Essentials of the Gospel

A worldview is simply a way of perceiving reality; it is how people perceive the world around them. A worldview implicitly represents humanity's perspective on the universe. Since perception is subjective, each person's understanding of the world is special. Human beings make choices about their lives, values, and how to live based on their worldview. A person with a Christian worldview, for example, is dedicated to following Jesus Christ's teachings. The paper focuses on God, Jesus, humanity, and redemption when discussing gospel fundamentals of the Christian faith. The text also includes a discussion of Christian worldviews as well as a personal reflection on one.
God
The characteristics of God are the main components of the Christian worldview. God is a Sovereign creator of the heaven and earth upon which praise, honor, and glory belong. In John 4, God is like a spirit. In addition, Hiles & Smith state that God is a human being; he is love, holy and righteous (2014).While the book of Genesis presents the attributes of God, Merrick, shows that God is not only loving but also great in mercies and forgiveness (2014). God loves his children and there are several examples in the bible, for instance, in John 3:16, where God offers His only beloved Son to die on the cross to salvage humanity. However, God also puts a demand that it is only for those who believe in His beloved Son Jesus that receive the crown of eternal life. At that point, believing in Jesus Christ is a matter of choice. This demonstrates that God’s love is not only eternal but also bountiful because He gave his only son to take human sins away. In addition, Merrick uses the statutes borrowed from Psalm 145 to assert the attributes of God are righteous, good, faithful, kind, trustworthy and gracious (2014). God is also merciful, unchanging and sovereign. Kennedy affirms that while Paul brings into perspective the invisible features of God such as divinity and eternity as exemplified in Romans 1:20; God is also perfect and all-knowing (2011). Again, He exists as three persons, God the father, the son and the spirit.God’s creation is basically humanity and all other things. In essence, he created everything in the world. Moreover, Kennedy views God as the source as well as the creator of everything (2011). He is also described with perfect characteristics such as omnipotence, immutable, and omniscience. Moreover, God created the earth, and it is evident that He created life. This reflects just how God has power over all humanity and eternal love for all individuals. Without the aspect of creation in which God is the chief architect, it would be impossible for humanity to exist, and yet since God created everything on earth, it shows how powerful and sovereign He is.HumanityGod created human beings in his image, which means that they have not only nature but also purpose and problem. The human nature is what distinguishes mankind from the animals. Moreover, this enables people to feel and think differently in compared with other creatures. With regards to the Christian worldview, human beings were created in God’s likeness and image to dominate His creation. Genesis 3 demonstrates that human nature is sinful due to Adam and Eve who were tempted by the serpent. This is recognized as the main fall of man. According to McFarland, Kilby & Torrance, human nature has fallen short of glory as such, humanity has to do well in the name of God and keep away from sins or give in to the devil’s temptations (2011). When it comes to the human purpose, it involves giving glory to God, worshipping Him and abiding by his word, the Bible. Other human purposes include taking dominion over the world, multiply and remain faithful to one another. McKim asserts that even though human beings were created to live their lives based on God’s wisdom, people have crafted their own ways of doing things, most of which remain contrary to the wisdom of God (1996). Due to the corrupt nature of Adam and Eve, human beings have inherited the first sin. The main cause of the human problem is the sin committed by Adam and Even for disobeying God. Everybody sins and alleges that this is the major cause of pain and other problems including famine and diseases in the world.JesusThe works and identity of Jesus are fundamental to the Christian worldview. For instance, the true identity of Jesus is being the Messiah, the son of God and one of the trinities. In addition, in Christian faith, Jesus is the focus. He is also the man that walked all over the earth preaching the gospel, but he is not an ordinary person. According to McKim with reference to John 3:16, God granted humanity the second chance by subjecting his beloved son Jesus Christ to a painful public spectacle, the crucifixion that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (1996). In this context, the son refers to Jesus. Merrick states that Jesus is God’s word through which He communicated to his creation (2014). Additionally, Matthew 20:28 shows that Jesus came to serve while giving his life to save lost souls. He came to redeem humanity from sin. The life of Jesus is a good example of how Christians must live. Jesus is the son of God and dedicated to serving others. According to Grenz, Guretzki & Nordling, Christ does not focus on the status but rather on people in need (1999). Jesus did all these to demonstrate to human what they should do as his disciples.RestorationJesus came to restore humanity to its original place as was the case in Garden of Eden. Restoration comprises faith and grace, which are important in transforming the society of people. Based on the Christian worldview, redemption is the answer to human problems. In turn, redemption involves faith as well as grace, as such; humans should put faith in the salvation of Jesus. Additionally, they should confess their sins and need a redeemer. The need for a deliverer implies that Christians recognize that prayer alone, good actions, or rituals can guarantee deliverance. Hiles & Smith affirm God grants redemption based on grace as opposed to individual actions (2014). Many Christians