The Biblical Worldview

 For every truth or lesson taught in Scripture there is an implied truth or lesson, and Acts 17:26-27 is an example. “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27) The word nation or nations is the rendering of the Greek word Ethnos. As in English, Hebrew and Greek words normally have more than one meaning or usage which depends on the context in which the word is used, and Ethnos basically means a multitude (men or animals) associated or living together. After the Noachian Deluge mankind divided into different nations, which naturally started as families. (Genesis 10) Then there was a religious and political movement to unite all the nations under a pagan empire as one nation over God, and God thwarted this movement by confusing language. (Genesis 11:1-9) There is an implied lesson about the importance of self-government or state sovereignty.

There are over a hundred conspiracies at work in the USA and abroad, and while they have distinct (and sometimes opposing) differences, they have in common the pagan worldview, that is, the pagan concept of man and government. The pagan concept of man and government makes man (corporate man, the state) the standard of truth and the ultimate authority, which puts it in conflict with God and those who believe that God is the standard of truth and the present ruler of the earth, and sees the individual as a mere servant of the state whose value is determined by his usefulness to the state, thus making encroachments upon God-given rights inevitable (e.g., encroachments upon the right to life, liberty and property, excessive taxation, excessive legislation, gun control, etc.). Socialism and leftism (which normally overlap) are modern versions of ancient paganism. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10)

The Bible teaches natural depravity. Man is not a sinner because he sins, he sins because he is a sinner. If you are a parent, did you ever have to teach a child how to be bad? If man is already deeply flawed then it naturally follows that we cannot expect to find perfect solutions to social issues and maladies, just trade-offs. The pagan worldview sees man as naturally good, which naturally would mean that man (and by extension, society) is perfectible, which leads to requiring perfection and believing it is needful to correct or atone for every wrong or injustice (past, present, real, imagined, or exaggerated). Incidentally, many popular professed Christian do-gooders and social justice warriors are promoting the pagan worldview and we do need to be more alert to this and wary of them. (Colossians 2:8)

The Christian worldview sees God as the present ruler of the earth and human government as ordained of God to protect the rights of the people and punish evildoers; in His special grace God saves sinners and in His common grace God uses human government to protect the good against evil. God is the authority that gave power to civil government, and the civil government must morally act within those perimeters. If the civil government does not act within the perimeters set by God, it is acting without proper authority. (Romans 13:1-4)

“All men are created equal” is a Bible teaching but do not neglect the word “created.” All men are created equal does not mean all men are equal; men are only equal in creation and redemption. All men share the image of God and stewardship of creation and are thus created equal, but at the same time all men are unequal in abilities, talents, social station, etc. God's design for communities, organizations, and the family is hierarchy with a balance between equality of being and functional subordination.

Rights are the freedoms required to fulfill one’s duties to God. Various rights are taught in the Bible: Right to life (Exodus 20:13; Acts 17:25), liberty (II Corinthians 3:17), property/pursuit of happiness (Exodus 20:15; Ecclesiastes 5:18; Acts 5:3-4), freedom of religion (Joshua 24:15; I Kings 18:21; Acts 5:29), freedom of speech (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15; Acts 4:20), freedom of the press (Habakkuk 2:2), freedom of assembly (Hebrews 10:25), right to keep and bear arms (Luke 22:36), etc. These rights are not spelled out, they are self-evident; the Bible makes it obvious that God wants people to have these rights.

Consider some of the effects of replacing the Christian worldview with the pagan worldview as the predominant worldview:

• The Biblical view of man as a natural born sinner is behind the constitutional system of government that does not depend upon the wisdom of mobs or give absolute power to one person and sets limits on the power of civil government and requires accountability of public officials. The republican form of government (not a reference to a political party), representative government rooted in moral law, is based on Bible precedent. (Exodus 18: 21; Deuteronomy 1:13; 16:18) The US Constitution, as written and intended, only supports democracy in the sense of rule through elected representatives and makes pure democracy unconstitutional. (Constitution of The United States of America, Article IV, Section 4) Now we have a majoritarian democracy (mob rule) representing the will of the majority that disregards the rights of the individual and entrusts charismatic personalities with unchequed power.

