God the Trinity (a reflection of God’s character and nature), reproducing on earth the mystery of unity in diversity.” True believers are literally equipped by God for true community—they are indwelt by God’s Spirit and have His enabling power, they have communion with God, and they have His infallible Word (1 Pet 1:22, 23, 1 Jn 1:3). The redeemed are called upon to reproduce on earth the mystery of mutual love that the Trinity lives in heaven.xli NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight III. The doctrine of the Trinity has profound implications for all reality and social relations. 1. The family is caught in a ‘tug-o-war’ between statism and individualism. 2. Trinitarian Christian worldview is the only coherent basis for social theory. Read Ephesians 4:25-32 3. Name three of the behaviors that are commanded of believers so that their relationships may promote close, caring community. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 77 At this ‘ground zero’ battle zone, the forces of secular humanism and feminism have sought to relativize all the ethical mandates of Scripture, especially those which apply to marriage, family, sacredness of life, gender, sacredness of sexual relations, and gender roles. In regard to social theory, the Trinity is the foundation for male and female being equal in dignity and value yet having different roles. Relations within the Trinity and relations within marriage have a parallel. Communal relations involve listening, deferring, and trusting. There is headship resident in one of the members. There is a difference in roles, yet there is equality. The Trinity is the model for headship and submission without jeopardizing equality. The difference in roles within the Trinity will continue for all eternity. “For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:27-28). Because of diversity with perfect equality, the Trinity forms the pattern for relationships without inferiority. See Genesis 2 (Adam naming); Genesis 3 (Adam responsible for representing the human race); 1 Corinthians 11:9 (Adam and Eve’s created purpose); 1 Timothy 2:13 (order of their creation and source of their creation). The real issue in gender role is God’s reflected glory on earth. The complementarian view (the perfect fitted-ness of male and female for one another) preserves the reflected glory of our Triune God in male female relationships. The complementarian view states that in Scripture God has revealed His specific pattern and plan for gender roles.xlii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight 3. Gender, gender roles, and sexuality have become the focal point in the battle of worldviews today. 4. The differences in male and female roles in marriage are part of the created order. Read 1 Corinthians 11:7-12 4. Name at least three differences between man and woman found in 1 Corinthians 11 text. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Read Genesis 2:19-20 and the notes in the MacArthur Study Bible 5. What is significant about Adam naming the animals? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ God’s pattern and plan for gender roles reflect the glory of our Triune God.

78 Developing a Biblical Worldview The members of the Trinity differ from one another by the relations in which they stand to each other. Each has absolute personality. The Son is the self-reproduction of the Father (Heb 1:1-3, 5) of whom He is eternally begotten. The Holy Spirit is the reproduction of the Father and the Son, and the Spirit proceeds from both (Jn 14:16-17, 26; 16:7). Christ is ‘the eternal utterance of God’, the Father’s authoritative mouthpiece. Scripture states that God has spoken authoritatively, and finally through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:1-3). Christ is not only the divine Spokesman, He is also the exact imprint and representation of God. “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18). Christ unifies all reality. Christ does what the Greek philosophers could not do – in Himself, He unifies all reality. He links visible and invisible reality; He reconciles singularity and plurality. He gives harmony, unity, and order to the cosmos (Col 1:16-17). In His eternality and His incarnation, the Son connects the realms of being (permanence) and becoming (change). The Trinity provides the vision for seeking unity among mankind. Plato could not unite the visible and the invisible; the transcendent and the immanent (Immanent means God’s manifestation in the material world).xliii Anti-Trinitarianism always leads to a “wholly other” god, rather than a god who is transcendent in the Biblical sense. Paradoxically, it also leads to a god who is relative to the world rather than sovereign Lord of Scripture (in other words, a “blank” god – one without absolute personality, who must define himself by his creation, rather than defining creation by his design and purposes for it). It makes the Creator- creature distinction a matter of degree, rather than difference in being. Because of the Trinity (both three and one), God can be described in personalistic terms without being made relative to the world. The Trinity answers philosophy’s religious quest, namely, “Why is there no absolute unity (devoid of plurality) or absolute plurality (devoid of unity)?” The unitarian god (a singular god but not a trinitarian god) is unknowable (either having blank oneness or utter uniqueness without relationship). The God of Scripture is the only true absolute, and because He is Triune, that absolute is the one and the many.xliv NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight 5. Each Person in the Trinity eternally and equally possesses the whole substance of the Godhead, and yet each is distinct from the others. 6. The importance of the Trinity to apologetics is immense.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 79 The ontological Trinity refers to God as three Persons, one substance, equal in power and glory. The economic Trinity refers to God in respect to His relation to us, especially redemption. We must understand the ontological Trinity in order to understand the economic Trinity. In other words, we must grasp the fact that God exists as three Persons if we are to comprehend how all three members of the Godhead are involved in our salvation. Only 20% of professing Christendom believes in the redemptive work of all three members of the economic Trinity: • the Father allocating (planning) redemption; • the Son accomplishing redemption; • the Holy Spirit applying redemption. The other 80% plus of Christendom still places their hope in the sacraments (baptism, the Lord’s supper, or the mass, etc.) as that which constitutes the application of salvation. xlv The Bible teaches that the very nature of God exists in one substance and in three Persons (the ontological Trinity). The tri- personal, or Trinitarian doctrine of God, is the only possible Biblical monotheism. The way in which ‘monotheism’ is used in the academy is not really describing the God of Scripture. Why? Because there is no such god as a god who is mono-personal (only one person)! Islam and Judaism hold to the proposition that God is mono-personal. So called, ‘monotheists’ are only worshipping the figment of their imagination, in reality they are atheists or idolaters. Because Christians worship the Trinity, they are the only true worshippers of God on earth. xlvi NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight 7. There is an infinite difference between the ontological Trinity and bare monotheism. Read Hebrews 9:11-14 6. In verse 14, how are each of the members of the Trinity involved in the work of redemption? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ The Islamic symbol should move us to compassion for those held by this false religion. Islam’s false god is not the God of the Bible. The One true God is the Tri-personal God of Scripture. Hebrews 9:14 “…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

80 Developing a Biblical Worldview Realism of a Christian Worldview Lesson Eight R8.1 Why are false worldviews so unrealistic? (1.1) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R8.2 Explain why ‘social contract theory’ is a false worldview? (1.3) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R8.3 What did Rousseau regard to be the major barriers to human freedom? (1.4) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R8.4 If the academy and secular humanists/relativists regard Biblical creation to be merely a myth, why then are they so violently opposed to it? (2.3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R8.5 What does the close ‘community’ between the members of the Trinity have to do with the close community within the church? (3.2) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R8.6 Why isn’t Allah another name for God? (3.7) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 81 “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Col 1:16). (Also see Prov 16:4; Rev 4:11; Rom 11:36). It is the duty of every person to view the entire creation as existing for the glory of God. If God created all things for His glory, whether plants, planets, or people, it is our duty to do all things for God’s glory (1 Cor 10:31; 1 Pet 4:11).xlvii In theology we refer to the creation as God’s general revelation (see Ps 19), and to the Bible as God’s special revelation. Both are God’s self- revelation, and both alike are sacred (they exist to reveal and honor God), and they are to be treated with reverence.xlviii When general revelation and special revelation are interpreted accurately, there will not be a conflict between the two. Special revelation corrects our wrong interpretations of God’s general revelation. For example, Darwinism suggests that death is normal and that it has existed as long as there has been life. The Bible, God’s special revelation, corrects this false interpretation by telling us death had a moral cause, man’s sin—death is therefore, a destructive force and an intruder, not a creative force as evolution would have us believe. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine OBJECTIVES: Students will be introduced to the following concepts: I. The great end of creation is God’s glory. II. God created all things out of nothing. III. God created mankind in His own image and likeness. IV. The image of God is at the heart of our worldview. V. God’s ‘fingerprints’ of design are everywhere in creation. I. The great end or goal of creation is God’s glory. 1. Scripture asserts that God’s glory is the chief purpose of creation. 2. God’s works (His creation) and God’s Word (the Bible) are equally revelations of God. This dice-headed man depicts the ‘poverty’ of trusting in impersonal, blind chance to design anything. General revelation = God’s World (the creation) Special revelation = God’s Word (the Bible)

82 Developing a Biblical Worldview How a person treats God’s general revelation (God’s testimony in creation) is inseparable from how he treats God’s special revelation (God’s testimony in His Word). God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature are clearly seen in the creation, therefore when men refuse to acknowledge the glory of God in the creation (general revelation), they are without excuse (Rom 1:18-23). Mishandling God’s general revelation always leads to mishandling special revelation (the Bible). The rebellious, those who refuse to see God’s power and wisdom in the creation, will also reject the truth of special revelation. They will distort the clear teaching of God’s Word (Rom 1:21-25). God’s glory is the object of all knowledge—unbelievers come to faulty conclusions which are opposed to God’s glory purposes in the creation. It is only believers who are thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Only believers think God’s thoughts after Him because they have had their minds reset by regeneration (the new birth)—they have the ‘mind of Christ’ (1 Cor 2:12-16), they think via the Biblical grid (it informs their interpretation of all things). Only believers use general and special revelation correctly—for the purpose of knowing and glorifying God. The highest goal of the creation is to reveal the Creator. Therefore, the highest end of mankind (who is the moral portion of creation) is to know the Creator (Jer. 9:23-24; Is 43:7).xlix If our lives are to exhibit the meaning for which we were created, then our purpose must be aligned with God’s purpose—we must fulfill the reason God created us: to bring Him glory. The blessed news is that we can glorify God by knowing Him in a personal relationship of love, trust, and belonging (1 Pet 1:8; Ps 27:4; Jn 10:10). Fullness of joy is the result of knowing God, which means communing with Him and taking delight in His perfections (1 Jn 1:1-7). God takes glory and pleasure in His covenant people (those whom He has chosen for Himself). He rejoices over those who know Him, obey Him, and trust Him (Zeph. 3:17; Is 62:5).l NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine 3. How a person treats God’s general revelation is inseparable from how he treats God’s special revelation. 4. God’s glory is the object of all knowledge. 5. The fact that God created us for His own glory answers the question, “What is our purpose in life?” Read Isaiah 40:12-31 God’s involvement in upholding and ruling over His creation is described in these verses. Darwinists would say that the incredible order in the heavens and the earth is the result of chaos and chance. Special revelation corrects this error. 1. Name three things from Isaiah 40 which speak of God’s work in creating and upholding in the work of redemption? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ “You made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” (St. Augustine)

Developing a Biblical Worldview 83 The doctrine of creation ex nihilo is a matter of revelation; it is not arrived at by human reasoning. “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen is not made out of things which are visible” (Heb 11:3). God and matter are not co-eternal. There is no hint in Scripture that God had pre-existing material to work with during creation week. And, since God made all things out of nothing, there is not a thing in the universe that has an existence apart from God. All things are presently upheld by God. The entire creation continues to be utterly dependent upon God for its existence (Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:3; Job 37:1-13; Ps 104:30; 135:5-6). “If He should determine to do so, if He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust” (Job 34:14-15). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine II. God created all things out of nothing (ex nihilo). 1. Our assertion that God created all things out of nothing is based on faith in His Word. 2. Since God made all things out of nothing, He is owner of all that He has made (Psalm 50:12). A young Christian woman received her first teaching assignment, to work with delinquent boys housed in a reform school. She prayed fervently for wisdom, then gave the boys the assignment of creating and naming clay figures that would live in a ‘town’. The boys were to paint the clay figures and set up rules for them. After each boy described his figures, the teacher asked, “What would you do if the figures in your town did not wish to obey you?” The boys answered in unison, “We would smash them!” This proved to be a gospel opportunity to share with them the knowledge of God as Creator and His grace through Christ. Read Psalm 33:6; 148:5; Romans 4:17 2. Why would it be an act of idolatry to believe that matter has existed as long as God has? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Psalm 135:5-6 “For I know that the LORD is great and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” Psalm 33:6 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.”

84 Developing a Biblical Worldview Only when we interpret the creation to the glory of God are we employing ‘right reasoning’ about the universe.li Let’s consider the conclusions which are drawn from right reasoning about God’s creation and our creaturehood: • As creatures of God, we have no power of self-existence (Acts 17:24-8). • God is absolute Owner of us; He has the right to tell us what to believe and how to live. • No part of created reality is understandable apart from Him who made it and defined it. • No one knows something in creation as it truly is unless he knows it is part in God’s plan. • This is our Father’s world—as Owner and Maker of all things, He gets to assign meaning to what He has made, we don’t (Ps 36:9; Prov 1:7). • Only those who have been regenerated (born again) will appraise all things truthfully—that is according to how and why things exist in the plan of God (1 Cor 2:15-16). • Sin and rebellion do not create a new reality. If a person is not living for his created purpose—the glory of God—then that person is utterly out of touch with reality. • The glory of God is an infinitely higher value than the good of the creature. But God has woven the two: God’s glory and our highest good are perfectly joined in the Person of Christ and in the Gospel of Christ (2 Cor 4:4-6; Col 1:27; 2:2-3). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine 3. We must remain aware that the universe is the stage or ‘theater of God’s glory’. This drawing shows the necessity of ‘right reasoning’ about God’s creation, so that we interpret the world accurately, to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has known the mind of the LORD, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” God has interwoven His glory and our high good perfectly in the Person and Gospel of Christ.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 85 Those aspects which differentiate us from animals include: moral consciousness, the ability to think abstractly (conceptually), an understanding of beauty and emotion, an eternal soul, and above all, the capacity for worshipping and loving God.lii Though God does not have a corporeal form (a physical body, see John 4:24), the design of man’s physical body nevertheless is God’s image in ways not true of animals: • Man is designed with an erect posture, with an upward gazing countenance. • Man is capable of facial expressions which correspond to our emotions. • Man is equipped with a brain which forms the thoughts and concepts which we communicate through our organs of speech. • Man created in the image God points to the day when the eternal Son of God would come to earth as the perfect image of God and receive the human body prepared for Him by the Father (Heb 10:5; Luke 1:35; Col 1:15).liii Our identity as the image of God means we must know God in order to know ourselves. Thus, to reject the knowledge of God is to completely miss our created purpose and our identity as His image-bearers (Rom 1:18-21, 32; 2:14- 16). Because our identity is the image of God, our whole duty is to be the image of God. As His image, we represent Him on earth—we are designed to reflect His character in all that we do. Our moral duty is to be like Him in holiness, to reflect His ‘moral majesty’ (1 Pet 1:15-16; Eph 5:1ff.). Since mankind by definition is the image of God, sin is always the misrepresentation of God. All unrighteous behavior is the misrepresentation of what God is like. This helps us understand the seriousness of sin in God’s eyes. God cannot leave sin unpunished. We are the creatures made to represent His character and Person on earth, He can never be neutral or indifferent toward wickedness.liv The image of God in sinful man is no longer an accurate reflection of the Creator. That image needs to be renewed through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (Col 3:10; Eph 4:24). God’s wonderful plan in the Gospel is to restore sinners to the true image of God through Christ who is the perfect image of God (Col 1:15; 2 Cor 4:4-6). “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all” (Col 3:8-11). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine III. God created mankind in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). 1. The ‘image of God’ certainly infers that man possesses aspects of human nature not shared by animals. 2. The image of God is at the very core of our identity and purpose as human beings. 3. Because sin entered through Adam’s transgression, fallen man bears a distorted image of God. Read Colossians 3:5-25 This renewed image through Christ is known in Scripture as ‘the new man’. The new man exhibits certain behaviors. 3. Write down at least four ‘new man’ behaviors. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

86 Developing a Biblical Worldview a.) Mankind created in the image of God distinguishes man from everything else in creation. The image of God defines what it means to be human—all that distinguishes us from the rest of creation is involved in being the image of God.lv Man as the image of God answers ‘ultimate questions’ such as: Where did I come from? Who am I? Why am I here? Why do I exist? b.) The image of God sets forth man as morally accountable to God— created to reflect God’s righteousness. Because man is fallen, if he is to live obediently to God, he must be reconciled to God in order to reflect His Creator’s likeness (Col 1:20-22). It is redemption alone which restores man’s ability to reflect God’s moral majesty (Col 3:10). c.) We were created in the image of God in order to commune with Him, to reflect Him, to share His purposes, and to share His dominion. This dominion will be perfectly realized in the coming Kingdom. The image of God assures man that he is made to know God (Gen 1:26-28). d.) The image of God is the basis for our free moral agency (ethical/moral responsibility in all our choices) (Rom 2:12-16). Creation in the image of God establishes the doctrine of man’s accountability and responsibility to God. e.) The image of God means that man’s faculties of perception and reason are designed to receive divine revelation: both general revelation and special revelation. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine IV. The image of God is at the heart of our worldview and is vital to understanding our purpose, identity, and calling. The image of God defines what it means to be human and distinguishes us from the rest of creation. Genesis 1:27 “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Redemption in Jesus Christ alone restores man’s ability to reflect God’s moral majesty.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 87 f.) The image of God is the foundation for man’s dignity and for the sacredness of life. God established capital punishment as the penalty for destroying the image of God (Gen 9:6). g.) The image of God defines man as the crown of creation. Humans, made in the image of God, are the crowning work of God and reveal most about who God is. This gives content to man’s cultural calling as steward over the works of God’s hands (Ps 8). h.) The image of God has a profound significance for ruined sinners— sinful man can only be redeemed by Jesus Christ who is the perfect image of God. Christ Jesus suffered in the place of sinners as a perfect Substitute. Christ’s work will ultimately restore redeemed men and women to the perfect image of God (Eph 1:4; Rom 8:29; 1 Jn 3:2-3). i.) The image of God places man in covenant relation to God—mankind owes God obedience to His commands. This ‘covenant relation to God’ is not identical with the historic covenants, but is a way of describing mankind’s responsibility, created purpose, and identity. Being created in the image of God, mankind is obligated to interpret all the works of God truthfully—to the glory of God (1 Cor 2:10-16). All rebellion against God is a function of preferring independence from God. Grasping for autonomy constitutes ‘war’ upon the image of God (Rom 1:18-24). j.) Knowing we are created in the image of God is essential if we are to know God and His purposes for us. Our present evil generation in its delusion of autonomy from God imagines that man can have meaning, purpose, value, and certainty apart from Christ. Only in Christ is our true humanity restored; for in Christ we are taken from covenant-breaker to divine reflector. k.) Sinning does not create a new reality or remove the image of God; it does not produce autonomy from God. Unrepentant sinners will still bear a form of the image of God even in everlasting perdition (hell). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine IV. The image of God is at the heart of our worldview and is vital to understanding our purpose, identity, and calling. (continued) Sinful man can only be redeemed by Jesus Christ who is the perfect image of God. Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” In Christ, we are taken from covenant-breaker to divine reflector. 1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