acknowledge that transformation of people and society take place through God’s grace. They believe when a person receives salvation, he/she grows spiritually and morally upright.AnalysisStrengths of Christian FaithThe popularity of Christian testimonies and its focus on the gospel as the foundation of life is a strength per se. While it answers practical challenges, it guides people how to treat others, it also provides comfort and hope in times of need. Hope is the main strength of Christian and denotes various things in different conditions. Pragmatically, leading a Christian worldview gives individuals hope so that they change their views and actions to live better lives. Confusion Arising from Christian FaithAccording to Merrick, the troubling aspect associated with Christianity is that it difficult to assess the outcomes of leading a Christian life (2014). For example, the normative testimonies of Christian life and faith are considerably high whilst individuals that practice Christianity are extremely ordinary. In any case, there is a huge gap between what individuals profess and their actual regular actions. Benefits of Christian FaithWith God’s eternal love, Christianity has several benefits as well as some trouble aspects, and it influences, there is a gap between values that Christians wish to fulfill and the capability towards performing them. The death of Jesus on the cross was to save humanity from sins; however, this does not prevent individuals from sinning. Grenz et al. (1999), with respect to the Christian worldview, affirms that only Jesus was perfect, hence, free from sins. Therefore, the gap is not an issue, but how Christians respond to it. The Effect of Christianity on a Person’s BehaviorSome believers set unattainable objectives to meet such and when they fail they move away from God. Others recognize the gap and become insecure. As such, they tend to respond to inequities by espousing a holier-than-thou attitude of criticizing others for their failures, in reality, they commit worse sins. Merrick asserts that the worst response a Christian may portray is to examine the gap, ignore the grace of God and adopt cheap grace (2014). In fact, cheap grace is not only embarrassing but also harmful and corrupts people as it eliminates honesty. ReflectionWhile a living Christian worldview is not easy, it is, however, necessary especially when based on the biblical truth. In reality, a living Christian worldview is not a one-time issue. I believe that this places many opportunities that are used to demonstrate Christian values in a secular setting. Nonetheless, as a Christian, I have come across many people that do not understand the Christian worldview, as such; this has opened up discussion regarding God’s purposes for everyone. In addition, I have learned that individuals are curious and want to know how I came to God. As a Christian, I try to keep away from sins while obeying the commandments of God. Nonetheless, at times this is difficult. I also find it useful to keep a diary of my daily actions. I hold this daybook in my Bible and record the daily devotions. The diary has two columns. One column comprises of a record of activities I did well in the day and the other contains sins committed daily. I believe this is the simplest strategy that assists me to see areas that I should pray more and those where the Holy Spirit has helped me. ConclusionBased on the paper, the Christian worldview is a perception espoused by human beings that reverence God. The study determined various attributes of God like powerful, omnipresent, merciful, gracious, compassionate, sovereign and so forth. Again, the paper defined that God also comprises of three components of the trinity including the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, the study affirmed that Human beings were created in God’s image and likeness. As such, they have the responsibility to take care of God’s creation while practicing free will. Humanity has fallen short of God’s glory because the original sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The paper demonstrated that the untold human suffering, pain, diseases and death were never planned by God. However, God was so remorseful in sacrificing His beloved Son in order to reconcile us back to Him through the shed blood on the cross. But this reconciliation works magically through faith, especially, for anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as the son of God. Works CitedGrenz, Stanley J., David Guretzki, and Cherith F. Nordling. IVP Pocket Reference Series: Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press. 1999. http://www.ebrary.com. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.Hiles, Jason S., and Anna F. Smith. Evaluating wisely: Elements of a worldview. In A. DiVincenzo (Ed.), The beginning of wisdom: An introduction to Christian thought and life. 2014. http://lc.gcumedia.com/cwv101/the-beginning-of-wisdom-an-introduction-to-christian-thought-and-life/v1.1/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.Kennedy, Philip. Christianity: An Introduction. London, GBR: I.B. Tauris. 2011. http://www.ebrary.com. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.McFarland, Ian A., Karen Kilby, and Iain R. Torrance. (Eds.). Cambridge dictionary of Christian theology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2011. http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?qurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com.library.gcu.edu%3A2048%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fcupdct%2Feditors%2F0. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.McKim, Donald K. Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 1996. http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=41117&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.Merrick, James. The wisdom and mercy of God. In A. DiVincenzo (Ed.), The beginning of wisdom: An introduction to Christian thought and life. 2014. http://lc.gcumedia.com/cwv101/the-beginning-of-wisdom-an-introduction-to-christian-thought-and-life/v1.1/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.