My task in establishing a worldview seemed daunting until reviewing, “I believe God is the source of all truth”(Hindson and Towns). This inspired me to not worry and focus on God’s message to me. In studying and researching I discovered Romans is the New Testament’s most important book. The importance of Romans is summarized best by Martin Luther, “This Epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel, and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, buy occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul”(Luther).
“Paul wrote his letter to the church in Corinth during the winter A.D. 56-57” (“An Introduction To The Book Of Romans | Bible.org”) to the faithful Jews who had established this church. Paul wanted to meet them face-to-face and provided this letter as his introduction until he could travel there. Paul’s message begins by addressing human identity in which everyone is ungodly and unrighteous. He tells us that we all have sinned, rebelled and not followed God’s will. The sinful way of humanity keeps us a part for God, although He has clearly shown His marvelous wonder since creating the world and through his Son Jesus Christ.
The natural world is seen in God’s creation of the world. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (1:20-21). Paul paints a picture of God’s wonderful creation infected with sin and unrighteousness. “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, h...
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...world do not understand that “Only God is good (Mark 10:18), and His Law is perfect (Psalm 19:7), holy, just and good (Romans 7:12). They lack knowledge of God’s Law and therefore don’t see their need to repent and trust the Savior—no Law, no sin, no wrath, no repentance, no salvation”(Comfort). I know God loves me and wants to have a relationship with me, God is good, His law is just and I deserve punishment. But Jesus died on the cross and defeated death by his resurrection and saved me through my faith.
Works Cited
“An Introduction To The Book Of Romans | Bible.org.” N. p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
Comfort, Ray. The Way of the Master. Orlando, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2006. Print.
Hindson, Edward E, and Elmer L Towns. Illustrated Survey of the Bible: An Introduction. Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Academic, 2013. Print.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on Romans. N. p. Print.
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
New International Version. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2011. BibleGateway.com. Web. 3 Mar 2011. Accessed 22 April 2014.
...nature of God, the world, and human beings, the Bible is a source from which a reasonably comprehensive worldview may be constructed. Many narratives or teachings of Scripture speak directly to the various elements of a worldview” (Palmer, pp 93) .
Marshall, I. Howard. "Introduction." Introduction. The Book of Acts: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007. 17-53. Print.
Also more were used in research but were not enough to reconize. Schreiner,Thomas R. “Romans” (Michigan;Baker Books,1998). pages 1-27, 178-199 D.M. Lloyd-Jones. “Romans: Chapters 3:20-4:25” (Michigan;Zondervan Publishing House,1970). pgs.23-38 Mills,Sanford C. “A Hebrew Christian looks at Romans”
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible. Eds. Dom Bernand Orchard, Rev. R. V. Fuller. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966. Print.
Burge, Gary M., and Andrew E. Hill. The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012.
Recognition of a person’s worldview can be found based on one’s answer to several reality questions surrounding God (origin), human nature (identity), reality (meaning/purpose), after life (destiny), values (morality or ethics). My own definition of worldview is a set of beliefs about the most important issues in life and my reaction to them. While in agreement with Jeff Baldwin’s eyeglass concept, I choose to compare my Christian worldview to an internal navigation system. When I am lost and need to be found, Christ is omnipresent. He knows my location and guides me in another direction.
A biblical worldview of the natural world is found with God’s creation. In the book of Romans, God’s divine nature and creation of the universe is revealed. Romans 1:19 states, “Since what may be known about God s plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” The faithful understand and worship God as the creator of the universe and all life. It
LaSor, W., Hubbard, D., Bush, F., & Allen, L. (1996). Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans
Studying the historical context involves questions such as who wrote the letter, in this case, Paul, who were the recipients of the letter (the Corinthians), what the culture in Corinth was like, and what was happening in the Corinthian church that Paul is addressing. Corinth was a very worldly city, particularly from a moral standpoint, in which pride, or honor, was important (Hays & Duvall, 2011, p. 812). In the Corinthian church, some felt superior to others, which created internal division. Some within the church also began to question Paul’s authority as an Apostle because, among other things, he was not a trained speaker and did not charge for his speeches (2 Corinthians 10:10, 11:6-7). The false teachers who were attacking Paul also accused him of deception in that he would use the money they were collecting for the poor in Jerusalem for himself.
As with most other Pauline attributed documents, 1 Corinthians is believed to be a single document that addresses salient topics and rationalizes Paul’s view of faithfulness to Christ with Corinth citizens. The newly founded church of Corinth was in correspondence with Paul requesting his answers to questions they posed on topics ranging from marriage to the resurrection of the dead; the latter being one of the most highlighted in 1 Corinthians. Paul’s assurance of resurrection illustrates a concern for Corinth as he admonishes their disbelief in resurrection of the dead with a series of explanations as to why such doubt would render the faith of Christ “in vain”. Given the context of the time, Paul’s correspondence with Corinth clearly had an original intent of educating and admonishing Corinth on their views on resurrection. However, modern Christianity in its many forms has established an interpretation that slightly strays from its original inscription. Regardless, Paul’s letters not only shaped the ideals of Corinthians believers but influenced the Christian ideals of post mortem resurrection or eternal life as well.
Worldview can be defined as a matter of opinion. A person may state that an opinion can be neither right nor wrong. In order to make that opinion credible it would need to have a solid backing from a scientific standpoint or some type of doctrine. As a Christian, worldview is formed on the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. In this essay I would like to take a look at how the apostle Paul gave us a good foundation to define worldview. There are seven items the apostle Paul talks about in the book of Romans. In Romans 1 – 8 the apostle Paul addresses such issues as natural world, human relationship, culture and human identity. This essay will take a look at each one of these categories and compare with the apostle Paul teaching to the church