A worldview can be understood as a set of lenses through which a person perceives and interprets reality. Whether consciously recognized or not, individuals utilize their worldview when examining various issues and making decisions. This framework is typically shaped by answering fundamental questions about existence.
These questions often include:
Therefore, a Christian worldview is a system of beliefs rooted in Christian teachings that provides answers to these core questions. For many, Christianity offers the most compelling and satisfying conclusions regarding the origin of humanity, the meaning of life, the basis for morality, and our ultimate destiny. Consequently, one’s actions and faith reflect their Christian worldview.
However, the presence of sin can sometimes lead to deviations from this worldview. As the late Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias articulated, sin can be understood as a loss of the purpose for which we were created – to be in relationship with God. This resonates with the experience of occasionally feeling “lost” and needing to re-prioritize godly purposes, as there is no greater fulfillment than being in a relationship with God. Zacharias emphasized that no other worldview offers such a profound purpose.
The Old Testament is imperative to Christianity like the chain of custody is vital to law enforcement. Zacharias illustrated this with a story about his daughter losing her car keys. In her frantic search, she exclaimed, “I must be losing my mind!” Her six-year-old son poignantly replied, “Mommy, don’t ever lose your heart, because I am in there.”
The Apostle Paul spoke of his relationship with God through Christ Jesus, highlighting a “heart piece” that connects to this vignette. He wrote:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19).
Just as the little boy placed his love and faith in his mother, who provided him with immeasurable security, Paul writes that Christ may dwell in our hearts and we may be strengthened with the power of His Spirit. Therefore, one should never want to lose their heart, as that is how the triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—works in their life.
Zacharias once recounted a debate with a Shiite cleric from Syria. Sheik Hussein, the Islamic scholar, posed a thought-provoking question: “Professor Zacharrias, maybe it’s about time for us, in the Islamic world, to stop asking if Jesus died on the cross, but to ask, why?” The answer to this question, according to the Christian worldview, can be life altering. The response, “Because I am a sinner in need of a Savior,” encapsulates the core of the Christian faith.