88 Developing a Biblical Worldview ‘The science of common sense’ means that since creation is filled with highly complex sophisticated design, that design requires a Designer. Darwin never denied the evidence for design, but his goal was to show that the evidence for design could be accounted for by purely natural forces. In other words, he hoped to demonstrate that things only appear to be designed. Once we entered the computer age, it became evident that information is never an accident. It requires a programmer, it must be stored, retrieved, read, and protected from corruption (viruses). With the discovery of DNA someone in science dared to ask, “Who put the information in the nuclei of cells?” Francis Crick, discoverer of DNA described a cell as a minute factory, “bustling with rapid, organized chemical activity.” “Nature invented the assembly line some billions of years before Henry Ford.” Biologists faced with evidence of remarkable design cannot even describe the cell without resorting to the language of invention, machines, and engineering! Intelligent design proponent Michael Behe coined the term, ‘irreducible complexity’. It refers to the minimum level of complexity that must be present before such a tightly integrated system can function at all. The mouse trap is Behe’s favorite illustration of irreducible complexity. One cannot gradually improve the function of a mouse trap by adding parts. All the parts must be there in order to catch mice at all. Countless structures in nature demonstrate the truth of irreducible complexity. The entire system has to be present from the beginning in order to perform at all. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine V. God’s ‘fingerprints’ of design are everywhere in creation. 1. In order to advance his theory of evolution, Darwin had to deny ‘the science of common sense’. 2. A helpful way of describing God’s design in creation is by the term irreducible complexity. This illustrates the principle of ‘irreducible complexity’. If even one of the parts of the trap is missing, it won’t catch a single mouse. Design requires a Designer.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 89 Darwin stated, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” With the explosion of knowledge from molecular biology, it appears that Darwin’s theory has indeed broken down. The universe gives evidence of being well-designed—bodies and cells all give evidence of a pre-existing blueprint.lvi German Biblical creationist, Werner Gitt, titled his book on creation, In the Beginning was Information. In other words, what the author is emphasizing is that God, in His infinite wisdom, during creation week, placed in the creation all of the information needed for a vast and marvelous world of living things. Therefore, it is absurd to suggest that over millions of years mistakes in DNA copying (mutations) produced all of the information needed to form all of the species of plants and animals as well as mankind. In actuality, DNA is an ‘anti-evolution’ mechanism—it is designed to keep things from evolving. Naturalism cannot give understanding of God, the world, or man (1 Cor 1:21; Col 2:8; Prov 1:7). By challenging naturalism in science and origins, biblical creation provides the basis for challenging naturalism in theology, morality, politics, and every other field. How greatly this is needed, for naturalism is making its quest to dominate the remainder of culture; its purveyors have the goal of aggressively taking over every aspect of human life and society. Evolutionary theory is more a religious philosophy than it is a scientific theory. The reason why evolution is philosophical rather than scientific is not only because it lacks scientific proof, but also because it functions as a worldview or starting point for the pursuit of all knowledge (it presupposes, or assumes, what it seeks to prove). To subscribe to evolutionary ‘interpretations’ of Genesis 1-2 is a serious error. Evolutionary theory is a denial the historicity and factuality of Genesis—which amounts to an attack upon the infallibility and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures.lvii Why does the subject of origins shape all other questions about human existence? In other words, why is the Bible’s testimony about creation foundational to all other questions? • If a person has a wrong view of the creation of man (Gen 1-2), he will probably have a wrong view of the fall of man and of sin (Gen 3). If a person has a wrong view of the doctrine of sin, he will probably have a wrong view of the doctrine of salvation. • Adam was a historical person. Interpretations of Genesis 1-2 which attempt to incorporate the theory of evolution into the text wind up denying the historicity of the creation account (and in so doing deny the historicity of Adam). • Consider the fact that the biblical doctrines of sin, salvation, and marriage are built upon the Genesis account of real historical figures named Adam and Eve (see Rom 5:12-21). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine 3. Darwin’s theory fails his own proposed test. 4. Naturalism is a failed worldview since it cannot explain the nearly infinite examples of design in the universe. 5. The Bible’s testimony about creation is foundational to answer all other questions of human existence. The human genome is the genetic code in the cell, which is the blueprint for the human body. It is made up of 3 billion characters. Programmers have said that this code is far more complex than any software program we can imagine or conceive of! Read Genesis chapter 1. 4. What is significant about the phrase, ‘after their kind’ and how many times is that phrase used in chapter 1? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

90 Developing a Biblical Worldview Information does not arise from natural forces within matter but has to be imposed from outside by an intelligent agent. God claims to have designed the creatures, their behavior, and the creation systems spoken of in the book of Job (Job 38-41). We need to learn to see the entire cosmos through the lens of biblical worldview (Ps 36:9). The doctrine of biblical creation (with its theme of divine design) allows us to see the cosmos through the lens of a comprehensive worldview. Biblical creation takes Christianity immediately into the realm of objective truth. The Christian worldview puts us in a position to think God’s thoughts after Him. It puts us in the ‘supernaturalist’s chair’ whereby we view the world with the penetrating awareness of eternal things and God’s control (2 Cor 4:17-18). Only the Christian worldview lets a person recognize the full range of reality.lviii In Christian apologetics we utilize what is called the ‘Wedge of Truth’. This strategy involves driving a wedge between empirical science (repeatable experiments) and philosophic naturalism (the philosophy that matter and motion can explain everything). We use the ‘wedge of truth’ because Darwinists can’t have it both ways; they can’t appeal to ‘science’ when advocating their religious philosophy. So, we ‘drive the wedge of truth’ by asking questions about the source of: order, morals, value, meaning, dignity, design, genetic codes, conscience, personhood, etc. How can a hot sterile rock, plus chaos, plus chance account for 1.5 million species of living things? How is it scientific to state that everything came from nothing? We use the wedge of truth to show the unbeliever that blind chance is not a designer. Chance cannot plan ahead, anticipate what is needed, or manufacture the needed materials In using the wedge of truth, examples are helpful as well. A pop-top from an aluminum can, a single hole glass bead, a bottle cap each required a designer. A living cell is millions of times more complex than these inanimate structures. In addition, there is a set of criteria for determining that something designed: 1) improbable order, 2) discernable pattern, 3) information greater than the sum of the parts, and 4) evidence of information imposed upon it from the outside. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine 6. How to construct a case for intelligent design in origins. Something even as simple as a pop-top, bottlecap or bead require a designer.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 91 Creation and the Image of God Lesson Nine R9.1 In terms of interpreting the world around us, describe the relationship between general and special revelation. (1.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R9.2 What is ‘irreducible complexity’? (5.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R9.3 Name one significant thing about mankind being made in the image of God? (4) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R9.4 Why is living according to our created purpose the only source of true joy? (1.4) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R9.5 What do we mean by ‘right reasoning’ about the universe? (2.3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R9.6 What does the ‘wedge of truth’ break apart? (5.6) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

92 Developing a Biblical Worldview Natural Selection: The most fit creatures are the ones that survive, and the least fit creatures are eliminated. Natural selection is one of the main drivers of evolutionary theory. Naturalism’s claim to provide a material explanation for all phenomena (including human origins and behavior) is a philosophic endeavor not a scientific endeavor. The impact of Darwinian evolution was not in the details of mutation and natural selection, but in something far more significant—a new criterion for what qualifies as objective truth. Darwinism led to a naturalistic view of knowledge. Thus, if naturalism is valid, then theological absolutes such as goodness, truth, and beauty are fraudulent, or merely symbols of human aspiration.lix Naturalism has relegated Christianity to the realm of the non-objective. Prior to Darwin, most thinkers in America assumed the unity of knowledge based on the conviction of a single universal order established by God— encompassing both natural and moral order. Darwinism shattered this unity of knowledge. As we saw in previous lessons, religion and morality were relegated to upper story, non-cognitive categories. Darwin completed the cleavage between upper and lower stories making naturalism a potent instrument for debunking the objectivity of religious truth claims.lx NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten I. Darwinian Evolution: Scientific Theory or Religious Philosophy? 1. Naturalism’s claims are a philosophic endeavor not a scientific endeavor. OBJECTIVES: The students will be shown not only the bankruptcy of evolution as a scientific theory, but also why evolution functions as a religious philosophy. The concepts in this lesson are: I. Darwinian Evolution – scientific theory or religious philosophy? II. The bankruptcy of evolution in contrast to the unified truth of God as Creator and Designer. III. Seven Biblical reasons that evolution is a lie. 2. Darwinism sought to debunk Christianity’s truth claims. Read Psalm 36 1. What phrases attest to God’s absolute changeless moral truth in the world? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Psalm 36:5 “Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 93 Secularism pits science against the Bible making the two appear to be mortal enemies. The Bible and the history of science show that this is a false dichotomy. For some 300 years after the scientific revolution, Christianity and science were thought to be completely compatible and mutually supporting (natural history, or ‘earth history’, was a branch of theology). The stunning complexity of the created world was not viewed as a challenge to belief in God, but as confirmation of His wisdom and design—researchers ‘thought God’s thoughts after Him’. Kepler (1571-1630), Newton (1642-1727), and Boyle (1627-1691) felt called to use their scientific gifts in praise to God and in service to humanity. The application of science in medicine and technology was justified as a means of reversing the effects of the Fall by alleviating suffering and toil—and to assist man in fulfilling the dominion mandate (Ps 8; Gen 1:26-28). Secularizing trends began to threaten the harmony between science and religion; the final collapse came when Darwin published his theory of evolution. Darwinism explained life’s origins strictly by natural causes (naturalism). As a result, science and religion were increasingly depicted as mortal enemies. As author Daniel Dennet says, “[Darwinism] eats through just about every traditional concept and leaves in its wake a revolutionized world- view.” Dennet noted that Darwin’s ‘great accomplishment’ was to reduce the design of the universe to a product of “purposeless, meaningless matter in motion.”lxi No lab test could affirm Dennet’s assertion, it is not a scientific theory at all, it is a personal philosophy.lxii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten 3. Secularism pits science against the Bible. Read Revelation 14:6-7 2. Why is worshipping God as Creator foundational to the Gospel? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ The worldview of secularism rests upon, and is supported by the bogus theory and false worldview of evolution (naturalism). False Dichotomy: A fallacy which claims that there are only two mutually exclusive options, when actually there are alternative options available.

94 Developing a Biblical Worldview Mutation: Change in the structure of a gene resulting in a variant organism. Mutations are usually harmful, actually representing a net loss in information, rather than adding information. There are four sets of illustrations (“icons” of evolution) that are used most frequently in high school and college textbooks. We need to know how to evaluate these illustrations. It is heartening to know that these “icons” of evolution do not provide evidence for Darwinism. a.) Darwin’s Beaks – Darwin found that during drought the beaks of Galapagos Finches increased slightly in size, enabling them to access a wider variety of foods during dry spells. During normal rainfall the beaks returned to normal size. Was this “evolution happening before our very eyes,” as one scientist hailed? No, the change turned out to be nothing more than a cyclical fluctuation. The change in no way put the birds on a path to evolving into another kind of bird. It was simply an adaptation that increased survivability in dry weather. Rather than making a new bird, the minor adaptation allowed the finches to stay finches. Evolutionists distorted the findings, claiming proof of evolution. In reality, there was no permanent alteration in the finches, the change was reversed when normal weather patterns returned.lxiii b.) Dysfunctional Fruit Flies – Fruit flies reproduce at a very high rate; thus, changes can be observed in a relatively short amount of time. When exposed to radiation and toxic materials, mutations were induced (larger wings, smaller wings, extra sets of wings, shriveled wings). In each case none of the mutations proved to be a design improvement, and none of the mutated fruit flies would have been able to survive in the wild. Nonetheless, evolutionists cited one of the mutations as an apparent evolutionary advance—one fly had two sets of wings. But the extra set of wings was not an improvement, the mutated wings did not move, they were dysfunctional. They hung there weighing down the fly. After a half century of mutating fruit flies, geneticist Richard Goldschmidt summarized the experiment by saying that even the accumulated mutations would only produce an odd, dysfunctional fruit fly. Accumulated changes do not fill in the details necessary to make a new kind. Variations within a kind ‘bump up against a wall’—a genetic barrier of fixed limitations that prevents evolution.lxiv NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten 4. The “icons” of evolution are debunked by empirical science but are still found in textbooks. Genesis 1:21 “God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.” Genetic barriers provide a fixed limitation that prevents evolution.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 95 c.) Doctored Moths – The case for evolution has been seriously damaged in recent years by reversals in ‘key evidence’. Nonetheless, these “Icons” continue to appear in textbooks as ‘proofs’ of evolution. The case of the peppered moths of England has been one of the most touted ‘proofs’ of evolution. During the industrial revolution, coal soot stained the trees in urban England. The speckled grey moths lost their natural blended camouflage against the dark sooty tree trunks. The moths became easy pickings for the birds. In a short time, the peppered moths showed a population increase of a darker phase that blended with the sooty tree trunks. Is this a showcase for natural selection as evolutionists claimed? No, the dark phase moths have always existed—the moths underwent a population shift (the lighter moths on the sooty trees dropped in number because they could be easily spotted by birds). A population shift is a far cry from evolutionary change.lxv d.) Haeckel’s Embryos: Most Famous Fake – Depicts stages of a human embryo side by side with embryos of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. The point is that similarity between embryos is intended to show common ancestry. Darwin himself stated that Haeckel’s embryos constitute “by far the strongest single class of facts in favor of his theory.” Darwin was misled. The idea that each embryo ‘replays’ all the prior stages of evolution (ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny) has proven to be bogus. The ‘fake’ factor is that Haeckel intentionally doctored his sketches. His colleagues rightly accused him of fraud. But only recently has the scientific community begun to expose the drawings as fraud, yet the same and similar drawings continue to appear in textbooks! Biologically speaking it is incorrect to say that we start out as less than human. The human embryo is human from day one, an organism whose unity, distinctions, and identity remain intact as it develops, our genetic code is there from day one. Haeckel supported race-based eugenics; he is considered a progenitor or originator of National Socialism.lxvi NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten 4. The “icons” of evolution are debunked by empirical science. (continued) Even though these icons have been debunked (they lend no support to Darwinism), they still frequently appear in textbooks. Race-based Eugenics: Attempts at social control by selective ‘breeding’ of humans in order to produce certain traits that may improve or impair racial qualities of future generations. Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny: The erroneous idea that as an embryo develops it repeats the evolutionary history of its species.

96 Developing a Biblical Worldview Darwin predicted that paleontology’s examination of the fossil record would yield the evidence for gradualism (an ‘infinite’ number of intermediate forms between species). The exact opposite has occurred. Since 1980, the ‘Macroevolution’ conference in Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History paleontologists told biologists what they least wanted to hear, namely that the fossil record does not, and never will, support the Darwinian scenario of a smooth continuum (continuous sequence with no perceptible differences) of life forms graded from simple to complex. Instead the fossil record shows a pervasive pattern of gaps between kinds with no transitional forms. The lack of evidence in the fossil record sent scientists scurrying to find an alternative mechanism; the new mechanism (called punctuated equilibrium) suggests that evolution occurred rapidly in small populations thereby leaving no trace in the fossil record. This is wild and reckless speculation with all the fossil evidence standing against it.lxvii Because of a religious and philosophic pre-commitment to naturalism, the results of scientific investigation for Darwinians were restricted to natural causes alone. These scientists are not free to follow the evidence where it leads, even when it points away from naturalism to intelligent cause and design. Evolutionist Richard Dawkins notes, “Even if there were no actual evidence in favor of the Darwinian theory, we would still be justified in preferring it over all rival theories.” A prior commitment to philosophical naturalism demands that nature be considered as operating in a closed system of cause and effect. This unquestioned dogma concerning the definition of science permeates the public education system. One high school textbook says, “By attributing diversity of life to natural causes rather than to supernatural creation, Darwin gave biology a sound scientific basis.” Notice how the textbook equates “sound” with philosophic naturalism. Once philosophic naturalism is adopted as the ‘lens’ to view all of life, then it follows that in order to be consistent, one must get rid of the concept of divine creation. Darwinism is not really based on empirical finding; it is a deduction from a naturalistic worldview.lxviii The motives that drive many evolutionary scientists have as much to do with religion as with science. Richard Lewontin admitted that “We are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and set of concepts that produce material explanations.” Lewontin is admitting that Darwinians have ‘stacked’ the deck in favor of materialism lest we let a “divine foot in the door.” NOTES _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten II. The bankruptcy of evolution in contrast to the unified truth of God as Creator and Designer. 1. God created living things to reproduce ‘after their kind’, not to evolve into another kind (Gen 1:12, 21, 24-25). 2. Darwin tried to prove that things only ‘appear’ to be designed (Romans 1:18-20). Read Job 39. Not only does God take credit for designing the bodies of the creatures mentioned here, He also states that He has given these creatures a particular place to live and unique behaviors. 3. Name the different creatures God describes in this chapter. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Dr. Duane Gish called the bluff of evolutionists when he told them, you accuse creationists of teaching a religious view, but Darwinians are just as religious in your way. Christianity tells us where we came from, where we are going, and what we should do on the way. “I defy you to show any difference with evolution, it tells you where you came from, where you are going, and what you should do on the way.” In short, evolution functions as a religion. Evolution came into being as a kind of secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity with its own proposed ‘meaning’ and ‘morality’. Transitional Form: An intermediate form of fossil which manifests both traits of its ancestor and its descendent group.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 97 Christianity’s truth claims encompass all reality and do not reduce religion to non-cognitive categories. God’s revelation is addressed to total reality, to reason, and to faith (Ps 8; Ps 139; Ps 145; Eccl 7:13, 14; Is 40). The essential issue in the initial clash of worldviews comprises the following question: Is the universe made by intelligent design or by blind, non-cognitive forces? To which shall we direct our energies? The effect of Darwinism was to switch religion for knowledge, to make religion a faith leap (God has no purpose in the world, He only exists for the psyche, the subjective, the artificial). Today’s students have absorbed the fact/value split—that science is about ‘facts’, and religion is about values. And values are only subjective, personal, or social preferences. Christianity does make claims about the origin of the cosmos, the character of human nature, and the events of history. Therefore, it is unethical to place Christianity’s truth claims in the upper story, non-cognitive realm. When speaking of Christian worldview, we must speak about objective values, moral truth, not personal values because the latter is used of the upper story. God’s revelation is addressed to reason. In your evangelism, don’t move onto the unbeliever’s turf by reducing religion to non- cognitive categories disconnected from truth or evidence.lxix We must proclaim God as Creator, and we must boldly state His design for the universe, the world, and mankind (Acts 14:15-17; 17:22-31; Rom 1:18-20). We must remember that we are called to evangelize people who long for unified truth (they were created by God for unified truth). Unified truth crushes the fact/value split. Darwin removed Christianity from the sphere of objective truth—our emphasis upon biblical creation and intelligent design can be used to bring Christianity back into the realm of objective truth in the mind of the listener. As Christians we are to challenge the fact/value split that has marginalized religion and reduced morality and Christianity to an irrational subjective experience. We must go past merely a critique of evolution and naturalism—all the way to God’s design for His creation. Our Christian apologetic ought to include crafting a case for God’s plan and design. Salvation in Christ is the recovery of what was lost through sin: fellowship and eternal life with our Creator.lxx NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten 3. Christianity’s truth claims encompass all reality. 4. Our pre-evangelism efforts must go beyond a critique of evolution. Read Acts 14:15-17 4. Why do you think that Paul takes the time to speak of God as Creator while preaching the Gospel to these Lycaonians? Why do modern unbelievers need to hear about God as Creator? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

98 Developing a Biblical Worldview Creation exalts and glorifies God (Rev 4:11). God is rightfully jealous concerning His reputation as Creator (Neh. 9:6; Is 44:24; 45:12; 48:13; Job 26:7). Worshipping and serving the creation draws down God’s wrath upon idolaters. Men commit idolatry when they deny that they see God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature in the creation (Rom 1:18-25). To credit the universe with making itself is to prefer ‘the Lie’ (Rom 1:25). It is sinful to attribute to nature abilities which belong only to God Almighty. What is the reason that evolutionists would never accept the order of events in creation week (Gen 1-2)? The answer is not because of evidence in the fossil record. No, the reason why the record of events in Genesis 1-2 is rejected is because the biblical order of events conflicts with the theory of evolution—the ‘god’ of time and chance could not produce the order of events found in Genesis 1-2. Scripture has given us the record of creation week to show us that God did not need to depend upon natural laws and forces to make the world and all life in it. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten III. Seven Biblical reasons that evolution is a lie. 1. Evolution is a lie because it deifies natural processes (attributing to them the powers that belong to our Creator alone). 2. Evolution is a lie because it cannot be harmonized with the events of the creation week. Scientist John Whitcomb frustrated theistic evolutionists when he stated that the order of events in the six days of creation show that God did not use evolution. Said Whitcomb, God did not need land mammals (created day 6) to launch whales (created day 5). God did not need reptiles (created day 6) in order to launch birds (created day 5). God did not even need the sun, moon, and stars (created day 4) in order to create light (created day 1). Nehemiah 9:6 “You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” God did not need to depend upon natural laws and forces to make the world and all life in it.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 99 God created genetic barriers between kinds of animals (living things were created to reproduce after their kind). By contrast, the theory of evolution proposes that the ‘tree of life’ contains a nearly infinite number of transitional forms between kinds of animals. If evolution were true, then the fossil record would be filled with countless examples of transitional forms (one kind becoming another kind)—but such is not the case. Evolution proposes gradualism (one kind becoming another over long periods of time), but the theory of gradualism is void of evidence. Just as Scripture says ‘after their kind’—we find clear systematic gaps in the fossil record between kinds of animals. If evolution were true, instead of seeing systematic gaps between kinds, we would see an unbroken continuum between kinds of animals. The significance that mankind is made in the image of God cannot be overstated. This doctrine of the image of God is guarded and preserved by the doctrine of special creation. Many liberal theologians deny the historicity of Adam and claim that God planted a human soul in the body of a primate. The doctrine of the image of God is lost or obscured by speculation about human origins which looks away from the glory of God as Creator (Rom 1:23). Mankind is the crown of God’s creation. It is degrading to God’s creative power and plan to depict Adam as a primitive and undeveloped predecessor to modern man. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten 3. Evolution is a lie because God has established genetic barriers between kinds of animals. 4. Evolution is a lie because mankind, as the image of God, comes directly from the hand of God and not from some other species. One creationist illustrated what an evolutionary continuum would look like by using the example of changing a cherry pie recipe to a blueberry pie recipe, one blueberry at a time! Each time you switched one cherry for one blueberry, you’d bake another pie. How many pies would it take to change the cherry pie recipe into a blueberry pie recipe? Hundreds! Well, a fruit pie has only about 10 ingredients, a living organism can have millions of parts. If evolution were true, we would see millions of transitional forms between kinds of animals. A gradual change in a recipe of only 10 ingredients (one blueberry at a time) would result in 100’s of pies. If evolution were true, there would be countless millions of intermediate fossils (transitional forms).

