In the book entitled: Making Sense of Your World, the authors reference questions Leo Tolstoy answered, “(b)efore he became a Christian” (Phillips, Brown, & Stonestreet, 2008, p.9). As my first paper in the class: Understanding Worldviews, I was asked to write my answers to Tolstoy's 6 questions:"Why am I living? What is the cause of my existence and that of everyone else? Why do I exist? Why is there a division of good and evil within me? How must I live? What is death – how can I save myself?" As, I answered each of these questions, I wanted to back up what I believe to be true, with what the scripture tells us is true. Before you continue to read, stop for a few minutes and ponder how you would answer the above six questions. Do you have the evidence to back up what you believe?
Elements of a Worldview
In
order to have a worldview, one must challenge themselves to discover what they
truly believe about themselves, where they came from, and what their purpose in
life should be. There are so many
questions that are contemplated as a person dwells upon what their worldview
should be. Is one’s worldview based on
the convictions and beliefs that they’ve come to discover as true for
themselves, or is one’s worldview based on what society says is true? As I’ve challenged myself with questions of
life and death, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have a strong Biblical
worldview.
Why am I living?
If
we were to truly believe there was no God, then what’s really the point in
living? As Christians, we know that
there is a God, and because of that we know why we are living. The fact of the matter is that we are all
living because God created us. In
Genesis 1:27-28 (New Living Translation) the scripture reads, “So God created
human beings in his own image. In the
image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful
and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the
birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”” God chose us to take care of this land, this
world, and govern over it.
Now,
that seems easy, but later on in Matthew 28:19-20, God gives us the Great
Commission, which states, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Teach these new disciples to
obey all the commands I have given you. And
be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Not only are we living to care for this place
God created for us, but we are to fulfill the great commission: to go out and
make disciples, sharing with them how Christ has changed our life and how he
can change their life.
What is the cause of
my existence & everyone else?
The
cause of our existence can be extremely challenging to contemplate, but the
Biblical answer is simple. John 1:3
says, “God created everything through him, and nothing was created except
through him.” What does that mean? We exist because God created us, and we exist
to fulfill his purpose for our lives, just as the great commission commands us
to do.
Why do I exist?
God
gives each of us a specific calling for our lives, and that is the individual
answer for each person’s existence. If I
exist to fulfill Christ’s calling in my life, then what is my calling? I can’t answer that for each person, because
no one’s purpose is identical. One person
may be called to go to Africa as a missionary, one person may be called to be a
grocery store attendant, and another may be called to be a mom or dad. We exist for the purpose that Christ has
given us.
In
John 6:37-38, Jesus shares his purpose, “However, those the Father has given me
will come to me, and I will never reject them.
For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not
to do my own will.” As Christians, we
should follow Jesus’ example, our purpose should be to do God’s will.
Why is there a
division of good & evil within me?
God’s
original plan was not that of evil. He
created man with the intention of living in direct communion with them. However, God chose to give us freewill, and
with that freewill man chose to sin. The
first occurrence of evil was the sin of Eve in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:15-17, “The Lord God
placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You
may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”” Satan tempted Eve with the fruit from the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Eve was convinced by what the serpent had told her. God gave Adam and Eve the ability to make
their own decisions, causing them to fall into temptation and sin, resulting in
all mankind now being born into sin.
Romans 5:12, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin
brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”
The
division of good and evil is due to Satan’s very nature being evil and God’s
nature being absolutely perfect and good.
Due to everyone being born into sin, sin is a part of who we are; the
only way to break the bondage of sin is to accept God’s gracious gift of
forgiveness.
How must I live?
I desire my life to be a complete
reflection of what I believe. I have a
very simple outlook on my purpose, and that is to follow God’s calling on my
life, sharing with others in order to further the Kingdom of God. Romans
14:8-12 states, "If we
live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether
we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very
purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. So why do you condemn
another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the
judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every
knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’” Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God." That’s the way I choose to live, to honor the
Lord, so that one day when I stand before him he will tell me, “Well done, my
good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:21).
What is death &
how can I save myself?
There
are two types of death: physical and spiritual.
When our heart ceases to pump blood to our body, we are physically
dead. However, spiritual death is
separation from God. Isaiah 59:1-2
states, “Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his
ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your
sins that have cut you off from God. Because
of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” As shown in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of
sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our
Lord.” Since we are born into sin we are
spiritually dead, the only way to be alive is to accept God’s gift of salvation.
In
order to receive eternal life and save ourselves from death and ultimately
Hell, we must repent of our sins and turn from them, walking in relationship
with Jesus. We must completely separate
ourselves from sin, by accepting God’s free gift. Romans 5:16-17, “And the result of God’s
gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For
Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made
right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused
death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift
of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and
death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”
I have accepted God’s gracious gift
and I let my life reflect all that He has done for me. I choose to follow Christ and his direction
and calling for my life, no matter where that may take me. As I contemplated Leo Tolstoy six questions,
from Making Sense of Your World, I
discovered how strong my beliefs are, with the biblical evidence to back them
up. Worldviews are formed by personal
beliefs and convictions, which determine how each person decides to live out
their life.
References
Phillips, W. G., Brown, W. E.
& Stonestreet, J. (2008). Making sense of your world: A biblical
worldview. (2nd ed.).
Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing Company
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