The worldview I share

Eight Answers to Basic Questions that convey my worldview

1. What is prime reality – the really real?  God, and what He chooses to allow to exist.
2. What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us? Around us we have the created material universe that we inhabit and explore and, also around us we have an immaterial creation, founded prior to us, populated by evil spirits who hate us, and seek our destruction, and good spirits who are fascinated by the salvation that our Creator has provided for us, and love us with a love that reflects God’s mercy, rejoicing at His love for every repentant sinner (Luke 15.10).
3. What is a human being?  A creature made to demonstrate to ‘all things visible and invisible’ God’s love and mercy toward sinners..
4. What happens at death?  Humans were created capable of two kinds of death, physical and spiritual.  At physical death, the person’s spirit goes to face their eternal destiny (everlasting life or everlasting torment), as their body decomposes to await the resurrection of the body on the last Day.  All human beings have been redeemed from spiritual death by the atonement made by God’s Son, but spiritual death still awaits those who do not have a living connection to God’s Son, through trust in Him.
5. How is it possible to know anything at all?  God has given us minds to process reality, and He has made knowledge possible through both natural revelation, and special revelation.
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?  Natural revelation gives some guidance, but ultimate morality is revealed to human beings by God, through His word in special revelation (Holy Scripture).
7. What is the meaning of human history?  The Redemption of humanity, by the death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the central event of all human history.  From the foundation of the world, God has created human reproduction (‘marrying and giving in marriage’  Matthew 22.30), and permits generation after generation of sinners to be born, as long as the worship of His Son for being our Redeemer continues to grow among every ‘nation, all tribes and peoples and languages’ (Revelation 7.9).
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?  Only a commitment to ‘hear the word of God, and keep it’ (Luke 11.28) is consistent with the worldview described in the first seven questions.  And the most crucial word of God to keep is the ‘Word…made flesh’ Jesus Christ, for only in communion with Him – including His Church – is there salvation.  (Extra ecclesiam nulla salus est)  At the same time, those who keep God’s word for themselves will also want to share the Gospel with others, so that the worship of God’s Son may grow all over the world.