100 Developing a Biblical Worldview Sin is the cause of death: sin, death, and the curse are inseparable. Evolution yanks death out of its moral context and seeks to describe it as a creative force (supposedly the species evolved through natural selection). The Bible tells us that death entered because of man’s sin. Evolution normalizes death by suggesting that death has existed as long as there has been life. Scripture states the opposite—death is an intruder, an enemy that terrorizes and rends soul from body and seals a person’s destiny forever (Heb 2:14-15; 9:27; 1 Cor 15:54-56). The Fall of our first parents (Adam and Eve) didn’t just affect the human race, it dragged the whole creation into the bondage of decay. This is a very strong assertion of the authority given to our first parents—as they went morally, so went the whole creation. Sin, death, and the curse are found together because they bear a causal relationship to one another. Only by the redemptive work of Christ in His dealing with man’s sin will death and suffering ultimately be removed from the earth (Heb 9:26; 1 Jn 3:8). By placing death before sin, evolution redefines death as a creative force—proving itself hostile to the most basic proposition of biblical theology—the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). Evolution demands that billions and billions of creatures died in order for mankind to have evolved. Is it any wonder that such a high percentage of youth today have little interest in a ‘creator’ who utilizes such cruel methods to ultimately make people?lxxi When Christ our Creator came to earth 2000 years ago, He performed many miracles: the healing of lepers, the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, water to wine, the raising of Lazarus, eyes for the blind; etc. Christ’s miracles were creative, supernatural acts. Supernaturalism by definition describes activity which is above natural law—or not attributable to natural law. Scientists cannot ‘figure out’ how Jesus fed 5000 from one little boy’s lunch any more than they can ‘figure out’ how God made the universe. There will never be a mathematical formula explaining the act of creation. By seeking a naturalistic explanation for everything, evolution attacks the Creator’s testimony in Scripture. Christ’s miracles testify to His power as Creator, and they also point to the day when He will make a ‘new heavens and a new earth’ (2 Pet 3:13). Victory over the grave is not wishful thinking, Jesus stated that the crowning proof for all of His claims would be His own resurrection from the dead on the third day (Jn 2:18-22). Believers cherish His promise of eternal life—believing that Jesus’ own resurrection is proof of His power to raise them to an incorruptible life (Phil 3:20-21). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten 5. Evolution is a lie because there was no death before sin. 6. Evolution is a lie because while on earth, Christ demonstrated His power over the laws He created. There will never be a mathematical formula explaining the act of creation.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 101 The fossil record is not the story of life, it is the story of death by the Genesis flood. It bears witness to God’s universal judgment of the earth by water. As Ken Ham says, “Evidence of Noah’s flood is seen everywhere—there are billions of dead things buried in water-borne sediment, all over the earth.” Approximately 1700 years after man’s creation, God saw that man’s wickedness was extreme—violence was universal (Gen 6:5-12). He chose to judge the world and destroy the life He had created. Outside the ark, everything with breath would perish (Gen 7:22-23). The Genesis flood was a catastrophe on a global scale. It destroyed the primeval world and heavens (2 Pet 3:3-7). Paleontology (the study of fossils) reveals a story of universal death. Isn’t it interesting that the geologic record of Noah’s flood permeates the earth with an abundance of bones and oil (fossils and fossil fuels), yet modern man denies that the Genesis flood ever took place? The Apostle Peter states that a willful denial of Noah’s flood (by last days’ mockers) is joined to their willful denial of the second coming—namely that Christ will return bodily and gloriously to planet earth (2 Pet 3:3-7). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Darwinism Lesson Ten 7. Evolution is a lie because it proposes that the fossil record is the story of the origin of life. The formation of the fossil record (during the Genesis Flood) shows that plants and animals were generally buried in their ecological zones as the flood waters rose. The fossil record is not the story of the evolution of life forms, but rather evidence of Noah’s flood. 2 Peter 3:5b-7 “…by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men.”

102 Developing a Biblical Worldview Darwinism Lesson Ten R10.1 How did Darwinism seek to debunk Christianity? (1.1 -1.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R10.2 a. Name the four icons of evolution. (1.4) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ b. Why are they known as the ‘icons of evolution’? (1.4) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R10.3 Instead of seeing gradualism in the fossil record, what do we see? (2.1) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R10.4 How does Darwinism treat the subject of death? (3.5) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R10.5 Darwinists insist that the fossil record tells the story of life. What story does the fossil record actually tell? (3.7) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 103 L1.1 Have we been ‘fooled’ by our selfish genes into thinking we really have choice when we don’t? Darwinists suggest that we only imagine our choices are real, but actually we are programed by our genes to act out ‘survival strategies’. But Darwin’s bankrupt explanation of human behavior destroys rationality. Francis Schaeffer saw that everything hangs on one’s view of origins. If you start with impersonal forces operating by chance (naturalism), then in time you will end up with naturalism shaping moral, social, and political philosophy. Naturalism, when taken to its logical conclusions for morality, suggests that our genes deceive us into thinking that there is “disinterested objective morality binding upon [us], which all should obey.”lxxii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven OBJECTIVES: Students will study why creationism is so vital to worldview as well as how to engage our culture. The major points of learning are: I. Naturalism’s false claims to have a material explanation for everything. II. Ultimate reality is God and His plan for mankind. III. ‘Pre-evangelism’ involves tearing down fortresses raised up against the knowledge of God. I. Naturalism’s false claims to have a material explanation for everything. 1. The battle for origins is worth the fight; we must learn how to engage our culture. The Darwinist worldview states that we merely have electro-chemical brain function but not a mind and soul. Disinterested Objective Morality: ‘Objective morality’ would be moral norms existing as a fixed code or set of laws outside the person. ‘Disinterested’ refers to moral judgment which chooses what is right regardless of whether it is deemed personally useful or desirable. Darwinism suggests that our genes trick us into believing the above, even though the above is an illusion.

104 Developing a Biblical Worldview If all behavior is the consequence of ‘selfish genes’ then morality does not issue from a transcendent Law-giver and Creator. Some Darwinists have suggested, “Religion is a brain malfunction that kicks in at a certain level of evolutionary advancement” (Atran and Boyer). Evolutionary psychology suggests that a mother’s love is nothing more than genetic self-interest, and infanticide (abortion) is as ‘normal’ as maternal instinct.lxxiii Darwin’s theory dissolves traditional religion and ethics because even morality is traced to material causes. But Darwin’s theory turns on itself, for if the very possibility of objective truth is undermined by evolution, then evolution cannot be true. Do Darwinian ideologues really think their own ideas evolved? If all ideas are not really true, only ‘useful’ for survival, then evolution is not true either; why should the rest of us pay any attention? Another way to evaluate a theory is by submitting it to the practical test: does it fit the experience of human nature? If one is testing naturalism, the answer is ‘No!’; for if man is nothing more than a ‘gene machine’ or a biological robot, then moral freedom and human dignity have no rational basis. No one can live a worldview of total determinism with man a mere biological Machine or robot—and every decision determined by the forces of evolution. Consider that Darwinian psychology suggests that human values are a product of natural selection (morals are but ‘mental mutations’). Darwinist author Robert Wright (The Moral Animal) indicates that the things we believe about morality, personal worth, and objective truth lead to behaviors that get our genes into the next generation. According to Wright’s determinism, free will is an illusion, part of an “outmoded worldview.” NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven 3. Darwinism fails the practical test: ‘Can we live by it?’. 2. If all behavior is only adaptation, then there can be no such thing as objective morality. The ‘biological robot’ shows the absurdity of believing that a human is a mere chemical coincidence and completely programmed by biology (thus, ‘like a robot’). The Bible teaches that we are created to know and obey God and not to live by sinful ‘instincts’. Read Psalm 49 and 2 Peter 2:1-13 (with the MacArthur Study Bible Notes). Notice in 2:12 the description of the ungodly: “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed. . .” 1. Why is human wickedness compared to animal instinct? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 105 If we are but ‘survival machines’ utterly dependent upon our genetic masters, then what is the source of freedom? Richard Dawkins’ answer is a wonderful display of absurdity. He says that we have the power to turn against our creators (our genes) and “rebel against the tyranny of our selfish replicators.” But where does the ‘power’ to rebel come from—is it the only thing about us that is not determined and genetically programmed? How could we make an ‘un-Darwinian’ decision? Dawkins’ leap of faith has zero support from his own theory. What he has done (because of his discomfort about offering a genetic excuse for immorality) is to leap into an ‘upper story’ view of freedom and responsibility that is clearly stolen from the Christian worldview! We correctly say ‘stolen’ because there is no basis for moral responsibility in Darwinian theory. Christianity does not belong in an ‘upper story’; it is completely consistent as a ‘Total Truth’ worldview. What’s ironic is that Christianity is often dismissed as irrational—yet it does not require any irrational, self-contradictory leap of faith as evolution does. Because biblical theism begins with a personal God, Christianity provides a consistent, unified worldview that holds true in both the natural and the moral realm. Morals are not a matter of preference; they constitute an immutable (unchanging) standard that is built into the very fabric of the universe. Darwin was wrong; Stalin’s murderous campaign proved it. Stalin killed millions of his own people in his attempt to construct an officially atheistic state.lxxiv NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven 5. Our Gospel message ought to be set in the context of ultimate reality. 4. Proponents of naturalism are unable to define freedom. Read Galatians 5:1, 13-15 (with the MacArthur Study Bible Notes). 2. What is the essence of Christian freedom according to these verses? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Un-Darwinian Decision: Darwinism is a bankrupt philosophy, it has no personal designer, no rational or living first cause of life, and no overarching plan. Therefore, with only time and blind chance as its impersonal ‘creators’, Darwinism is left with a huge problem: if nature determines everything, how can humans rise above the controls of nature and act and think independently of it? In other words, how can humans make an ‘un-Darwinian decision? Christianity does not require any irrational, self- contradictory leap of faith as evolution does.

106 Developing a Biblical Worldview Evolutionists are stuck with an immense problem. They postulate that man, through natural science is able to accurately investigate his origin, yet they are left with a humanity without design or purpose. Only God’s biblical blueprint for the ‘moral portion’ of His creation can set people free from this modern dualism. It is the only way they will be able to survive the cognitive warfare (the battle of ideas). Naturalism has attempted to craft “a single grand naturalistic image of man.” The only way to stand against such a comprehensive naturalistic worldview, as Abraham Kuyper said, is “by articulating a Christian worldview of equally comprehensive and far-reaching power.” A total truth, all-encompassing worldview is the only way to survive the cognitive warfare.lxxv NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven II. Ultimate reality is God and His plan (or ‘blueprint’) for mankind. 1. Only by knowing the Creator through Christ will a person be released from a two-story view of knowledge. 2. We are to teach our children why they may have confidence in the Christian Worldview. Christ unifies all reality in Himself. As Logos, He is the source of the universe’s rationality (order and purpose). Read Hebrews 1. We know that Christ Jesus is glorious in holiness (vv. 3, 9), but we do not always reflect upon His Lordship over the physical creation. 3. Write down at least three phrases from this chapter that speak of His sovereignty as Creator and/or Upholder. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” Darwinism is a ‘pet theory’ and supporters do not want it tested for proof or reliability. They guard it because they know that their theory will not stand up to scrutiny.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 107 How did values (God’s ‘blueprint’) become ‘unclear’ or in need of clarification in the first place? Answer: • Teachers became ‘facilitators’ guiding students as they tried out various pragmatic strategies. In pragmatism, the individual is an autonomous decision-maker who owes no allegiance to a transcendent standard from God, the transcendent Lawgiver. They simply ask, “What works for you?” Says John Dewey, moral inquiry begins by analyzing our experience, “this is ‘scientific ethics.’” • Philosophic naturalism underlies these assumptions. Dewey went so far as to say that experience can be distorted by religious and moral dogmas that tell us what to do or not to do. Teaching that it becomes crucial to disentangle our thoughts and feelings from preexisting moral dogmas—so we can clarify what we really want. Dewey suggests that these teachers are to encourage students to leave their preexisting moral framework so they can probe their true feelings about right and wrong. • Value clarification education models encourage students “to clarify and articulate their own understandings”—teachers are not to tell students what is right and wrong.lxxvi This skill is used to expose the Darwinist’s lack of any foundation for values (2 Cor 10:3-6). Values clarification about education propose that knowledge (including Christianity) is a social construction. Students are to keep their beliefs in a separate mental category from their professional studies. This compartmentalization constitutes a radical postmodernism which reduces all truth claims to merely social constructions. The slogan of postmodernism, “Truth is made, not found” (Richard Rorty). The only absolute today is that there are no absolutes! NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven 3. Clarification of values in a postmodern world. 4. Effective apologetics will ‘take the roof off’ of two-story worldviews. The drawing of the spotlight shining after the roof is removed, shows the strategy of exposing the faulty foundation of naturalism/Darwinism, it cannot support values, morals, meaning, etc.

108 Developing a Biblical Worldview People do not understand the full implications of the ideas they have picked up from education and culture. That’s why it is an effective method of apologetics to compel them to face the logical conclusions of their own premises. Schaeffer called this, “taking the roof off.” Press the unbeliever to recognize the logical conclusions of naturalism. When faced with the dangerous and unsettling implications of their views, most people will admit that they are NOT ‘dyed in the wool’ (steadfast) skeptics, and that they disagree with the consequences of their own premises. Pragmatism is one of the logical conclusions of naturalism. But pragmatism is unethical, for who wants to rely on people who think the only truth is: employing the most effective means to get what they want?lxxvii If we are to effectively engage unbelievers, we must be willing to engage their underlying assumptions about origins. We must always remember that morality is derivative—its stems from an underlying worldview. Creation is foundational to Christian worldview. We teach that there is a ‘single reality’ because it was created by one omnipotent, all-wise God. Given the biblical account of divine creation, it follows that knowledge comprises a single whole. The doctrine of creation supports confidence in the unity of truth. As Christians, called by Christ to fulfill the Great Commission, we will not retreat by allowing Christianity to be pushed aside to the value sphere. We must be willing (under the Lordship and leadership of Christ) to throw off timidity about the nature of reality and take the offensive, armed with the conviction that we have the winning case. Laws and morals do not evolve because God is unchanging (Heb 13:8). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven 5. How to ‘take the roof off’ of two-story worldviews. 6. To engage our culture, we must be willing to enter a cognitive battle over origins. While sharing the gospel on the beach in Malibu, I found out the man I spoke with was an attorney for TV talk show host, Conan O’Brien. As I presented God’s plan of salvation and the Bible’s authority to test truth-claims, this very congenial man said something unforgettable, “I just want you to know I have no interest in truth.” Sadly, that is the attitude of pragmatism, “I don’t care if something is true, as long as it gets me what I want.” NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Read 1 Peter 3:14-16 (with the MacArthur Study Bible Notes). 4. Describe how a believer is to be prepared to defend the faith. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 109 Author/philosopher Roy Clouser indicates that a good test of worldview is to ask if “certain data can have any plausible account at all on its standpoint?” In other words, “how does your worldview account for crime and punishment, the conscience, math, weddings, love of music, etc.?” After showing that the unbeliever’s worldview cannot give any plausible account of the data of experience, we can then present Christianity as the only worldview that gives a consistent and logical answer.lxxviii God’s moral principles are grounded upon His absolute truth—which is true for all people, in all places, at all times. Absolute truth has an objective basis outside of self. God and His Word are an unchanging (immutable) reference point external to us. There are only two models of truth: • God establishes absolute truth (absolutism), or • Man determines truth (relativism). Only 4 out of 7000 Christians could give a definition of truth! Truth is that which corresponds with reality. Webster’s Dictionary says: “Truth is that which has fidelity to an original.” If I say that I have a one- liter container, and someone says, “No you don’t!” Truth can settle the matter. “Conformity to an original” comes into play when I take my container and my friend to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures to measure my liter against the original liter. There is conformity if my container is equal to the original. The “original” is the unchanging reference point. Ethics cannot operate without truth.lxxix NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven III. Tearing down fortresses raised up against the knowledge of God 1. Our task in pre-evangelism is to help the unbeliever see the gross inconsistency between his professed belief and actual experience. 2. Webster’s Dictionary definition of truth, “Conformity to an original or standard.” A Christian biology professor placed a garden toad in front of an Ipad. He started a video of insects walking. The toad licked at the screen, but no dinner. The teacher then asked the students, “Are the toad’s senses reliable?” After they fumbled a bit, the teacher made his point. God created the toad to recognize its food source, not to distinguish between real insects and pixels. We humans are created to observe and interpret God’s world truthfully. Truth is that which corresponds to reality.

