The perspective of our religious beliefs plays a poignant role in living a life according to norms and values prescribed by the religion. Our lives are shaped by our religious perceptive. The religious perspective and worldview are the same for everyone because of the universality of essential elements of belief and faith. The Christian worldview provides a virtuous guideline of teachings for its believers to overcome all the obstacles and challenging situations through positivity, confidence, and wisdom. According to the Christian worldview, God is the sovereign power of all living beings in this world. Christianity is a monotheistic religion because of its belief in one God. This outline will briefly explicate the Christian essentials which include the nature of God, the nature of humanity, the nature of Jesus, and restoration. Furthermore, it will provide an overview of Christian foundations and a critical analysis of the implications of the Christian worldview.
Gospel Essential Beliefs
Nature of God
According to Christianity, God is the sovereign power of all living beings in this world. God has five basic qualities. According to Christian belief, God is eternal and not bound by time. All of these qualities are validated by the biblical scriptures present in the Christian Bible (Old and New Testament). As it is stated in the Biblical scriptures that “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1). According to these verses, God is the ultimate maker of everything in the world. God has given life to every living being in this world. According to the Christians God is benevolent (all-loving). The significance of God’s love can be validated through the following text: “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15). According to Christian belief, God is described in these five qualities given below:
· The God is Omniscience (He is all-knowing)
· Omnipotent (God is all-powerful, almighty, and exhibits unlimited nature)
· Omni benevolent (God is supremely all-loving and infinitely virtuous)
· Omnipresent (God is present everywhere)
· Transcendent (God is outside of this world)
Furthermore, the nature of God is explicated in the concept of the Trinity. According to this concept, God is made up of three components; “God (The Father), Jesus Christ (The Son), and the Holy Spirit”.
Nature of Humanity
According to Christian belief, the human being is the reflection of God. This point can be validated through the biblical quotation, which explicates that man and woman are made “in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–31).” Therefore, the nobility of a human being lies within its basic uniqueness as a reflection of God. The human being has free will and a soul which is given by God to act upon moral principles. The soul is considered to be the spiritual element of humans which connects them to God. According to the following quotation from Genesis, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). The prominence of human nature is evident because God breathed his breath into man’s nostrils to give him life. A human being has been granted high nobility and status than other living creatures in the world because it is made as a reflection of God. According to the Biblical scripture of Genesis, “Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). This reflects the importance of humankind to God.
Nature of Jesus
Jesus is known as the son of God according to the Christian belief in the New Testament. This belief is known as “incarnation”. Jesus spreads the Christian religion through his life and preaching. Christians believe that God revealed a part of himself by sending Jesus (The son of God) to live with them. “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke1:28–33). These lines are stated to Mary before the birth of Jesus. This reflects upon the significant power of Jesus given by God. The attributes of Jesus Christ are explicated in the following lines: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). According to the Christian belief, Jesus Christ died on a cross to atone the human sins.
Restoration
Restoration is also known as Christian Primitivism. According to this belief system, God will restore the broken pieces (wrong decisions/actions) of human beings and mend them in a better way. After Jesus Christ, the Christian Doctrine became corrupt and subjective to various interpretations, the churches started to practice the Christian religion by mixing their interests. This is the reason the restoration of “The Gospel of Jesus Christ” came with the help of Joseph Smith. God reached out to his followers to get them on the straight path because they had gone on a dark path of sins and corruption. God reached out to his follower named Joseph Smith as a prophet. God revealed himself and his benevolent intentions of restoration to this man. In this way, God restored the originality and the essence of “The Gospel of Jesus Christ” on earth. God has promised restoration to his followers through the Biblical scriptures. According to the New Testament, God says “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 30:17). The theme of restoration, healing, and salvation promised by God is persistent throughout the Old and New Testaments. The promise of restoration and healing by God reflects his infinite love for his people to repair them according to his image.
Christian Foundations
Every religion is formed on its basic foundations and belief system. The basic foundations of the Christian religion are “the Sovereign power of God”, “Jesus (As the Son of God)”, “the Cross (Implication of Salvation)”, “Resurrection”, and “Restoration”. These basic foundations are very well mentioned and explicated through the holy book Bible. According to Christian belief, God is the ultimate power of the world. God is explicated in the Gospel through the concept of the Trinity. In the Christian religion, Jesus Christ is perceived as the “Son of God”. The unique nature of Jesus Christ is explicated through the virgin birth of Jesus Christ through Mary. The cross is the main symbol of the Christian religion. The people of Christianity wear and perceive the cross as the symbol of salvation. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for preaching the Christian religion. Therefore, the Cross plays a significant role in the foundation of Christianity to achieve salvation. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the significant doctrines of the Christian religion. “Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). According to this doctrine, Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day of his citification. The Christian Church celebrates Easter (Festival of Resurrection) on this day.
Analysis of the Implications of the Christian Worldview
The Christian religion spreads the message of love, sacrifice, and righteousness by giving the living example of Jesus and the Bible. The followers of Christianity have a physical and mental impact by following the life of Jesus Christ and the holy book Bible. The Christian worldview illuminates us with a virtuous guideline by God to live a prosperous life in the world. The Christian worldview offers motivation and confidence for faithfully following the teachings of God in a hope of a better future. It provided illuminating doctrine for a person to overcome vulnerable challenges and struggling situations to alleviate his life. It acts as a bridging gap between a person and faith in God. It gives a virtuous perspective that all good and bad circumstances happen for a positive cause and can be used for a positive purpose. According to the following Biblical excerpt, “if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). These lines validate that the Christian worldview also provides an ethical and moral framework for living a pious life. It provides wisdom and virtue through its teachings in Bible.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the teachings of the Christian belief system have a significant impact on the lives of its followers. The essential elements in the religion of Christianity are based on God, Humanity, Jesus, and Restoration. The explication of these essential elements of the Christian religion is validated through biblical scriptures. The Christian foundation is based upon the sovereignty of God, Jesus Christ, the Cross, Resurrection, and Restoration. The implication of the Christian worldview plays a significant role in contemporary society. The Christian worldview is propagated through the Holy Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. It provides peace to Christian followers when they are facing vulnerable circumstances.
References
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Wilfong, M. M. (1988). Genesis 2: 18–24. Interpretation, 42(1), 58-63.
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