110 Developing a Biblical Worldview This is only possible when the creature brings his mind under the Creator’s revelation, the Scriptures. The entire scientific endeavor is based on the trustworthiness of sense data, and the scientific endeavor would collapse without the assurance that our sensations provide a reliable picture of reality. How do we explain the trustworthiness of our senses? How do we know for sure that the information, impressions, and images from our senses match up with the real world? After all, Darwin said he had ‘horrid doubts’ about trusting a ‘monkey’s mind’— that is if the human mind is merely the product of evolution. The only adequate basis for our confidence is the biblical teaching that there is a Creator who designed our mental capacities to function reliably in the world He created. The doctrine of creation is the guarantee that the constitution of our human faculties conforms to the structure of the physical world. Udo Middleman (Francis Schaeffer’s son-in-law) states, “Because God created us in His image to function in His world, there is a continuity of categories between God’s mind, our minds, and the structure of the world.”lxxx In Christian worldview there is a perfectly rational explanation for why “math works so well in describing the world.” A reasonable God created the world to operate as an orderly progression of events. This is the conviction that inspired the early modern scientists says historian Morris Kline: “The early mathematicians were sure of the existence of mathematical laws underlying natural phenomena and persisted in the search for them because they were convinced a priori that God had incorporated them in the constitution of the universe.” It was God who outfitted humans with the ability to discover that order in nature.lxxxi Honeybees all over the world build six- sided honeycomb cell structures. This illustrates that math is not merely superimposed on phenomena, but math is ‘in’ what God has created. The number ‘six’ is in the bee evidenced by its knowledge in building hexagonal (six- sided) honeycomb cells. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven 3. Man was created by God to have confidence and certainty in the truth. 4. Why does math work so well in describing the world? Honeybees all over the world build six-sided honeycomb cell structures. This illustrates that math is not merely superimposed on phenomena, but math is ‘in’ what God has created. The number ‘six’ is in the bee evidenced by its hexagonal combs.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 111 Every erroneous worldview ‘borrow and steals’ from the Christian worldview. What do we mean by ‘borrow and steal’? In order to cover glaring inconsistencies, Darwinists ‘borrow’ from Christian worldview in order to find meaning in their wasteland of ideals. In evangelism, we strive for a goal of confronting error with the truth of God’s Word, with highlighting the radical disconnect between what the natural man claims to believe and reality. Because non-believers are created in the image of God, the force of their own human nature compels them to live in ways inconsistent with their professed worldview. They have no recourse left but “philosophical cheating”— that is borrowing meaning from Christian worldview. The unbeliever must borrow from Christian worldview in order to make sense of life and in order to embrace both rationality and moral truth. As to our apologetic leverage, we would do well to follow in the footsteps of Schaeffer who would relentlessly press the unbeliever—taking him back to his starting premises. As Christians we already know that there is no secular basis for freedom and morality. So, in order to show the unbeliever that he borrows from Christianity, like Schaeffer, we may utilize the following line of reasoning: “If you want to maintain that something is real, then you have to say what it is, and where it came from.” “A closed system of naturalistic cause and effect simply gives no basis for things like moral freedom and human dignity.”lxxxii We live in a cultural atmosphere in which people treat the things of God as ‘less real’—a world in which secular concepts are regarded as verifiable, and religious concepts as non-verifiable.lxxxiii Philosophic naturalism has ‘wormed its way in’. The church gave away the ground of ‘secular’ knowledge because its members forgot that Christ was Lord of all—of time, eternity, history, heaven, nature, thought. Because Christ is Lord of all, there is nothing truly ‘secular’ because nothing is out of reach of God’s dominion through Christ. Only Christianity gives a true picture of the world. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven 5. Where does the worldview of Darwinism/naturalism find meaning and values? 6. A challenge to Christians: Are we living as if naturalism is true? Read Psalm 36:9 We live in a world created, upheld, rule and interpreted by God – for His glory. 5. What imagery is used that indicates that God interprets the world He created? What is meant by that imagery? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

112 Developing a Biblical Worldview Naturalism and Creationism Lesson Eleven R11.1 Explain what is known as ‘genetic self-interest’? (1.1 -1.2) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R11.2 a. What is pragmatism? (2.3) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ b. Why does it result from naturalism? (2.3) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R11.3 What does it mean that those who hold to the theory of naturalism ‘steal’ from Christian worldview? (1.4, 3.5) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R11.4 How does Webster’s Dictionary define truth? (3.2) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ b. What is absolute truth? (3.2) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R11.5 How do bees know how to build hexagonal structures in the honeycomb? (3.4) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Psalm 34:4, 9 “I sought the LORD and He answered me, and rescued me from all my fears.” “Fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 113 Eve, without considering the infinite difference between herself and God, decided that she would determine what was true. As a consequence, she was deceived by the evil one, having believed his lie. “And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and became a wrongdoer” (1 Tim 2:14). Scripture indicates that the lie that murdered our first parents was sown by Satan, ‘the father of Lies’ (Jn 8:44). Satan was a murderer from the beginning; his weapon was Eden’s lie (Gen 3:1-7). In sowing the lie, Satan defamed God’s character before he made his dishonest offer to Eve. Satan’s question, “Indeed, has God said?” cast doubt upon God’s motives. The devil’s question to Eve, “Has God said?” divorced the original prohibition (do not eat from this tree) from its context (the Garden). The context was Paradise, God’s bounty (Gen 2:16-17). By removing his question from the context of Paradise, Satan implies that the prohibition (‘do not eat’) is unfair and unreasonable. The four aspects of Satan’s temptation are as follows: 1) Instant gratification (Gen 3:6). 2) Expanded consciousness (Gen 3:5). 3) Equality with God or autonomy (Gen 3:5). 4) A comprehensive knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:5). Belief in the lie was formalized by eating the forbidden fruit. The lie produced darkness and ignorance (Eph 4:17-18). Once the lie was believed and acted upon, Adam and Eve became alienated from the life of God. Their thought processes were no longer capable of thinking truthfully and correctly about God and themselves (Eph 2:1-3). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve OBJECTIVES: Students will be introduced to the following concepts: I. The lie in the garden of Eden placed knowing ahead of being. II. The “Eve theory of knowledge” has birthed every anti-God philosophy. III. Being must be before knowing. IV. The Logos doctrine of Christ determines all other questions. I. The lie in Eden placed the question of knowing ahead of being. 1. Eve decide that she would determine what was true. 2. The devil’s question to Eve, “Has God said?” divorced the original prohibition from its context. 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

114 Developing a Biblical Worldview Satan’s own self-deception regarding his creaturehood and dependence upon God was passed on to the human race by the Edenic lie. The lie feeds man’s pride by suggesting that human beings really are autonomous from God. By believing the lie, Eve placed herself and God on the same level. Eve sought to gain knowledge while neglecting the question of being. She erased in her own mind the infinite distance between Creator and creature (2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:14). Eve assumed equal ultimacy of the mind of God, her mind, and the mind of Satan. Her reasoning excluded the exclusive ultimacy of the mind of God. Rather than believing the Word of God, she sought to run her own ‘empirical test’. If she ate the fruit and died, oh well. But if she became like God, then disobeying God was worth the risk. She put herself in the driver’s seat, she would be the final arbiter (judge) of truth. In her mind she sat between two beings with two opposing opinions. Her Creator warned, ‘eating this fruit will kill you.’ Lucifer promised, ‘eating this fruit will make you like God.’ By eating the fruit and reflecting upon the effects, she would determine what was true for her. In attempting to ‘sin his way’ to independence, Lucifer tried to outgrow his creaturehood by turning to rebellion. The result was that he corrupted himself, degraded himself, and deceived himself. By his sin, he cut himself off from the love, life, and light of God. The lie gives us insight into the fallen human condition. The lie was the entrance of spiritual darkness into the human race (Jn 3:19-21; Eph 2:1-3; 2 Tim 2:25-26). The lie introduced a satanically energized world system with philosophies of human autonomy and rebellion (Col 2:8; 1 Jn 2:15-17; 5:19). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 3. Satan’s own self-deception was passed on to the human race by the Edenic lie. 4. Satan’s lie expressed his own hateful sentiment toward God. Read Ephesians 2:1-3 and 2 Timothy 2:25-26. 1. Write down your observations concerning the role of Satan in the unbeliever’s preference for darkness. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ The devil tempts Eve with the lie that if she ate the forbidden fruit, she would not die, but would become like God. Equal Ultimacy: Ultimacy describes the state of something that is absolutely final and fundamental. When Eve trusted her own reasoning above the Word of God, she placed her mind and the mind of God on the same level; as ‘equal’ in terms of being able to determine what was true. Exclusive Ultimacy: The mind of God possesses exclusive ultimacy, He is the final court of appeal, the authoritative source of absolute truth. We know with certainty only as we place our minds under His.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 115 This shows how the lie acts as a wedge in man’s understanding ripping apart the truth that God’s glory and man’s good are intended to operate together as shown by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The lie produced a deep suspicion of God. As such, the lie contains the justification for loving the world and living a self-directed life. This present world system manifests a number of the elements found in the original lie; these elements show that mankind is under the lie’s influence: • The Word of God is vague and untrustworthy. • Man achieves truth by forsaking God’s Word. • Freedom comes by rejecting God’s law. • God’s claim of authority over us is oppressive. • Potential is not realized by submission to God but by choosing right and wrong for one’s self. • Man deserves fulfillment, power, and enlightenment by right, and not by grace. • Sin against God will be without consequences in time and eternity (no damnation). Check yourself, if you believe any one of these points above, you are under the influence of the original lie. The lie, once in the mind of man, tore apart the unity between God’s glory and our good. Fallen man viewed God’s glory as hostile to human good. No one is delivered from the lie except by the power of the Gospel. The Gospel, in evicting the lie, lets the believing sinner see that God’s glory and our good are accomplished together in Christ. The message of Christ is necessary to obtain true knowledge; it is necessary to man’s ability to understand God (Jn 1:5, 14, 18). The knowledge of God comes only through the Person of Christ and His work on the cross (2 Cor 4:6). The glorious gospel alone has the power to dispel the darkness of the ancient lie from the heart. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 5. The lie drove a wedge into the mind of man – placing God’s glory and man’s highest good in opposition to one another. 2 Corinthians 4:4 indicates that Satan is behind this concealment of God’s glory. He has blinded the minds of the unbelieving. The gospel is veiled to those who are perishing (4:4). Through the grip of the evil one’s lie, the unbeliever is incapacitated from gazing upon the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ. Read 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 and read the comments in the MacArthur Study Bible. 2. How is salvation described in verse 6? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ No one is delivered from the lie except by the power of the Gospel.

116 Developing a Biblical Worldview The unbeliever thought processes duplicate Eve’s approach to knowledge. By being in control of truth and knowledge, fallen man imagines that he is in the driver’s seat. Thus, we can see that the lie sows to man’s pride by offering: autonomy, omniscience, and divinity. Like Eve, the non-Christian wipes out the distinction between absolute (God) and derivative thought (the creature’s). Instead of thinking God’s thoughts after him, the unbeliever imagines that he thinks out thoughts that have never been thought by God or man, as if God is stuck in time. The Bible exposes this folly: “The Lord knows human thoughts, that they are a mere breath” (Ps 94:11). The non-Christian’s false god is finite like himself, “These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought that I was just like you; I will rebuke you and present the case before your eyes” (Ps 50:21). In his rebellion, the unbeliever avoids the subject of God, the source of his existence. He is opposed to God’s moral authority and does not wish to admit that he is accountable to God. This refusal to retain God in his thoughts directly affects his approach to knowledge. The unbeliever seeks to answer the question of knowing (epistemology) without addressing the question of being (ontology). He claims to know independent of God. “If the Being of God is what, on the basis of Scripture testimony, we have found it to be, it follows that our knowledge will be true knowledge ONLY to the extent that it corresponds to His knowledge.” (apologist, Cornelius Van Til).lxxxiv NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve II. The “Eve theory of knowledge” has birthed every anti-God philosophy. 1. The Edenic Lie and the resultant “Eve theory of knowledge” is duplicated by every non-theistic philosophy of man. The believer’s mind is placed under the mind of God and under His Word, Christ and the Holy Scriptures. The unbeliever’s mind, on the other hand, is in the darkness of lies. 6. Eve’s method of knowing provides a clear picture of modern man’s approach to knowledge and moral choices. 1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has known the mind of the LORD, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 117 Eve sought to gain knowledge while ignoring the question of being. She erased in her own mind the infinite ontological distance between Creator and creature—she forgot her creaturehood. The lie functioned as Eve’s method of determining what was true and false. The lie became her working epistemology—that is, her method of determining and knowing truth (her epistemic authority). Every unbeliever duplicates Eve’s approach to knowledge. Instead of seeing God’s revelation as His unbreakable, authoritative Word and, as life itself, Eve accepted Satan’s lie. Satan’s lying “logic” was as follows: there were two “beings” with two differing opinions. God had one “opinion,” the serpent had another; Eve gets to be the final determiner of truth. She denied God’s absoluteness epistemologically (in her knowledge quest).lxxxv Eve placed knowing (empiricism) ahead of divine revelation. By reasoning and experimentation (eating the fruit and seeing its effects and reflecting upon those effects), she would determine what was “true for her.” By being in control of truth and knowledge; she would be “number one.” The lie was an offer to rise above her creaturehood, to break free of her accountability to God. In seeking to have the impossible—what belongs to God alone—the human race, through Adam’s sin, lost the glorious blessings they did have. They lost: • the glory of God, • their life in God, and • their unity in God. What a clear picture this is of modern man’s approach to moral choices. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 2. By believing the lie, Eve placed herself and God on the same level. 3. Eve’s reasoning excluded the exclusive ultimacy (final authority) of the mind of God. 3. How is Eve’s approach to knowledge ‘imitated’ by unbelievers today? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Read Genesis 3:19 and the comment in the MacArthur Study Bible. 4. Describe the seriousness of the consequences of Adam’s sin as mentioned in the Study Bible. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Ontological: Refers to the nature of being. There are only two types of being: uncreated being, self-existent God, and created being, all the creatures that God has made are utterly dependent on Him. Epistemology: The theory of knowledge, its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the study of how we know what we know with any certainty. It seeks to distinguish between justified belief and mere opinion and guess work. Empiricism: The theory that knowledge and ideas are derived from sensory experience and empirical evidence, rather than ideas originating from innate knowledge or from divine revelation.

118 Developing a Biblical Worldview They pursue knowledge without considering that they are creatures that are utterly dependent upon God. Erroneous worldviews are man-centered, not God-centered; they are structured by fragile human egos. Men falsely boast of their wisdom, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Rom 1:22). The folly of their philosophies is epitomized in a quote from postmodern philosopher-writer Richard Rorty. He suggests that by “changing languages and other social practices [we] may produce human beings of a sort that never existed before.” By contrast, Christians receive their certitude of knowledge not from self-reflection but from divine revelation, the Bible.lxxxvi Eve fell into the trap of assuming she possessed autonomous reason. Postmodernism has popularized the ego-boosting illusion that each person is independent, answering only to self. As a consequence, the Biblical priority of Being (God as Being) has been undergoing replacement in our culture with the misguided confidence that we can know what reality is without knowing God. The Christian worldview, when it becomes compromised with this displacement of knowing ahead of being, is not just becoming modern but post-modern.lxxxvii In other words, postmodernism is eating away every transcendent reference point by suggesting that there is no longer any meaning outside of self. Human potential becomes the disordered self in need of order. Religion becomes completely based upon self. The difference between God and self becomes fuzzy.lxxxviii In the culture of postmodernity, the emphasis is put on image, not character. Thus, an encounter with God does not depend upon a truth-based belief and idea, but upon an inward experience.lxxxix NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 4. By rejecting the authoritative Word of God, the unsaved fall into the same error as Eve. 5. The ‘Eve theory of knowledge’ endangers the church through postmodern ideas. A man worshipping his own mind proves that he actually follows the devil. 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Colossians 2:8 “See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human traditions, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ.”

Developing a Biblical Worldview 119 “I AM” is utterly unique and not to be equated with anything in the created order (Ex 3:14). Biblical theism has always seen the Infinite-Personal God as at the most fundamental level of all reality; what it means to be. Thus, Christian theism has always put being (ontology) before knowing (epistemology). In Exodus 3:6ff, God spoke from a burning bush to Moses. When Moses asked for God’s name, God replied, “I AM WHO I AM.” Say to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you” (Ex 3:14). God cannot be equated with, or described by, anything on earth; He is single and sole; He is what it is to be. By His very nature it is impossible that He could not be. He is self- existent, He is not a bare force, He is absolute personality, He rightly receives worship from His creation.xc He upholds the humans who are said to be so like Him—as to be His image (Gen 1:26-27). God is self-existent, transcendent, not part of the universe, but Creator of the universe. The gods of the nations which surrounded Israel are finite and a part of the creation. God is self-existent, transcendent, and absolute personality. Prime reality (or ultimate reality) is the biblical God; reality is NOT what anyone imagines it to be, nor is it what modern scientists say it is. The cosmos is what God has made it to be. The nature and character of the universe are determined by God’s Being. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve III. Being (ontology) must be first, before knowing (epistemology). 1. God declared His own self-existent Being when He answered Moses from the burning bush with “I am”. 2. Our utter dependence on God’s Being is joined to the fact that He is Creator and Upholder of the universe. A Christian dad told his high school age son, “The universe is matter and energy in a complex but orderly unity because God made it that way. Though God is infinitely separate from His creation, His providence is over it, His impressions are on it, and His influences are all through it, thus, we cannot contemplate the universe without contemplating Him.”18 Moses is drawn to the incredible sight of a burning bush that is not consumed. God then speaks to Moses from the bush as to his mission to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. Absolute personality: Teaches that the ultimate, fundamental reality is God Himself. There is no greater reality, for God is absolute in power, wisdom, justice, control, and authority. He works all things after the council of His will (Eph 1:11). And God is personal, in close fellowship with His own.

120 Developing a Biblical Worldview Apart from Christ, the most essential knowledge of God as both merciful and just is an unsolvable paradox. The enigma, or puzzle, of God as both love and as Judge is only ‘untangled’ by Jesus. Christ incarnate, God, very God, in our nature, takes upon Himself the sins of the world (2 Cor 5:21). When God manifested His glory to Moses, it was accompanied by a divine declaration about God’s essential glory (Ex 33:18; 34:6-7). “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth; who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations’” (Ex 34:6-7). Prime reality is God who is infinite, personal, triune, transcendent, immanent (with us), omniscient, sovereign, and good—He is the Being who created the universe. God is ultimate reality. All of the universe bears a distinct relationship to God. “Religious Truth is not a portion of knowledge, but a condition of general knowledge.”xci God as prime reality is the foundation for all other questions—because the nature and character of the cosmos is determined by God. If prime reality is the God of Scripture, then ethics will not be based on humanity’s highest aspirations but will be grounded in the character of God as ultimate goodness—He Himself being the standard. Human purpose, the meaning of life, human value, and identity will not be self-determined by any person, community, nation, or multinational group, but will be predetermined by God alone.xcii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 3. Christ reveals God’s Being as both merciful and just. 4. The knowledge of who God is, His Being, answers the question, ‘What is prime reality?’ When sharing the Gospel in one-on-one evangelism, you will find that unbelievers insist upon a just world. But because they do not believe in the God of the Bible, they cannot explain the origin of a standard of justice. This is a perfect opportunity to declare God as just Lawgiver, whose Being and Word is the moral standard. God’s commandments in the Decalogue reveal His moral will for us, His creatures. To disobey the Ten Commandments is to oppose God’s very character. In the display of God’s justice, sin is only judged comprehensively in one of two places: either at the cross or in eternal hell.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 121 One cannot contemplate the universe with truthfulness without contemplating God. It cannot be said too strongly: ontology precedes epistemology (being precedes knowing). To turn it around and presuppose that epistemology (knowing) precedes ontology (being) is devastating to the Christian worldview. All Scriptural epistemology (knowing) assumes the existence of God as He is revealed in the Scriptures. God as self-existent “from everlasting” (Ps 93:2) underlies both the existence of the universe and its determinate nature. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 5. In biblical worldview, everything is first determined by the nature and character of God’s Being. Author-missionary Don Richardson was answering the questions of a native of New Guinea. The tribesman asked, “Is God as big as that storm cloud?” Richardson replies, “He is bigger.” The tribesman keeps pointing to larger and larger things in creation (mountain ranges, etc.) and the answer is always, “bigger.” Finally, after a very long pause, the tribesman asks, “Can you tell me how big He is?” Richardson replies to the astonished tribesman, “God is so big that everything you see including the earth and the heavens, and you and me, are inside of Him right now.” A missionary and tribesman on top of a hill, looking at the heavens. Isaiah 43:12b-13 “And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, and there is no one who can rescue from My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

122 Developing a Biblical Worldview Logos is one of the Greek words for 'word'. Christ is the Word of God in that the Father speaks infallibly through Christ Jesus (Jn 1:1, 14; Heb 1:1- 3). But Logos doctrine has an even broader definition. For Christ is not only the eternal 'utterance of God' (Word of God), He is the Creator of the cosmos and all that is in it (Col 1:15-17). In Him, all things have their existence, and in Him all things hold together. As such, He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. This means that Christ provides the rationality of the universe. He gives created things, their order, their design, and their meaning--whether people, angels, trees, stars, or animals. All the treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge reside in Him (Col 2:3). The answers to all major questions depend upon who God is as revealed in Christ. As we have been emphasizing, ontology precedes epistemology: knowing (epistemology) is predicated upon the nature of what is (which is determined by God). Therefore, knowing cannot arise from autonomous reason disengaged from God. There is no dichotomy (split) between religious knowledge and secular knowledge. “All knowledge forms one whole because its subject is one; for the universe in its length and breadth is so intimately knit together that we cannot separate off portion from portion, and operation from operation, except by mental abstraction.”xciii The very principle of purpose, meaning, and rationality reside in the character of God Himself. All things existing originated in the creative and inventive mind of God. Consequently, when they were conceived and also “spoken,” received in themselves, as their essence, the quality of a “spoken word.” The character, therefore, is understandable and intelligible.xciv Says C. S. Lewis, every fact in nature is a ‘revelation of God’ (Psalm 19). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve IV. The Logos doctrine of Christ determines all other questions. 1. The Son of God, the eternal LOGOS, is the final source of knowledge. 2. The LOGOS doctrine states that God underlies the existence and determinate nature of the universe. This is admittedly a challenging concept to grasp. 5. In order to make it more accessible, try to think of a major life question that can be answered accurately, but without tracing the answer to God and His Word? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ A kangaroo is designed to glorify God by its hopping.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 123 Because Christ is both Creator and Redeemer, in Himself, He connects theology and science (Heb 1:1-3). Human knowledge is possible because He, Christ, who created and knows all things exhaustively is also the “light of all people” (Jn 1:4, 9). This is why we can know. Ontology (God’s self-existent Being —who creates us in His image) is the foundation for epistemology (knowing with certainty). But because people want Eros (sinful desires), they don’t want Logos (the knowledge of Christ as Lord of all). And because they want Eros instead of Logos, they want an atheistic, Darwinist worldview in order to justify their rebellion.xcv All four Gospels are bent on answering the question, “Who is Jesus?” It is not what He did or even said that is the first matter of importance; it is who He is (His Being!). If we understand who He is, then His teaching will be powerful and true. Jesus continually anchored the authority of His words in His self-attesting identity. Because He is the Author of life, His death and resurrection will be among the most significant events in the cosmos.xcvi Christ’s epistemic authority (for knowing) is anchored in His ontological self-identification (as LOGOS). Christ’s testimony concerning His mission and His message was never divorced from His claim to be the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 5:18; 10:33-36). He continually punctuated His discourses with the authoritative claim that He was from heaven—and that His message and arrival were not as a result of His own initiative (John 3:13; 5:30). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 3. Because LOGOS made the world, it is characterized by reasonability, intelligibility, and meaningfulness. 4. The priority of ontology (God’s Being, His self-existence) governs the Gospel’s message. If we understand who He [Jesus] is, then His teaching will be powerful and true. John 1:9 “This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.” John 10:33 “The Jews answered Him [Jesus], ‘We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’”

124 Developing a Biblical Worldview By Christ’s agency the world of matter was created and sustained. Modern researchers and philosophers, like the Colossian teachers of old, were preoccupied with their speculations about the cosmos. Christ, the Word incarnate, brings comprehensive worldview and unity to all fields of knowledge (see Col 2:3). The following quotes demonstrate why science is helpless to tell us what the nature of reality is: “How much more hearty would be the sympathy of theologians with the revelations of science and the developments of history, if they habitually connected them with the operation of the same Divine Word [the Logos] who is the center of all their religious aspirations, it is needless to say” (John Lightfoot). “The physical investigations of our own age from their very nature can do nothing [to answer the nature of reality]; for, busied with the evolution of phenomena, they lie wholly outside this question, and do not even touch the fringe of the difficulty. [But, God’s revelation in Christ] gives a breadth and unity to our conceptions, [that is] at once satisfying our religious needs and linking our scientific instincts with our theological beliefs”xcvii (Lightfoot). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve 5. What we study in every academic field is made by LOGOS and sustained by His presence (Heb 1:3). Christ, the Word Incarnate, brings comprehensive worldview and unity to all fields of knowledge. Colossians 2:2b-3 “…that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Hebrews 1:1-2 “God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 125 Dissecting the Lie of Eden Lesson Twelve R12.1 The lie uttered by Lucifer in Eden has not gone away. List at least three aspects of lie we see in culture today (1.6) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R12.2 Describe how Eve’s faulty approach to knowledge is imitated by unbelievers today. (2.1-4) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ R12.3 In 1 Timothy 2:14 we discover that Eve was led into sin by being deceived, whereas Adam sinned with ‘his eyes wide open’ (in open rebellion). Describe how Eve’s faulty reasoning led to her being fooled? (1.1-3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R12.4 Why did God identify Himself as “I am?” (3.1-2) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R12.5 One of Christ’s titles is the “Logos” (“the Word,” “the Word of God”). As Creator, the Son of God gives meaning, purpose, and order to the universe. He is the ‘rationality’ of the universe. Since all things are created by the Son of God who is the Word, explain why creation is invested with discernable meaning. (4.3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ John 3:19, “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.”

126 Developing a Biblical Worldview The Romans passage is the most comprehensive Scriptural documentary of man’s intellectual war upon the moral image of God.xcviii Why study the ethical condition of the unbeliever’s mind? ANSWER: It is a great benefit to our evangelistic methodology to understand that when it comes to God’s truth claims, there is no neutrality—when man broke away from God ethically, he also broke away intellectually. Man’s intellectual rebellion is expressed in his attempt to interpret everything in which he comes into contact without reference to God.xcix It is useful to the Christian apologist to know that the unbeliever’s “scales” are not in working order! In this analogy the “scales” are analogous to one’s worldview. c All information that a person encounters is interpreted by means of his worldview. The ‘scales’ are utilized to validate everything except one thing—they cannot weigh themselves! Worldview cannot validate itself. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen OBJECTIVES: Romans chapter one is a treasure trove of worldview truths, and it is the Scriptural record of the universal corruption of human reason. Students will be introduced to the following concepts: I. The unbeliever ‘weighs’ everything on the ‘scales’ of his worldview. II. Romans 1:18-23 describes the present revelation of God’s wrath. III. Many questions about rebellious worldviews are answered in Romans chapter one. I. The unbeliever ‘weighs’ everything on the ‘scales’ of his worldview. 1. Romans 1:18-23 is the Scriptural record of the universal corruption of human reason. 2. The natural man’s reasoning processes may be compared to a pair of “faulty scales”. All information that a person encounters is interpreted by means of his worldview. Read Romans 1:18-32. Sinners ‘war against’ the moral image of God by rejecting their created purpose to reflect God’s righteousness. 1. List at least four of the phrases which allude to man’s war on the moral image of God. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 127 They are stamped internally by reason of the fact that all men bear the image of God. Every person has an innate knowledge that he is made in the image of an almighty Creator. By reason of that image, every man also has the law of God written upon his or her heart (Rom 2:14-15). The God-given “weights” are also stamped externally. The whole creation that surrounds man gives inescapable daily evidence of the power, wisdom, and majesty of its Creator (Rom 1:18-23).ci In order to avoid the indelible stamp that God has put upon these “weights,” the natural man (the unbeliever) constructs a fantasy view of reality that flows from his own mind. As a consequence, the unbeliever’s ‘scales’ do not “weigh” accurately. “Issues that should carry great weight have no weight at all on the scales of unbelief.”cii The unbeliever is “pressing a depraved thumb upon the scales.” Therefore, the unbeliever cannot get an accurate reading upon his scales because he has set aside the authoritative claims of God, Christ, and Scripture.ciii Because the apologist is armed with an understanding of the unbeliever’s reasoning processes, he will not suggest for a moment that the unbeliever’s scales are in working order. His argument at many junctures will confront the unbeliever’s world view: “Hey, get your thumb off of those scales! You’re cheating!”civ The unbeliever suppresses the truth of God; suppression of God’s truth is an attempt to retain self as the ultimate reference point. Thus, using one’s mind to suppress the truth of God is “intellectual war” upon the image of God. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 3. Our Creator has given to every man “weights” that are accurately stamped. 5. The apologist will not suggest for a moment that the unbeliever’s scales are in working order. 4. The unbeliever constructs a fantasy view of reality that flows from his own mind. Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His [God’s] invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” This drawing depicts the unbeliever’s broken, faulty scales upon which he depends for weighing truth claims.

128 Developing a Biblical Worldview Sexual politics is ground zero in the culture war that is raging between biblical Christianity and secular humanism. In Romans 1:18-28, these eleven verses describe the fearful black cloud of human guilt and rebellion. All around this cloud of guilt are scriptural warnings of coming wrath, flashing like lightning bolts. The book of Romans is the book of God’s courtroom. It is the book of wrath revealed and righteousness revealed. And the word ‘revealed’ is crucial—it means that if God hadn’t revealed it, you never would have figured it out on your own. God’s judgment (His wrath revealed) has different expressions in different ages in human history. In today’s postmodern world whose center lies in the autonomous self—the net ‘yield’ is a bitter harvest of emptiness and moral disorder—vain and futile thinking. What our postmodern world celebrates—namely its rejection of all absolutes, and its assumed right to define all reality privately—is actually a sign of God’s wrath (1:22)! NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen II. Romans 1:18-23 describes the present revelation of God’s wrath. 1. Romans chapter one connects today’s spirit of sexual freedom with the present revelation of the wrath of God. 2. The wrath of God is revealed against those who suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness (v. 18). Read Romans 1:18-32. Sinners ‘war against’ the moral image of God by rejecting their created purpose to reflect God’s righteousness. 1. List at least four of the phrases which allude to man’s war on the moral image of God. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Man lost and wandering while clearly marked signs are behind him.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 129 God’s coming righteous fury will be aimed at the measureless mountain of human guilt. By God’s own hand His wrath will be released on the guilty—on those who have hated His holiness and who have despised His offers of mercy.cv In light of this, we must preach to ourselves and to others what every faithful preacher and prophet has done from Genesis to Revelation—we must warn of the coming wrath of God. All are commanded to repent in view of that coming day of wrath. The certainty of that day has been established because God has raised the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, from the dead (Acts 17:30-31). When the Father unleashed His wrath against His Son, sparing Him not; it was a proclamation that all sin is against God, the Judge of all the earth (Is 53:10). He will avenge himself on the sinner who refuses to take refuge in Jesus. Fix your heart on the fact that the broken body of Jesus is proof that there is absolute wrath against man’s sin. Therefore, do not flee from the Lamb—flee to the Lamb. For in Christ crucified, the wrath has already struck (1 Pet 2:24; 3:18). There is no safety to be found anywhere else in the universe but in the Lamb of God. God’s love and grace are displayed at the cross—God offers justification and pardon to all men (Rom 3:24-26). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 3. God’s wrath is revealed in giving sinners over to futile thinking and immoral living. 4. At the cross God announced His wrath from heaven. 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” The prairie fire and the cross: the only safe place is where fire (God’s wrath) has already been.

130 Developing a Biblical Worldview The God of all grace gladly declares a person righteous who trusts in Christ alone for salvation. But those who reject that mercy will be visited by the same Judge, even God, who will mete out eternal wrath (Rom 2:16; 12:19; Heb 10:31). The only escape is to hide where the wrath of God has already struck with full force. Wrath falls either on the sinner or upon Christ. ANSWER: Because the presuppositions that make up a worldview are taken on faith; they are ‘heart commitments’. An endless regress of self-referential ‘proofs’ is logically absurd. For example, a fossil Trilobite is dated by its rock strata, and the rock strata is dated by the evolutionary theory, and evolutionary theory proposes that fossils are very old because it assumes that all life has evolved. • Aren’t Christians guilty of circular reasoning when they seek to prove the Scriptures by the Scriptures? Opponents of the Gospel often complain that Christians use the Bible to prove the Bible. Yes, we do not back down from the sufficiency and infallibility of Scripture. So then, why aren’t Christians ‘guilty’ of the same circular reasoning as unbelievers—don’t they assume that their presuppositions concerning the authority of God’s Word are true and absolute—don’t we assume the Christian worldview to prove the Christian worldview? Yes, but. . . • The kind of circularity involved in proving the Bible differs greatly from the circularity of erroneous worldviews. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 5. The Son of God was crushed that you might have a hiding place in Him. (Is 53:10). III. Many questions about rebellious worldviews are answered in Romans chapter one. 1. Why can’t worldview validate itself? Darwinian circular argument fails: dating rock, by fossil, by theory and back to rock. It is like we are hidden in the nail hole of Christ from God’s wrath, blinking, covered with His blood.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 131 Here are eight ways in which the Bible’s self-attesting authority differs from the world’s circular reasoning: 1. We presuppose the Christian Worldview in our apologetic because of the impossibility of the contrary. Chaos and chance cannot produce the pre-conditions of knowledge—i.e. logic, morality, correspondence between one’s mind and the world, uniformity in nature, science. 2. The Word of God proclaims God to be the only authoritative vantage point for all reality. God structures all reality—He is the reference point for all reality. God and His plan for His creation constitute ultimate reality (Gen 1:1; Acts 17:24-29; Eph 1:11). 3. Human reason cannot be the final reference point for all reality. Finite, fallen man cannot provide a comprehensive picture of reality, nor provide the universals necessary to bring unity to particulars; fallen man is ‘hard-wired’ to nature worship (Rom 1:25). 4. The ‘circle’ scribed by the Word of God encompasses all reality and accounts for all reality. There are no categories of reality outside of the circle of truth scribed by the Word of God. Truth and reality meet eternally in the mind of God our Creator. 5. Only the Word of God perfectly correlates with human experience. Only the Word of God is the ‘key’ which fits the lock of universe. General and special revelation are in total agreement. This refutes the error that ‘no one knows for sure’ and ‘one worldview is as good as another’. 6. The Word of God is self-attesting. The Word is God’s self-revelation. Christ’s self-identification and self-attestation was the basis of His authoritative claims in His discourses (Jn 12:44-50). 7. God created man with the capacity to recognize God’s truth the moment he sees it. Man is without excuse because the knowledge of God has been made evident to all men (Rom 1:19). 8. The sinner is totally unable to make sense of himself, of God, or of this world apart from the Christian worldview. Through erroneous worldviews, sinners suppress the very worldview they need to make sense of the world (Rom 1:18ff.). Read Romans 11:33-36 2. How large is the circle of reality scribed by these verses? What about sin and rebellion? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen Read Acts 17:24-31. Paul was addressing intellectuals, yet he does not use carnal reasoning when proclaiming the Gospel. 3. Describe how Paul presents God as the ultimate, authoritative reference point for all reality. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

132 Developing a Biblical Worldview ANSWER: Because man’s insistence upon autonomy from God is a patent denial of dependency upon God. Sinners use their God-given capacity of reason as a weapon against God. They fight against their created purpose which is to reflect God as His image-bearers. Because man is fallen, he must be reconciled to God in order to reflect His Creator’s likeness. Redemption alone restores man’s ability to reflect God’s moral majesty (Col 3:10). The image of God means that man’s faculties are designed to receive divine revelation ANSWER: The revelation of God’s wrath spoken of in this context is not speaking primarily of future wrath, but of the reality of wrath now. The present reality of God’s wrath means that God’s anger is expressed in giving sinners over to their lusts and to a depraved mind. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 2. Why is the sinner’s mental rebellion against God referred to as ‘intellectual war’ against the image of God? 3. What does it mean in v.18, “God’s wrath is revealed from heaven”? (Romans 1:18-20) On the coast of California, some people built ocean-view homes on the bluffs above the beaches. They never dreamed that beach erosion would someday claim their homes and property. So also, the effect of divine wrath revealed now is like a house perched high on a crumbling cliff—as God’s wrath is revealed, the moral fabric of society is permitted to erode away. This is what we are witnessing in our culture; as God withdraws, His common grace, moral sense, meaning, law, and order gradually tumble to the rocks below. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ The eroding cliff and house collapsing into the waves of the sea, picture Romans one in which God’s wrath revealed now takes place as transgressors are being given over to their sin. Depraved Mind: a condition characterized by moral deficiency; no longer able to reason soundly by the standard of God’s moral truth. It consists of evil, corrupt, and perverted intent.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 133 ANSWER: Scripture states: that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them (v. 19-20). Every natural man knows that he is created by God, that God is good, and that God will judge him someday. And he also knows that God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen— being understood through what has been made (v. 20). Or why do men and women reject Christianity under the influence of non- rational factors? Why do they have an irrational preference for a lie? ANSWER: Suppression of God’s truth is a function of man’s heart disposition of rebellion against God. Men would rather be absurd in their thinking by choosing life without meaning, than be accountable to God. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God (v. 21-23). Studious suppression of the knowledge of God is a failure to honor and glorify God by retaining Him in our thoughts and affections. Without a reverential fear and awe of God (a valuing of His Person), there is only darkness, within which man loses certainty about truth—he puts himself in a position to not know truth. He slips into speculation, folly, and arrogance (Rom 1:21-22; Eph 4:17-19; Ps 36:9). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 4. What are the categories of religious knowledge possessed by every person including unbelievers? 5. What is the underlying motive for the unbeliever’s suppression of the knowledge of God? The 21st Century man tends to feel superior to past cultures that did not possess our technology. But Romans one reveals something quite humbling; it is the record of the willful loss of God’s truth and of entering a downward spiral of false worship. God judges this overt rebellion with present wrath. 4. Write down each reference from Romans 1 which says, ‘God gave them over’. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Romans 1:21-22 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” Non-rational Factors: Unbelievers reject God’s truth from non-rational factors and not from rational reasons. They do not want God’s rule, therefore they choose to believe in error. Irrational Preference: Because sinners love darkness, they have a preference for the lie. They will not come to the light (Jn 3:19-21). They do not reject the truth due to rational reasons, but rather because they prefer rebellion. Their preference for the lie makes them fools. Studious Suppression: The natural man is always ‘holding down the truth in unrighteousness’ (Rom 1:18). He is not an occasional ‘truth suppressor’ but is ‘studious’ or diligent in his effort to keep the truth of God from informing his mind and conscience.

134 Developing a Biblical Worldview ANSWER: Golden calves do not require, holiness, purity, reverence, awe, and obedience. Philosophic naturalism (which credits creeping and crawling things for our existence) has been the most effective satanic tool in the long war against the knowledge of God. Rejecting the truth of God as Creator is a willful exchange of glory. “. . .and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures” (v. 23). • The exchange of glory for non-glory means that man loses his own glory in the process. We are the only creatures made in the image of God. The knowledge of God is our glory (Jer. 9:23-24). When man ‘puts God out to pasture’ (the choice to not to think on God), man loses his dignity (glory) in the process. Our glory is a reflected glory. If the moon were plunged into the blackness of deep space without the sun’s illumination, it would be a dark sphere with no glory. The act of sinful man exchanging glory alludes to Psalm 106 which records that the children of Israel in making and worshipping the golden calf exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass (Ps 106:20). • The evil one is using philosophic naturalism to erode confidence in the reliability of the Bible. Increasingly researchers, sociologists, and anthropologists look down at the animal kingdom (instead of up at God) in order to determine what is “normal” for human behavior. “Reason without God’s revelation” produces futility and vain thinking. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 6. Why did the children of Israel make a golden calf to worship before they engaged in drunkenness and illicit sensuality? Consider the moral absurdity of studying the social life of Chimpanzees in order to justify certain aberrant human behaviors such as promiscuous sexual relations (casual, ‘no consequence’ sex). The Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf in the wilderness are exchanging their glory (that should reflect the glory of God) for the image of an ox.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 135 ANSWER: No, because God has made the knowledge of Himself “evident within them and evident to them” (Rom 1:19). We all have the sense of His deity ‘stamped’ on our persons, therefore suppression of God’s truth is never entirely successful. ANSWER: It is very likely that the Apostle Paul regarded homosexuality as the most overt evidence of the degeneracy to which God in His wrath, gave over the nations.cvi For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions. . . (v. 26a). The expressions of these passions bring dishonor. These passions are not in accordance with the Creator’s design (His ‘blueprint’ for man and woman). • The Apostle stressed the unnatural character of this sexual vice of homosexuality. It is a lower plane of degeneracy (or depravity) because it is unnatural—it involves exchanging the God-ordained purpose for our reproductive parts for that which is unnatural (lit. Greek, against nature). The act of marriage—or heterosexual relations within the marriage covenant is deemed honorable in God’s sight (Heb 13:4). Homosexual vice is contrasted to the pure act of marriage. Thus, the offense to God of homosexuality is the abandonment of the His constituted order in reference to divinely ordained sexual norms. • Homosexuality is an index sin revealing how far a culture has departed from God’s order and how blind it has become concerning gross sexual perversion. The ‘burning’ mentioned here (v. 27) is not the normal God-given desire toward the opposite sex (as referred to in 1 Cor 7:9). The ‘burning desire’ referred to in 1:27 refers to the insatiable lust that has no natural or legitimate desire—it is the lust of perversion or distortion directed at something that essentially under all circumstances is illegitimate.cvii Committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error (v. 27). The Apostle uses an intense word for ‘shameful’ here; committing indecent or shameful acts. Sexual degradation follows on the heels of idolatrous worship. Regarding the phrase, “receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error,” theologian, W. G. T. Shedd’s words are chilling, “[The due penalty or recompense consists in] the gnawing unsatisfied lust itself, together with the dreadful physical and moral consequences of debauchery.”cviii NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 7. Are sinners ever completely successful at suppressing the knowledge of God? 8. Why do you suppose that the first specific sinful act mentioned in Romans one, in connection with the expression of lust, is homosexuality? (vs 26-27) Index Sin: Just as the water in a lake may fall to lower levels, so also a society may plunge ever deeper into wickedness and perversity. As the culture sinks lower into iniquity, the seriousness of its departure from God is marked by gross sins which are an index (measuring point) of its depth of rebellion.

136 Developing a Biblical Worldview ANSWER: The rejection of God’s character (expressed in His ‘blueprint’ for mankind) flings open the doors of immorality. Defiance of God’s moral order leads to people living according to the lusts of their hearts. Therefore, God gave them up over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them (v. 24). • Romans One tells us that those who do not honor God will inevitably dishonor themselves (1:24). God is active in this judgment. Moral cause and effect is not an impersonal law—it is the execution of God’s moral government over His creation. This is a moral universe because the Creator and Ruler of the universe is righteous, just, and holy. God’s present judgment (His wrath) is manifested in the action of His giving them over (Rom 1:24-28). In so doing, He no longer restrains humans in their expression of sin—thus, sin itself becomes its own judgment! It hardens the sinner, enslaves, warps judgment, shames, brings greater wrath, etc. • Apostasy from God receives the retribution of abandonment to uncleanness and immorality. In God’s judgment, they are given over to live by a standard no higher than their fleshly desires, but they are not beyond the hope of God’s grace. They are allowed to go their own way until they learn to hate the futility of life lived away from the truth of God.cix For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (v. 25). • In their apostasy, they exchanged the truth of God (or knowledge of the ‘true God’) for a lie (1:25). That lie consisting of the idolatry of worshipping the creature and the creation. The mind of man is never a religious vacuum, we were created to worship—we worship all day long. Regarding the ‘lie’, sin is always an assault on the truth that God is Creator, Redeemer, and Judge. Attempts to bury this truth will produce foolishness, vanity, and futility. God reiterates the nature of the offense (religious perversity)—they deserve the abandonment meted out to them. Eternal blessedness and majesty belong to God alone. NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 9. Why do the intellectual sins listed in Romans 1:18-23 (false worship) result in the breaking of the ‘dam’ that restrains immorality? If an unsaved friend told you of their gay lifestyle and asked what you thought of that, how would you answer? Explain to your friend that God has a perfect ‘blueprint’ for the human race; His moral law is meant to safeguard love to both God and neighbor. And His plan is inseparable from His righteous and loving character. God says that if we deviate from His plan we will dishonor Him and harm ourselves and others. To reject His commands is to sin against His character. Our sin will shut us out of eternal life with God. Then you can explain His loving and merciful plan to forgive those who repent of their sin, restoring them to Himself through Christ. Apostasy: The abandonment of belief in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 137 ANSWER: To be given over to a depraved mind—nothing is worse than the sinner being given his own way. Consider how serious it is to refuse to retain God in one’s knowledge. They did not see fit to acknowledge God (v. 28). The godlessness of this state of mind is apparent—they did not cherish the knowledge of God because they did not consider God worthy of their thought and attention. The corresponding retribution is, “God gave them over to a depraved mind”—to a mind rejected by God because it was not fit for any activity or thought worthy of approval or esteem.cx And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind. . . (v. 28). NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen 10. What is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to a person in this Gospel age? 5. According to Romans 1:18-28, how are we to regard the sin of agnosticism? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Given over to a reprobate mind, his brain is exposed revealing only moral confusion and death. Romans 1:28-29a “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil;”

138 Developing a Biblical Worldview Romans 1: Man – a Truth Suppressor Lesson Thirteen R13.1 What is meant by the phrase, ‘intellectual war on the moral image of God’? (1.1, 1.6) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ R13.2 How is the ‘scales’ analogy useful in our evangelism? (1.1-5) _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ REVIEW QUESTIONS: NOTES ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.” R13.3 Much of Romans chapter one deals with God’s wrath revealed now. Write a summary statement describing what it means that God’s wrath is revealed now. (2.1-3) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R13.4 What does it mean that homosexuality is an ‘index sin’? (3.8) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ R13.5 Explain how Romans chapter one refutes the kind of false claim sometimes made by unbelievers: “No one knows who God is.” (3.4) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Developing a Biblical Worldview 139 End Notes: Lesson 1: 1 Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth 2 John MacArthur, The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception Lesson 2: 3 Del Tackett, “Biblical Worldview,” Focus on the Family Magazine, July/Aug, 2004, Dec, 2005 i Ibid, pp. 422, 424-425 ii Ibid, pp. 426, 430 iii Pearcey, Total Truth iv Vishal Mangalwadi, “How Christianity lost America,” by the Revelation Movement, 12.10.11 v Ibid. 3a Harry Reeder, Christian Worldview Seminar, “God is too much” vi Mangalwadi Lesson 3: vii John Frame, The Knowledge of God, pp. 1-13 viii Ibid, p. 19 ix Ibid. x B. B. Warfield, Calvin and Augustine, p. 390 xi Ibid, pp. 398-399 xii Ibid, p. 401 xiii Ibid, pp. 402-403, 408-411 xiv Ibid, 412-414, 420 Lesson 4: 4 Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, pp. 63-95 xiv Ibid, pp. 87-89 5 Shirley Carson, Rising Millennials, pp. 5, 18 6 Ibid. 6a Shirley Carson, pp.5, 18 xvi David K. Naugle, “Clashing Civilizations, Culture Wars, and the Academy: The Illuminating Role of ‘Worldview’” xvii Ibid. xviii Ibid. xix Ibid. xx Ibid. Lesson 5: None Lesson 6: xxi J. I. Packer, Knowing God, pp. 17-19 xxii Ibid, p. 20 xxiii Ibid, pp. 27-31 xxiv Ibid, pp. 33-42 xxv Ibid, pp. 65-72 xxvi Ibid, pp. 82-108 xxvii Ibid, pp. 128-137 7 Ibid, pp. 113-116

140 Developing a Biblical Worldview Lesson 7: xxviii Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, pp. 100-101 xxix Ibid, p. 103. xxx Charles Darwin lived from 1809-1882; Origin of the Species was published in 1859 xxxi Adapted from the evangelistic resource material of: www.wayofthemaster.com and www.livingwaters.com 8 Randy Alcorn, Heaven. 9 Jonathan Edwards, The Freedom of the Will. Lesson 8: xxxii Williams Translation of the New Testament xxxiii Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, pp. 123-128 xxxiv Ibid, p. 138 xxxv Ibid, pp. 138-140 xxxvi Kevin Swanson, Apostate, p. 65ff. xxxvii Pearcey, pp, 140-142 xxxviii Ibid, pp. 142-146 xxxix Guy Waters, “Was Adam an Historical Person?” Ligonier Ministries xl Pearcey, p. 132 xli Ibid, pp. 132-134 xlii Wayne Grudem and John Piper, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood xliii Andrew Hoffecker, Building a Christian Worldview, pp. 83-88, 95 xliv John Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God, pp. 47-49 xlv John Gerstner, The Work of the Trinity in Man’s Redemption Lesson 9: xlvii Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 440 xlviii A. A. Hodge, Outlines in Theology, pp. 244-245 xlix Jonathan Edwards, “The End for which God Created the World,” Works of Edwards, vol. I, pp. 106-108 l Grudem, pp. 440-442 li Paul Helseth, Reasoning rightly about contingent Reality: On the Implications of a Sacramental View of the Universe, 2007 lii Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, p. 74 liii Ibid, pp. 74-75 liv Samuel Waldron, Commentary on the Baptist Confession of 1689, p. 85 lv Ibid, p. 84 lvi Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, pp. 179-205 lvii Waldron, p. 76 lviii Ibid, pp. 201-205 Lesson 10: lix Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, p. 154 lx Ibid, p. 155 lxi PBS 8-part series, “Evolution” lxii Pearcey, p. 156 lxiii Pearcey, pp. 159-160 lxiv Ibid, pp. 160-161 lxv Ibid, pp, 161-162 lxvi Ibid, pp. 163-165 lxvii Ibid, pp. 165-168 lxviii Ibid, pp. 168-170 lxix Ibid, pp. 176-178 lxx Ibid, p. 178 lxx Ken Ham, “The god of an Old Earth,” and “Genesis and Generation X,” Creation Magazine, 21(4) Sept-Nov, 1999 10 Henry Morris, The Revelation Record, pp. 263-267 11 Henry Morris, Sampling the Psalms, pp. 94-98

Developing a Biblical Worldview 141 Lesson 11: lxxii Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, pp. 208-209 lxxiii Ibid, pp. 210-212 lxxiv Ibid, pp. 219-220 lxxv Ibid, pp. 223-225 lxxvi Ibid, pp. 237, 241 lxxvii Pearcey, pp. 243-245 lxxviii Ibid, p. 314 lxxix Josh McDowell, Right from Wrong lxxx Pearcey, pp. 314-315 lxxxi Ibid, p. 316 lxxxii Ibid, pp. 319-320 lxxxiii Herbert Schlossberg, Marvin Olasky, Turning Point; A Christian Worldview Declaration, pp. 37, 38 12 Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, pp. 216-217 13 Kevin Swanson, Apostate, pp. 156-170 14 Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, p. 318 15 Herbert Scholssberg, Marvin Olasky, Turning Point; A Christian Worldview Declaration, pp. 38-41 Lesson 12: lxxxiv Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith, p. 33 lxxxv Greg Bahnsen, Van Til’s Apologetic, p. 152 lxxxvi James Sire, Naming the Elephant, pp. 67-68 lxxxvii Ibid, pp. 72-73 lxxxviii David Wells, God in the Wasteland, pp. 94, 97 lxxxix Ibid, pp. 99-100 xc Sire, pp. 52-53 xci John Henry Newman in Sire, p. 55 xcii Ibid. xciii Ibid. xciv Joseph Pieper in Sire, p. 56 xcv Peter Jones, TruthXchange xcvi Sire, p. 57 xcvii John Lightfoot, Colossians, pp. 116-117 16 MacArthur Study Bible, p. 21 17 James Sire, Naming the Elephant, pp. 226 18 Sire, pp.55 19 Ibid pp. 54-55 Lesson 13: xcviii James Sire, Naming the Elephant, pp. 121-136 xcix James F. Stitzinger, “Apologetics and Evangelism,” (The Master’s Seminary, Sun Valley, CA, 1999). c Grover Gunn, “A Comparison of Apologetic Methods,” pp. 3-4. ci Ibid, pp. 5-7. cii Ibid, p. 13. ciii Ibid, p. 14. civ Ibid, p. 15. cv William Newell, Romans Verse by Verse, pp. 38-47 cvi John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, p. 49 cvii Ibid, pp. 47-48 cviii W. G. T. Shedd, Shedd’s Dogmatic Theology cix C. B. E. Cranfield, Romans, A Shorter Commentary, pp. 32-35 cx Murray, pp. 49-50 20 Peter Jones, www.truthxchange.com 21 C. B. E. Cranfield, Romans, A Shorter Commentary, pp. 43-45

142 Developing a Biblical Worldview Glossary of Terms: Aberrant – drastically diverging from an accepted standard. (Lesson 13) Absolute personality – teaches that the ultimate, fundamental reality is God Himself. There is no greater reality, for God is absolute in power, wisdom, justice, control, and authority. He works all things after the council of His will (Eph 1:11). And God is personal, in close fellowship with His own. (Lesson 12) Absolutize – to convert into a fixed reality, an absolute, that is not relative to other things. (Lesson 3) Abstract Thinking – to think of concepts beyond what we observe physically. Abstract thinking is involved in applying principles, solving problems, and in synthesizing (bringing ideas together). (Lesson 9) Adaptation – change in an organism by which it becomes better suited to its environment. (Lesson 11) Anointing (from the Holy One, 1 John 2:27) – this is an Old Testament picture of being set apart for a particular ministry, fragrant oil was poured on a person’s head. Among the Holy Spirit’s ministries is His help given to believers to understand Scripture and apply its commands and promises. Antithesis – the direct opposite of someone or something else. Apostasy – the abandonment of belief in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Lesson 13) Atomism – in philosophy, countless minute elements – the opposite of a related, holistic whole. (Lesson 8) Autonomous – having the freedom to govern oneself and control one’s affairs, especially without a conscious dependence upon the divine or of a sense of obligation to God and His commands. (Lesson 4) Behaviorism – the theory that behavior is explained by the conditioning in one’s environment. (Lesson 8) Biblical grid – seeing all of life through the lens of Scripture. (Lesson 9) Biblical Mandate – the command to know God through Christ. (Lesson 1) Binary – composed of or involving two things. (Lesson 7) Biological determinism – refers to the idea that all human behavior is innate determined by genes or other biological attributes. (Lesson 2) Bio-determinism – the belief that the impersonal forces in nature determine all existence. (Lesson 2) Calling – the general calling of the Gospel is the command to all to believe and repent. But, the gracious, miraculous calling produced by the Spirit grants life to the elect sinner (2 Thess. 2:12-14). (Lesson 6) Carnal reasoning – fleshly, sensual reasoning inherent in the natural man (a person who is not born again). Carnal thought permits the flesh to set the standard for behavior and belief. (Lesson 13) Christian apologetics – the defense of the historic Christian faith against all objections.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 143 Chronological gulf – the separation between individuals by time, modern Christians are separated chronologically (by many years) from the believers described in the Scriptures. (Lesson 6) Closed universe – a self-sustaining cosmos not acted upon by a personal God. (Lesson 2 & 4) Cognitive warfare – anything that accesses intellect and reasoning in contending with the ideas and worldviews of others. (Lesson 11) Continuity of categories – in the context of Middleman’s quote, it means that the categories of human experience (whether love, hate, good, evil, friendship, beauty, truth, etc.) correspond to the categories of thought and perception that God has placed in our minds and hearts. (Lesson 11) Continuum – a continuous sequence of things without a perceptible difference between them. (Lesson 10) Corporeal form – having a physical body. (Lesson 9) Correspondence view of truth – the view that truth corresponds to the facts, in Christian worldview, reality corresponds perfectly with the message of God’s Word. Collectivism – the practice or principle of giving the group priority over the individual. (Lesson 8) Cosmology – the study of the origin, meaning, structure, and destiny of the universe. (Lesson 1) Covenant Relation to God – By virtue of being formed in God's image, humans are under obligation to serve, and worship God aright; to obey Him, to faithfully 'steward' the works of His hands, and to truthfully interpret His works. Our 'covenant relation to God' is not identical with the historic covenants (Mosaic, Abrahamic, Davidic, etc.), but our covenant relation is a way of describing mankind's responsibility to God by reason of our created purpose and identity as His image. (Lesson 9) Creation structures – the Biblical doctrine that God created gender, marriage, family, and ethics as moral structures which are just as real and abiding as the physical structures in the universe. (Lesson 8) Crown of creation – This is a title of humanity because of these reasons: 1) We are created in God's image and likeness, thus we are the crowning work of His creation, 2) therefore, in all the creation, human beings, as God's image, reveal most about who God is, 3) and only humans are placed over the works of God's hands. (Lesson 9) Cultural mandate – in Christian worldview, this is the command to interpret all of creation in light of its relation to God; to interpret all of life truthfully, by means of God’s infallible Word. (Lesson 1) Cultural relativism – the view that the beliefs and practices held by a culture should not be judged by an external absolute truth standard, but instead from that culture’s own point of view. (Lesson 7) De-evolution – the decay of order and knowledge; the loss of structure and meaning as a system moves toward greater chaos. (Lesson 13) Defeater belief – a false idea which is accepted by a large portion of society, and then lodged against Christian truth claims as if the ‘defeater belief’ disproved biblical claims. (Lesson 1)

144 Developing a Biblical Worldview Depraved mind – a condition characterized by moral deficiency; no longer able to reason soundly by the standard of God’s moral truth. It consists of evil, corrupt, and perverted intent. (Lesson 13) Devotional reception of truth – to receive or be taught Christian truth as if it was merely spiritually helpful, rather than what it really is, total truth. (Lesson 1) Diminished capacity – in criminal law, the defendant, though proven guilty of law-breaking, should not be held liable, as their mental functions were diminished or impaired. (Lesson 7) Disconnected Christian life – faith separated from practice and truth from the way one is living. Disinterested objective morality – ‘objective morality’ would be moral norms existing as a fixed code or set of laws outside the person. ‘Disinterested’ refers to moral judgment which chooses what is right regardless of whether it is deemed personally useful or desirable. Darwinism suggests that our genes trick us into believing the above, even though the above is an illusion. (Lesson 11) Dominion Mandate – Human beings are created for, and commanded to, exercise dominion over (‘subdue’) the creation, not in a wanton or despotic way, but as faithful stewards of the animals, plants, and resources which God has created. The dominion mandate includes family life; that is, fulfilling your purpose in life by being fruitful, multiplying, and replenishing the earth (Gen 1:28, Ps 8). (Lesson 2) Dualism – divides something conceptually into two opposed aspects – rather than all things being reconciled in Christ (spiritual and material existence). (Lesson 3) Dystopian (post-apocalyptic) – a lawless, disordered society accompanied by great suffering. (Lesson 2) Economic Trinity – refers to God in respect to His relation to us, especially redemption (Lesson 8) Empirical science – scientific research based upon observable, repeatable evidence. (Lesson 7) Empirical truth – truths discovered through one’s senses in a scientific manner, especially by means of repeatable experiments (the ‘scientific method’) able to demonstrate consistently observable data. (Lesson 12) Empiricism – the theory that knowledge and ideas are derived from sensory experience and empirical evidence, rather than ideas originating from innate knowledge or from divine revelation. (Lesson 12) Enlarging the soul – speaks of taking in more and more of the knowledge of God so that a person increasingly knows God and takes ever greater delight in the things of God. (Lesson 6) Epistemology – the theory of knowledge, its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the study of how we know what we know with any certainty. It seeks to distinguish between justified belief and mere opinion and guess work. (Lesson 12) Equal ultimacy – ultimacy describes the state of something that is absolutely final and fundamental. When Eve trusted her own reasoning above the Word of God, she placed her mind and the mind of God on the same level; as ‘equal’ in terms of being able to determine what was true. (Lesson 12)

Developing a Biblical Worldview 145 Essence – nature of God: God is eternal, self-existent, infinitely perfect, dwells in unapproachable light, triune yet One. (Lesson 5) Eureka moment – suddenly understanding something that was previously incomprehensible. (Lesson 4) Euthanasia – the painless killing of a patient who has a painful disease. (Lesson 4) Eve theory of knowledge – Eve, without considering the infinite difference between herself and God, decided that she would determine what was true. Eve relied upon herself as the final arbiter of truth. (Lesson 12) Exclusive ultimacy – the mind of God possesses exclusive ultimacy, He is the final court of appeal, the authoritative source of absolute truth. We know with certainty only as we place our minds under His. (Lesson 12) Executive instrument (the Word of God) – God rules by His Word, He is the King of kings who governs mankind by His revealed Word. He is the absolute authority that stands behind all of His commandments found in Scripture. (Lesson 6) Ex Nihilo – Out of nothing. Our Creator spoke the worlds into existence out of nothing. (Lesson 2, 9) False dichotomy – a fallacy which claims that there are only two mutually exclusive options. For example, ‘either this or that’, when actually there are alternative options available. (Lesson 10) Fossil record – geologic layers of the earth’s crust containing fossils (regarded as a chronology). (Lesson 10) Frame of reference – the perspective or vantage point one uses to evaluate a set of facts or proposition. (Lesson 4) Free moral agency – as creatures made in God’s image, we are responsible to God. We are not programmed. Full responsibility for all of one’s behavior, no outside forces made you sin. (Lesson 7) General Revelation – is God revealing His divine nature, power, and wisdom in works of creation (Psalm 19 and Romans 1:18-23) (Lesson 4, 9) Genetic barrier – the DNA or genetic material of a particular creature establishes its species and provides a ‘barrier’ preventing it from becoming an entirely different species. (Lesson 9) Gradualism – a principle in the theory of Darwinism that attributes the evolution of the species to slow, very gradual change in living things. (Lesson 10) Heart – The Bible teaches that the heart is the core of a person and the seat of intellect, affection, will, and spirituality. (Lesson 4) Holistic – encompassing the whole thing. In medicine it applies to treating someone in both mind and body instead of the physical body alone. (Lesson 4) Humanism – a system of thought which places prime importance on human matters rather than on supernatural matters and the things of God.

146 Developing a Biblical Worldview Humanistic thinking – attaches prime importance to human, rather than divine matters. (Lesson 7) Hypothesis – A proposed explanation or supposition. Icons of evolution – Darwin’s beaks, Fruit fly mutations, Peppered moths, and Haeckel’s embryos were thought to support the theory of evolution until each of the four were found to provide no proof of the theory. (Lesson 10) Icon of God – another way to say ‘imaging God’, that which reflects God’s character and nature. (Lesson 8) Iconic – Symbolically representative of something else. LeBron James is a basketball ‘icon’. Illumination – the Holy Spirit enabling the believer to understand divine truth (1 Cor 2:10-16). Immanent – God’s manifestation in the material world, as in the Son’s title, ‘Immanuel’, God present and God with us. By contrast, ‘transcendent’ refers to God’s existence outside of the material world (time, space, and mass). Immanent refers to Him pervading and sustaining the universe. He is immanent and transcendent. (Lesson 8, 12) Immutable – unchanging over time and unable to change. (Lesson 5) Impenitent – descriptive of a person who has not repented of his or sins. (Lesson 7) Incarnation – the eternal Son of God taking on human form. (Lesson 6) Incomprehensibility – not able to be understood, unintelligible. (Lesson 5) Index sin – just as the water in a lake may fall to lower levels, so also a society may plunge ever deeper into wickedness and perversity. As the culture sinks lower into iniquity, the seriousness of its departure from God is marked by gross sins which are an index of its level of rebellion. (Lesson 13) Infallible – incapable of making mistakes, of error, or being wrong. (Lesson 5) Infinitude – the quality or state of being infinite, having no limit. (Lesson 5) Intellectual war – the natural man uses his God-given intellect to wage war upon the truth and knowledge of God. He ‘raises up fortresses against the knowledge of God’ (2 Cor 10:5). (Lesson 13) Intrinsic – Belonging naturally to something, essential to it. Color is intrinsic to a rainbow. Irrational preference – because sinners love darkness, they have a preference for the lie. They will not come to the light (Jn 3:19-21). They do not reject the truth due to rational reasons, but rather, because they prefer rebellion. Their preference for the lie makes them fools (Rom 1:22). (Lesson 13) Joyful integration – the joy that comes with all aspects of one’s being are in harmony (body, soul, mind, emotions, affections, will, and conscience). The Christian has joyful integration in Christ, for only Christ can make a person whole and complete (Col 2:10). (Lesson 4) Liberalism – a political and moral philosophy emphasizing equality and tolerance. The term has come to mean left wing, or leaning toward socialism or communism, and rejecting Biblical orthodoxy. (Lesson 7)

Developing a Biblical Worldview 147 Licentious – Unprincipled in sexual matters, disregarding accepted rules of morality. (Lesson 3) Logos doctrine – Christ Jesus as Creator and Sustainer is the rationality of the universe—He is the reason why the cosmos has marvelous design and a discernable order. (Lesson 12) Metaphysical – that realm of religious philosophy which addresses the nature of reality. It also touches upon the relationship between mind and matter, and soul and body. (Lesson 2) Monism – the belief that all things are one, and share the same substance, whether divine, human, or inanimate. Common to Hinduism, Buddhism. ‘Spiritual enlightenment’ comes by embracing the connectedness of all things. This view denies the Creator-creature distinction. Moral ill-desert – because of our moral failure and rebellion, we deserve condemnation and eternal punishment. Only the grace of God in Christ can deliver us from our ‘moral ill-desert’—we are saved from condemnation by Christ’s perfect sacrifice and righteousness. (Lesson 6) Mutation – change in the structure of a gene resulting in a variant organism. Mutations are usually harmful, actually representing a net loss in information rather than adding information. (Lesson 10) Naturalism – a system in which man has no soul and the universe is closed (self-sustaining and a personal God does not act upon it). Additionally, the philosophical belief that there is no Creator in the Biblical sense, but that everything arises from natural properties and causes (Lesson 4, 7, 9) Natural selection – the process proposed by the theory of evolution that organisms with the most favorable traits are most likely to reproduce, passing those traits on the next generation and producing greater adaptation to their environment. The strong are selected, and the weak are eliminated. Also called, ‘survival of the fittest.’ (Lesson 3, 9) Nihilistic Regime – A political movement having little regard for the meaning, dignity, and value of life. A view brought about by the rejection of religious and moral principles. (Lesson 2) Non-cognitive – not based upon conscious intellectual activity or empirical factual knowledge. (Lesson 7) Non-determined moral agents – as creatures made in God’s image, we are responsible to God. We are not programmed by nature (biology) so as to be determined by causes external to our will. (Lesson 7) Non-rational factors – unbelievers reject God’s truth from non-rational factors and not from rational reasons. They do not want God’s rule, therefore they choose to believe in error. (Lesson 13) Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny – the erroneous idea that as an embryo develops it repeats (recapitulates) the evolutionary history of its species. (Lesson 10) Ontological – refers to the nature of being. There are only two types of being: uncreated being, self-existent God, and created being, all the creatures that God has made are utterly dependent on Him. (Lesson 12) Ontological good – the inherent good which is innate to what God has designed. (Lesson 8)

148 Developing a Biblical Worldview Ontological individualism – is based on the idea that individuals are the only reality. Relationships are therefore not designed by God, but solely created by individual choice, see social contract theory. (Lesson 8) Ontological Trinity – refers to God as three Persons, one substance, equal in power and glory (Lesson 8) Objectivity – Being objective: not being influenced by feelings or interpretations – based on facts alone. (Opposite of subjectivity) (Lesson 4) Pantheism – identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as manifesting God, as divine, as permeated by God, and as one substance with him. (Lesson 3) Pagan Worldview – The belief that the creation is infused with the divine (related to pantheism, that God is part of his creation). Commonly expressed in the worship of nature. (Lesson 3) Perspectival – looking at something from a certain spot or viewpoint. In Christian worldview, we discern that all knowledge is perspectival, in other words, seen and comprehended from a particular vantage point or frame of reference. The Indian parable of the four blind men and the elephant is about perspective. The man touching the trunk said it was like a large serpent. The man touching its side said it was like a wall. The man touching its tail said it was like a rope. The man touching the ear suggested it was a kind of fan. The question is, who sees the entire elephant? In terms of omniscient perspective, only God sees all, and knows every fact, past, present, and future. (Lesson 4) Philosophical cheating – refers to choosing the conclusions from a competing philosophy when one’s own philosophy does not support those conclusions. Darwinists state that morality is important to human flourishing, but their theory cannot give an account of that conclusion. (Lesson 11) Plausibility structure – in a social context an idea may become believable, plausible, even when it is false (such as the theory of evolution), or an idea may become unbelievable, implausible, though it is true (such as Christ’s resurrection). Pluralism – the philosophy which respects a diversity of ideas and beliefs in the interest of co-existence, without seeking to prove or disprove, or assert which are true or false. (Lesson 9) Pre-evangelism – laying a worldview foundation for the gospel. Especially stating God’s relation to His creation as Maker, Owner, Sustainer, Lawgiver, Ruler, Redeemer, and Judge. (Lesson 3) Primeval world – relating to the earliest ages of the earth. (Lesson 10) Progressives – those in favor of changing the government “under the guise of being for the people” but actually to benefit a few select elites. Propositional truth – A truth claim grounded in the infallible Word of God. This is absolute truth and is the test for all other truth claims. (Lesson 6) Providence – the protective care of God over His creation which guides and guards in both the physical and spiritual realms—God’s providential involvement extends to the smallest details in life. (Lesson 12) Providential dealings – God is involved in the details of life nothing is left to chance. His intervention in creation is why believers can be assured of His care. His providence rules overall. (Lesson 6)

Developing a Biblical Worldview 149 Punctuated equilibrium – the hypothesis that evolutionary development is marked by isolated episodes of rapid evolution/speciation in between long periods of little or no change. (Lesson 10) Put God out to pasture – refers to the choice to not retain the knowledge of God in one’s thoughts. (Lesson 13) Race-based eugenics – attempts at social control by selective ‘breeding’ of humans in order to produce certain traits that may improve or impair racial qualities of future generations. (Lesson 10) Rationalism – In philosophy, the theory that reason is the foundation for certainty in knowledge. In theology, human reason is the ultimate source of authority, not God’s Word. Rational universe – the cosmos possesses inherent order, identity, lawfulness—these make the universe knowable to a conscious, rational being. This is consistent with our calling; God placed humans ‘over the work of His hands’ (Gen 1:28). Rational humans rule over a rational creation. (Lesson 1) Reformers – The Protestant Reformers challenged the authority of the Pope and Roman Catholic tradition. The Reformers stated that Scripture is the final authority (in the Church and for all life and practice). Redemption– the aspect of salvation through Christ which addressed the believer being delivered from the bondage and enslaving guilt of sin. (Lesson 3) Reductionistic – the attempt to reduce a complex set of facts to an overly simplistic explanation. For example: “Mankind is merely an intelligent mammal.” (Lesson 7) Regeneration – is the miracle of the new birth, wherein God, by a gracious work of the Spirit grants a new nature which enables a person to love, obey, and understand God and His truth. (Lesson 9) Relativism – the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute, but changeable. (Lesson 1) Reprobate mind – characterized by wickedness, selfishness, and a hardened heart. Unapproved, rejected, worthless to God—awaiting eternal condemnation (Rom 1:28). (Lesson 13) Retributive justice (of God) – the justice of God in meting the severity of our punishment so that it matches the crime. Retributive justice is final judgment, there is no rehabilitation of the criminal. (Lesson 6) Scientism – excessive belief in the power of science to provide knowledge and techniques. (Lesson 8) Scope of Vision – sets out to establish the size of the task at hand, and then to plan the stages for its accomplishment. Christian worldview provides a ‘big picture’ vantage point. (Lesson 1) Secularism – a political or social philosophy which rejects the idea that religion should play any part in the affairs of state or of public education. Secularism has come to mean a naturalistic, man-centered worldview existing independent of a Creator. (Lesson 1) Social construction – rather than meaning and moral truth being found in the absolutes of God’s revelation (the Scriptures), social construction asserts that society arrives at agreed upon ideas and concepts, therefore these ideas are socially constructed, and not given by God. (Lesson 11)

150 Developing a Biblical Worldview Social contract – an implied agreement among members of society in which they give up some freedom for security or to cooperate for social benefits. Social contract theory seeks to negate the fixed nature of God’s creation structures. (Lesson 8) Social engineering (utopianism) – centralized planning in an attempt to manage social change and regulate the future development and behavior of a society. (Lesson 2) Special Revelation – is God revealing His divine nature, power, and wisdom through His Word, the Holy Scriptures. (Lesson 4, 9) Spiritual impotence – refers to the inability and helplessness of the sinner to reform himself, please God, or change his own heart. Spiritual weapons – in the context of our lesson, this refers to our use of Scripture in the battle for truth. Particularly, the ‘sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God’ (Ephesians 6:17 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) Statism – the rejection of God’s revealed Word and His moral government to have human government take the place of God. (Lesson 8) Stem cell research – the study of undifferentiated cells (early developmental cells) which have the ability to develop into different kinds of cells. Stem cell research is for the purpose of studying the development of diseases with a view to finding cures at the cellular level. (Lesson 4) Studious suppression – the natural man is always ‘holding down the truth in unrighteousness’ (Rom 1:18). He is not an occasional ‘truth suppressor’ but is ‘studious’ or diligent in his effort to keep the truth of God from informing his mind and conscience. (Lesson 13) Symbiosis – In biology: two living things existing in close association for the advantage of both. Teleology – the doctrine of design and purpose in the material world. (Lesson 2) Theism (biblical) – the belief that God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, and that His self-revelation, the Bible is the basis and foundation of all faith, practice, and truth. Theistic evolution – the view of origins which depicts God as guiding the process of evolution. (Lesson 7) Theological absolutes – non-negotiable doctrines that are taught in the Holy Scriptures. (Lesson 10) Theological minimalism – taking biblical truth and dumbing it down to make it as broad and shallow as possible. A strategic or pragmatic approach posed to find minimum points of encounter, especially among people who profess no religious creed or confession of faith. (Lesson 1) Theology – the systematic Biblical study of the nature of God and of religious belief. Theology helps us understand human existence, wars, traditions, morals, beauty, meaning, etc. Theology is foundational in providing through Scripture, the answers to ultimate questions. (Lesson 2) Totalitarianism – a system of dictatorial government which requires complete subservience. (Lesson 8)

Developing a Biblical Worldview 151 Transcendent holiness – the aspect of God’s righteous and holy nature that is wholly independent of the material universe, and beyond all known physical laws. God’s holiness is not measured by any created standard, He is in Himself the standard of absolute holiness. (Lesson 5) Transcendent moral code – refers especially to the 10 Commandments as a fixed set of moral laws which do not change because God does not change, He is transcendent and immutable. (Lesson 2) Transcendent truth – truth that is constant; unaffected by time, space, or history. (Lesson 7) Transitional form – an intermediate form of fossil which manifests both traits of its ancestor and its descendent group. (Lesson 10) Trauma of ongoing repentance – the true believer will from time to time be disturbed by the sin that he or she still finds lurking in the heart. In a genuine believer who loves the Lord, the remorse over that sin, and the desire to be delivered from it, does produce ongoing repentance. In other words, whenever that person discovers indwelling sin, he or she will repent of it. (Lesson 6) Ultimate question/ultimate truth – ultimate questions seek the absolute, bedrock, answer to inquiries about the purpose and meaning of life. We are utterly dependent upon God and His Word for certainty when seeking answers to ultimate questions. (Lesson 1) Un-Darwinian decision – Darwinism is a bankrupt philosophy, it has no personal designer, no living first cause of life, no overarching plan, no rational first cause. Therefore, with only time and blind chance as its impersonal ‘creators’, Darwinism is left with a huge problem: if nature determines everything, how can humans rise above the controls of nature and act and think independently of it? In other words, how can humans make an ‘un- Darwinian decision?’ (Lesson 11) Unified Truth: God’s truth is a coherent whole as opposed to being made up of competing or unrelated concepts. (Lesson 1) Uniformity in nature – the view that the course of nature continues uniformly the same. Scientists assume this uniformity or regularity of nature when they conduct their research. By way of example, they do not expect the law of gravity to be absent anywhere, anytime soon. Utilitarian – designed to be useful and practical rather than attractive. (Lesson 2) Utopianism – Belief that a government could be formed or engineered that would produce a perfect or ‘utopian’ society. Utopians are those seeking this man-made utopia (Lesson 2, 8)

152 Developing a Biblical Worldview Verse References: Old Testament: Genesis 1 (Lesson 9) Genesis 1:1 (Lesson 13) Genesis 1:12, 21, 24-25 (Lesson 10) Genesis 1:26 (Lesson 4, 9, 12) Genesis 1:27 (Lesson 2, 9, 12) Genesis 1:31 (Lesson 9, 10) Genesis 2 and 3 (Lesson 8) Genesis 2:7 (Lesson 10) Genesis 2:16-17 (Lesson 12) Genesis 3:1-7 (Lesson 12) Genesis 3:5-6 (Lesson 9) Genesis 3:17-19 (Lesson 10) Genesis 6:5-12 (Lesson 10) Genesis 7:22-23 (Lesson 10) Genesis 9:6 (Lesson 9) Genesis 18:25 (Lesson 6) Exodus 20:1-17 (Lesson 7) Exodus 3:6 (Lesson 12) Exodus 3:14 (Lesson 5, 12) Exodus 33:18 (Lesson 12) Exodus 34:6-7 (Lesson 5, 12) Deuteronomy 4:9-19 (Lesson 5) Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (Lesson 7) Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (Lesson 5) Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (Lesson 6) 1 Samuel 2:2 (Lesson 5) 1 Kings 8:27 (Lesson 5) Nehemiah 9:6 (Lesson 10) Nehemiah 9:33 (Lesson 5) Job 11:7 (Lesson 5) Job 26:7 (Lesson 10) Job 34:14-15 (Lesson 9) Job 37:1-13 (Lesson 9) Job 38:36 (Lesson 3) Job 39 (Lesson 10) Psalm 2:1-6 (Lesson 8) Psalm 5:5-6 (Lesson 5) Psalm 8 (Lesson 9, 10) Psalm 8:4 (Lesson 2) Psalm 10 (Lesson 6) Psalm 19:7-11 (Lesson 6, 9, 12) Psalm 24:8-10 (Lesson 5) Psalm 27:4 (Lesson 9) Psalm 33:6 (Lesson 2, 9) Psalm 34:8 (Lesson 6) Psalm 34:4, 9 (Lesson 11) Psalm 36 (Lesson 10) Psalm 36:9 (Lesson 9, 11, 13) Psalm 37:3-9 (Lesson 6) Psalm 39:23-24 (Lesson 6) Psalm 49 (Lesson 11) Psalm 50:12 (Lesson 9) Psalm 50:21 (Lesson 12) Psalm 90:2 (Lesson 6) Psalm 93:2 (Lesson 6) Psalm 94:7-11 (Lesson 7) Psalm 100 (Lesson 5) Psalm 102:26-27 (Lesson 6) Psalm 103, 105, 106 (Lesson 6) Psalm 104:30 (Lesson 1, 9) Psalm 106:20 (Lesson 13) Psalm 115:3 (Lesson 5) Psalm 119:68 (Lesson 5) Psalm 119:89-96 (Lesson 6) Psalm 135:5-6 (Lesson 9) Psalm 138:2 (Lesson 6) Psalm 138:8 (Lesson 5) Psalm 139 (Lesson 10) Psalm 139:4 (Lesson 5) Psalm 145 (Lesson 10) Psalm 145:1-6 (Lesson 6) Psalm 145:17 (Lesson 5) Psalm 148:5 (Lesson 9) Proverbs 1:7 (Lesson 3, 9, 12) Proverbs 3:5-6 (Lesson 6) Proverbs 9:6 (Lesson 8) Proverbs 9:10 (Lesson 12) Proverbs 14:12 (Lesson 8) Proverbs 16:4 (Lesson 5, 9) Proverbs 16:18 (Lesson 6, 8) Proverbs 28:13 (Lesson 6) Ecclesiastes 3:11 (Lesson 6) Ecclesiastes 7:13 (Lesson 10) Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (Lesson 6) Song of Songs 2:16 (Lesson 6) Isaiah 1:18 (Lesson 7) Isaiah 5:8-9 (Lesson 5) Isaiah 6:3 (Lesson 5) Isaiah 7:24 (Lesson 5) Isaiah 9:6 (Lesson 5) Isaiah 24:1-12 (Lesson 8) Isaiah 40 (Lesson 10) Isaiah 40:12-31 (Lesson 9) Isaiah 43:7 (Lesson 9) Isaiah 43:10 (Lesson 5) Isaiah 43:12-13 (Lesson 12) Isaiah 44:24 (Lesson 10) Isaiah 45:12 (Lesson 10) Isaiah 46:11 (Lesson 5) Isaiah 48:12-13 (Lesson 5, 6, 10) Isaiah 53:6 (Lesson 5, 7) Isaiah 53:10 (Lesson 13) Isaiah 55:6-11 (Lesson 6) Isaiah 59:2 (Lesson 7) Isaiah 62:5 (Lesson 9) Jeremiah 9:23-24 (Lesson 6, 9, 13) Jeremiah 10:7, 10 (Lesson 5, 6) Jeremiah 13:23 (Lesson 6) Jeremiah 17:9-10 (Lesson 6) Jeremiah 24:7 (Lesson 8) Ezekiel 11:5 (Lesson 5) Daniel 4:34-35 (Lesson 5) Daniel 11:32 (Lesson 6) Hosea 6:1-3 (Lesson 5) Hosea 6:6 (Lesson 6) Micah 5:2 (Lesson 5) Nahum 1:2-3 (Lesson 5) Nahum 1:2-8 (Lesson 6) Malachi 3:6 (Lesson 5) Zephaniah 3:17 (Lesson 9)

Developing a Biblical Worldview 153 New Testament: Matthew 4:10 (Lesson 5) Matthew 5:13, 27-32 (Lesson 6) Matthew 5:22 (Lesson 6, 7) Matthew 5:27-28 (Lesson 7) Matthew 5:31-38 (Lesson 5) Matthew 10:28 (Lesson 7) Matthew 10:37 (Lesson 5) Matthew 11:27-29 (Lesson 5) Matthew 12:6, 8 (Lesson 5) Matthew 12:36-37 (Lesson 6, 7) Matthew 14:33 (Lesson 5) Matthew 15:18 (Lesson 4) Matthew 15:25 (Lesson 5) Matthew 16:18, 19 (Lesson 5) Matthew 16:24-26 (Lesson 6) Matthew 19:4-6 (Lesson 8) Matthew 21:23-32 (Lesson 7) Matthew 22:37-38 (Lesson 5) Matthew 28:9, 19-20 (Lesson 5) Mark 2:5-12 (Lesson 5) Mark 9:37 (Lesson 5) Mark 9:47 (Lesson 6) Mark 9:43-50 (Lesson 7) Luke 1:35 (Lesson 9) Luke 10:25-37 (Lesson 7) Luke 14:26 (Lesson 5) Luke 16:9-31 (Lesson 7) Luke 18:10-14 (Lesson 6) Luke 18:18-25 (Lesson 7) John 1:1 (Lesson 12) John 1:1, 3, 10 (Lesson 5) John 1:5, 9 (Lesson 12) John 1:12-13 (Lesson 7) John 1:14 (Lesson 4, 5, 6, 12) John 1:18 (Lesson 5, 8, 12) John 2:18-22 (Lesson 10) John 3:13 (Lesson 12) John 3:16, 36 (Lesson 5, 7) John 3:19-21 (Lesson 6, 12) John 4:7-26 (Lesson 7) John 4:14 (Lesson 5) John 4:24 (Lesson 5, 9) John 5:18 (Lesson 8, 12) John 5:21-23, 26-29 (Lesson 5) John 5:30 (Lesson 12) John 6:62 (Lesson 5) John 7:37 (Lesson 5) John 8:12 (Lesson 1, 6) John 8:19 (Lesson 5) John 8:34b, 36 (Lesson 8) John 8:44 (Lesson 12) John 9:38 (Lesson 5) John 10:10 (Lesson 9) John 10:14 (Lesson 6) John 10:28 (Lesson 5) John 10:33 (Lesson 8) John 10:33-36 (Lesson 12) John 11:24-25 (Lesson 5) John 12:15 (Lesson 8) John 12:44, 45 (Lesson 5) John 12:44-50 (Lesson 13) John 14:1, 7, 9, 11, 14-20 (Lesson 5) John 14:6 (Lesson 5, 6) John 14:16-17, 26 (Lesson 8) John 15:4-10 (Lesson 6) John 15:5, 23 (Lesson 5) John 15:15, 26-27 (Lesson 6) John 16:7 (Lesson 8) John 17: 3 (Lesson 6) John 17:5 (Lesson 5) John 17:11, 22-23 (Lesson 8) Acts 2:32-36 (Lesson 5) Acts 3:14 (Lesson 5) Acts 5:29 (Lesson 6) Acts 7:59 (Lesson 5) Acts 10:25-26, 36, 42 (Lesson 5) Acts 14:11-15 (Lesson 5) Acts 14:15-17 (Lesson 10) Acts 17:25-28 (Lesson 9, 10, 13) Acts 17:30-31 (Lesson 2, 5, 13) Acts 20:24 (Lesson 6) Acts 24-26 (Lesson 7) Romans 1:16 (Lesson 13) Romans 1:18 (Lesson 3, 5) Romans 1:18-20 (Lesson 10) Romans 1:18-28 (Lesson 6, 9) Romans 1:18-32 (Lesson 13) Romans 1:22 (Lesson 12) Romans 1:23, 25 (Lesson 10, 13) Romans 1:32 (Lesson 9) Romans 1:24-32 (Lesson 8) Romans 2:1-12 (Lesson 6) Romans 2:12-16 (Lesson 7, 9, 10, 13) Romans 3:9-26 (Lesson 6, 7) Romans 3:23-26 (Lesson 12, 13) Romans 4:17 (Lesson 9) Romans 5:1, 4-5, 9 (Lesson 6) Romans 5:12-21 (Lesson 9) Romans 6:16-23 (Lesson 6, 7, 10) Romans 7:7 (Lesson 7) Romans 8:12 (Lesson 8) Romans 8:16-17 (Lesson 6) Romans 8:20-23 (Lesson 10) Romans 8:26-27, 33-34 (Lesson 5, 6) Romans 8:28-30 (Lesson 6, 9) Romans 9:5 (Lesson 5) Romans 9:15-16, 22 (Lesson 6) Romans 11:24-36 (Lesson 5, 9) Romans 11:33 (Lesson 11) Romans 11:33-36 (Lesson 13) Romans 12:1-2 (Lesson 6) Romans 12:19 (Lesson 13) Romans 15:13 (Lesson 6) 1 Corinthians 1:18 (Lesson 3, 12) 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (Lesson 6) 1 Corinthians 1:21 (Lesson 9) 1 Corinthians 1:30 (Lesson 5) 1 Corinthians 2:8 (Lesson 5) 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (Lesson 9, 12) 1 Corinthians 2:14 (Lesson 7) 1 Corinthians 2:16 (Lesson 6) 1 Corinthians 4:2 (Lesson 6) 1 Corinthians 6:13 (Lesson 7) 1 Corinthians 8:4, 6 (Lesson 5) 1 Corinthians 10:31 (Lesson 9) 1 Corinthians 11:7-12 (Lesson 8) 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 (Lesson 8) 1 Corinthians 15:54-56 (Lesson 10) 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (Lesson 9, 12) 2 Corinthians 4:6 (Lesson 6, 12) 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (Lesson 9) 2 Corinthians 5:10, 14-21 (Lesson 6) 2 Corinthians 5:20b-21 (Lesson 2, 12) 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (Lesson 7, 11) 2 Corinthians 11:3 (Lesson 12) Galatians 1:15-16 (Lesson 6) Galatians 3:11 (Lesson 7) Galatians 3:24 (Lesson 7)

154 Developing a Biblical Worldview Galatians 3:27 (Lesson 6) Galatians 4:6 (Lesson 5) Galatians 5:1, 13-15 (Lesson 11) Galatians 5:13 (Lesson 8) Galatians 5:22-24 (Lesson 6) Ephesians 1:4 (Lesson 9) Ephesians 1:11 (Lesson 5, 12, 13) Ephesians 2:1-3 (Lesson 12) Ephesians 2:3 (Lesson 6) Ephesians 2:12 (Lesson 7) Ephesians 4:7-16 (Lesson 5) Ephesians 4:17-18 (Lesson 12, 13) Ephesians 4:18 (Lesson 7) Ephesians 4:15-32 (Lesson 8) Ephesians 4:24 (Lesson 9) Ephesians 5:1-2 (Lesson 6, 9) Ephesians 6:18-20 (Lesson 6) Philippians 2:8-11 (Lesson 5) Philippians 3:7-10 (Lesson 6) Philippians 3:7-11 (Lesson 5) Philippians 3:20-21 (Lesson 10) Colossians 1:15-20 (Lesson 8, 9, 12) Colossians 1:16-17 (Lesson 2, 5, 8, 9) Colossians 1:20-21 (Lesson 9) Colossians 1:21 (Lesson 7) Colossians 1:27 (Lesson 9) Colossians 1:28-29 (Lesson 6) Colossians 2:2-3 (Lesson 9, 12) Colossians 2:8 (Lesson 9, 12) Colossians 2:10 (Lesson 5) Colossians 3:5-23 (Lesson 9) Colossians 3:10 (Lesson 9, 13) Colossians 3:13 (Lesson 5) Colossians 3:23-24 (Lesson 1) 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (Lesson 8) 1 Thessalonians 1:10 (Lesson 6) 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (Lesson 6) 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (Lesson 6) 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 (Lesson 6) 1 Timothy 1:17 (Lesson 5) 1 Timothy 2:5 (Lesson 5) 1 Timothy 2:13 (Lesson 8) 1 Timothy 2:14 (Lesson 12) 1 Timothy 4:2 (Lesson 13) 1 Timothy 6:6 (Lesson 6) 1 Timothy 6:16 (Lesson 5) 2 Timothy 2:25-26 (Lesson 12) 2 Timothy 3:15 (Lesson 6) 2 Timothy 3:16 (Lesson 8) Titus 2:14 (Lesson 6) Titus 3:4-7 (Lesson 11) Titus 3:5 (Lesson 3, 6) Hebrews 1 (Lesson 11) Hebrews 1:1-3, 5 (Lesson 8, 12) Hebrews 1:3 (Lesson 4, 5, 9) Hebrews 1:6, 8 (Lesson 5) Hebrews 2:9-18 (Lesson 6) Hebrews 2:11 (Lesson 5) Hebrews 2:14-15 (Lesson 10) Hebrews 3:7-4:2 (Lesson 6) Hebrews 4:1-4, 15-16 (Lesson 6) Hebrews 4:13 (Lesson 5) Hebrews 6:13 (Lesson 12) Hebrews 9:11-14 (Lesson 8) Hebrews 9:14 (Lesson 2) Hebrews 9:26-27 (Lesson 10) Hebrews 10:5 (Lesson 9) Hebrews 10:31 (Lesson 13) Hebrews 11:1-6 (Lesson 7) Hebrews 11:3 (Lesson 9) Hebrews 12:2 (Lesson 5) Hebrews 12:6-8 (Lesson 13) Hebrews 12:9 (Lesson 6) Hebrews 13:4 (Lesson 13) Hebrews 13:8 (Lesson 11) James 1:19-27 (Lesson 6) James 2:10 (Lesson 7) 1 Peter 1:8 (Lesson 9) 1 Peter 1:15-16 (Lesson 9) 1 Peter 1:22-23 (Lesson 8) 1 Peter 1:24 (Lesson 13) 1 Peter 2:22-25 (Lesson 6, 7) 1 Peter 3:14-16 (Lesson 11) 1 Peter 3:17-18 (Lesson 5, 7, 13) 1 Peter 4:11 (Lesson 9) 1 Peter 5:10 (Lesson 6) 2 Peter 2:1-13 (Lesson 11) 2 Peter 3:2, 14-18 (Lesson 5, 6) 2 Peter 3:3-7 (Lesson 10) 2 Peter 3:5-7 (Lesson 6) 2 Peter 3:13 (Lesson 3, 10) 1 John 1:3 (Lesson 8) 1 John 1:6 (Lesson 6) 1 John 1:9 (Lesson 6) 1 John 2:4, 9-11 (Lesson 6) 1 John 2:15-17 (Lesson 12) 1 John 2:29 (Lesson 6) 1 John 3:2-3 (Lesson 9) 1 John 3:4 (Lesson 1, 7) 1 John 3:6, 11 (Lesson 6) 1 John 3:8 (Lesson 10) 1 John 3:15 (Lesson 7) 1 John 4:6 (Lesson 6) 1 John 4:8 (Lesson 5) 1 John 4:18-22 (Lesson 6) 1 John 5:19 (Lesson 12) 1 John 5:20 (Lesson 5) Jude 3-4 (Lesson 8) Jude 25 (Lesson 6) Revelation 1:17-18 (Lesson 5) Revelation 4:11 (Lesson 6, 9, 10) Revelation 5:8-14 (Lesson 5, 6) Revelation 14:6-7 (Lesson 10) Revelation 17-18, 20 (Lesson 6) Revelation 19:10, 16 (Lesson 5) Revelation 20:11-15 (Lesson 11) Revelation 20:12-13 (Lesson 6) Revelation 22:8-9 (Lesson 5)

Developing a Biblical Worldview 155 APPENDICES: Appendix A – Detailed Definition of Worldview and Unified Truth from Lesson 1 Appendix B – Detailed Definitions from Lesson 2 including the difference between Humanism, Secularism, Progressivism, and Social Engineering Appendix C – Detailed Definition of a Closed System versus an Open System from Lesson 3 Appendix D – Detailed Definition Natural Selection from Lesson 10 Appendix E – Understanding Being and Knowing from Lesson 12

156 Developing a Biblical Worldview Appendix A A Detailed Definition of Worldview and Unified Truth from Lesson 1 The History of ‘Worldview’ is traceable to the term, Weltanschauung. The German philosopher Immanuel Kant coined the term Weltanschauung or worldview in his book Critique of Judgment, published in 1790, For Kant, the word meant something like an intuition about the world given through sense perception. By the early part of the nineteenth century, its definition as a basic outlook on life had become more or less fixed, and it soon became a popular companion word used along side of philosophy. As the nineteenth century progressed, it wasn’t long before it made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American context. Theologians such Francis Schaeffer picked up on this common concept as a way of explaining Christianity as a comprehensive philosophy of life. A life perspective based on Scripture became known as a “Christian and/or biblical world and life view.” Definitions of worldview, what exactly does this term mean? One’s worldview is a particular understanding of the meaning of life and its purpose, as such worldview seeks to answer the questions that comprise the riddle of the universe. A worldview operates as the whole manner of conceiving of the world and humanity’s place in it. The Bible teaches that a worldview is a vision of life rooted in and expressed through the human heart with its deeply embedded ideas, sensibilities, choices, and objects of worship. The overwhelming personal and public power of such a reasonably well-organized Weltanschauung is hard to exaggerate. For indeed a worldview is the presuppositional basis of life. From its premises, arguments are made, talk flows, and actions are based. From it emerge the issues of life, to borrow a line from the book of Proverbs (Prov 4:23). A worldview makes a world of difference, for, it is vision of life, and a vision for life (David Naugle). What is unified truth? When the Bible speaks, it speaks of total, or unified truth, and not simply about religious truth. For, the Word of God addresses both the visible and invisible aspects of reality. A helpful way to think about unified truth is to imagine a circle that is so large that its perimeter scribes encompasses the whole of reality. There is nothing outside of that circle! That is what the Bible does, which means that a biblical thinker possesses ‘unified truth’. By way of illustration, sometimes when I am sharing the gospel, I will ask an unbeliever, “Has anyone ever shown you from the Bible what it is that you believe?” Of course, the listener is both curious and surprised to hear such a thing, and I almost always have his permission to read the appropriate biblical passage to him. The Bible not only proclaims and identifies what is true, it also describes the kinds of destructive lies and errors which unbelievers accept. ‘Unified truth’ simply means God’s comprehensive revelation of truth in regards to everything that the Word of God addresses. We use the word, ‘unified’ because the truth categories of Scripture are connected—all the truths declared in God’s Word ‘touch one another’ they have meaningful contact. None of them stands alone, completely independent of the other truths.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 157 Appendix B Detailed definitions from Lesson 2 Dominion mandate – Human beings are created for, and commanded to, exercise dominion over (‘subdue’) the creation, not in a wanton or despotic way, but as faithful stewards of the animals, plants, and resources which God has created. The dominion mandate includes family life; that is, fulfilling your purpose in life by being fruitful, multiplying, and replenishing the earth (Gen 1:28, Ps 8). Theology – the systematic Biblical study of the nature of God and of religious belief. Theology helps us understand human existence, wars, traditions, morals, beauty, meaning, etc. Theology is foundational in providing through Scripture, the answers to ultimate questions. The difference between Humanism, Secularism, Progressivism, and Social Engineering Humanism – a system of thought which places prime importance on human matters, rather than on supernatural matters and the things of God. Humanism stresses the innate goodness, and potential problem-solving ability of humanity (think, ‘human potential movement’). Secularism – is a belief system which rejects religion, therefore it stresses that religion should not play a part in the public affairs of the state, or of education. Secularism teaches that the state, not God, is the source of our human rights (the rights they grant, they can take away). Progressivism – is a political policy in support of social reform. Progressivism seeks to change government so as to accomplish social and economic ‘equality’. Progressivism views democracy as ever expanding (always legislating ‘new rights’ such as gay marriage, etc.). Progressivism is the opposite of conservatism, it seeks to change government, moving it away from a constitutional republic toward socialism. It poses as helpful to the populace, but favors a few elites who pride themselves in crafting a society that works for everyone (their ‘sales pitch’). Social engineering – the use of central planning to manage and regulate future social change. The term has a well-deserved negative connotation associated with manipulation of individuals and the masses. Utopians often advocate social engineering in an attempt to usher in a more ideal society. The opposite of social engineering would be the pursuit of human flourishing not through the state, but through the values and activities associated with the family, church, and local communities. These last four terms above are close relatives (there is a lot of overlap between them), but the differ in what they emphasize. Humanism and secularism could be considered worldview ‘lenses’ or ways of looking at human existence. Whereas the last two terms deal more specifically with political theory and government policy.

158 Developing a Biblical Worldview Appendix C Detailed definition of Closed System versus an Open System from Lesson 3 The definition of a closed system: it is the philosophy of naturalism (materialism) in which everything that exists (whether visible or invisible) exists in the time-space-mass continuum we call our cosmos. In this view, the universe made itself, sustains itself, defines itself--and therefore all reality is found in the universe. It is a 'closed system' in that there is no transcendent God who upholds it and acts upon it. We as believers sometimes expose the folly of this view by saying: how is it scientific to say that everything came from nothing? How is it truthful to say that we define what is in the box by what is in the box? An open system in this context means that the cosmos is not locked in a strict system of internal cause and effect, but instead is acted upon by our transcendent God. He upholds it in all places, and He is free to act upon it in His works of providence and in His miracles such as the resurrection, the miracles of Christ, and the regeneration of the believer.

Developing a Biblical Worldview 159 Appendix D Detailed definition of Natural Selection from Lesson 10 Natural selection is most easily understood as the following concept: the most fit creatures are the ones which survive, and the least fit are eliminated. Natural selection is considered the mechanism or main driver of evolution. It suggests that the pressure in an environment 'selects' the most hearty and vigorous individuals, who then survive and reproduce, thus passing on their genetic material (traits) to the next generation. But even the most ardent evolutionist cannot prove from observing nature how one creature who is 'selected' for its survivability evolves into a completely different and more complex organism. As creationists, we agree that in this fallen and cursed world, weak creatures are preyed upon and die first. But we reject the idea that natural selection can make a bird out of a reptile. "Survival of the fittest" is a popular term that refers to the process of natural selection.

160 Developing a Biblical Worldview Appendix E Understanding Knowing and Being from Lesson 12 Here is what is meant concerning knowing and being. ‘Being’ refers to a person’s nature, God is a Being whose nature is eternal, divine, self-existent, and omnipotent. A human ‘being’ is a dependent creature of dust, a creature made in the image of God. Eve placed knowing before being, she erased the infinite distance between the uncreated Being of the transcendent God of the universe and herself. Every unbeliever, just as Eve did, imagines it is possible to obtain a true picture of the world without acknowledging the infinite distinction between God and man, and without dependence upon the infallible Word of God. The unbeliever seeks to answer the question of knowing (epistemology) without addressing the question of being (ontology). He claims to know independent of God. “If the Being of God is what, on the basis of Scripture testimony, we have found it to be, it follows that our knowledge will be true knowledge ONLY to the extent that it corresponds to His knowledge.” (apologist, Cornelius Van Til).