• Due to the sinful nature of man and the corrupting influence of power it is necessary to establish safeguards to prevent the abuse of power. According to the Bible there are three kinds of government power: judicial, legislative, and executive. (Isaiah 33:22) The US Constitution separates government power into three branches of government so that the individual is protected from the tyranny that is inevitable with a concentration of power. A legislative power was established and made the most important to protect the rights of the individual to his own life, liberty, property, and Christian self-government. The Supreme Court is to interpret laws according to the Constitution and is accountable to the legislative branch: Federal Judges do not hold lifetime appointments; they are appointed to hold the office "during good behaviour" and are subject to impeachment. What do we have now? The balance of the powers is upset by the growing predominance of the presidency, the Supreme Court's continual usurpation of the rights of the legislative branch, and the weakening of the legislative branch. The legislative branch routinely passes laws which encroach upon the right of the individual to his own life, liberty, and property as well as his right of self-government, presidential powers often bypass Congress and usurp legislative power through executive orders, and the Supreme Court often usurps legislative power.

• In the early church individual churches united for common purposes (in modern terms we would call them conventions or associations), such as evangelism, charity, and support of missions, while each individual church retained autonomy, and this is an example that States would do well to follow. To prevent the US Government from becoming a centralised despotism the US Constitution outlined a limited government in which the States retain sovereignty while the powers of the US Government are clearly defined and limited to those powers necessary for its function. The powers for each branch of government are limited and defined in the US Constitution, and any changes to the US Constitution must be ratified by a super majority of the States. What do we have now? The US Government steadily absorbs all the political life, routinely exercises powers that are not constitutionally mandated, usurps State's Rights and defrauds their sources of revenue, the rights of the individual are often sacrificed for the sake of unity and to protect the US Government against the possibility of insurrection, and the US Supreme Court often issues decrees which contradict or alter the US Constitution.

• In the discussions of the First Amendment prior to ratification the word "religion" was often used to mean a single denomination. The First Amendment prohibited the US Congress from establishing a single national denomination or ruling in religious matters through a state church ("establishment of religion"). The clause "... nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof" was meant to prevent governmental separating of Bible principles and values from the public sphere and keep basic Bible principles and values present throughout society, and for over a century-and-a-half this was the only way in which the religion clause of the First Amendment was interpreted because that is what it says. Incidentally, any system of beliefs and practices fits the dictionary definition of religion even without belief in the supernatural, including socialism and humanism, so that freedom from religion is impossible. Modern US restrictions against Christians and religious groups influencing government and government decisions, and US requirements that God, religion, and Scripture be kept out of government violate the First Amendment. Today the US Government is acting according to the socialist or leftist definition of separation of church and state: Socialism (Communism, Fascism, etc.) makes man (corporate man, the state) the standard of truth and the ultimate authority, which puts it in conflict with God and those who believe that God is the standard of truth and the present ruler of the Earth, which is why socialism and freedom of religion are incompatible.

• What is meant by "militia" in the Second Amendment? "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." (George Mason, in Debates in Virginia Convention on Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788) When the Bill of Rights was ratified the word “militia” was understood to refer to the general population of adult males (especially in that context) and “well-regulated” means that something is calibrated correctly or able to fulfill its purpose (a militia without guns is not well-regulated); a well-regulated militia is necessary as opposed to a disorderly mob. The purpose of the Second Amendment was to prevent a police state by giving the people the ability to use guns as a last resort to resist governmental tyranny and oppression. Now gun control laws are promoted by insisting that the militia language of the Second Amendment restricts the right of an individual to bear arms.

• Unalienable rights, rights given by God, are replaced by civil rights, rights granted by government.

• The early Christians preached that Jesus Christ is the present ruler of the Earth (Acts 17:6-7), but in all too many churches God has been reduced from Sovereign to little more than a pleading Saviour. (Note that during the American War of Independence the battle cry was “No king but Jesus!”) Rather than seeing history as HIS story and recognising God as the present ruler of the earth Who intervenes in human history and ultimately controls everything, the Providential view of history, many Christians have adopted a worldly view of history, such as the Humanist, Cyclical, and Marxist views of history. (Romans 12:2; Colossians 2:8; consider Acts 17:6-7 & Ephesians 1:11) Many even believe that Satan rules the Earth; Satan rules in the hearts of unbelievers, "the wicked world system," but God is the present ruler of the Earth and nothing in the Bible ever indicates that God has ever abdicated His throne and turned rulership over to Satan. (I Chronicles 29:11-12) The Humanist worldview, which dominates US government, public school curriculums, and most modern scholarship, deifies man, does not recognise absolute principles or truths, sees Christian culture and Bible truths as old-fashioned, restrictive, and irrelevant, and means that the strongest men (or the government) dominate home, school, culture, and church. The view that Satan rules the earth sees Christians as isolated and Christian culture as a counterculture, makes Christian culture and Christian influence irrelevant and insists that everything must go from bad to worse, limits Christian influence and responsibility to soul winning and church activities, and supports and adopts the Humanist worldview. The Christian worldview sees God as the present ruler of the earth and the Holy Bible as the final authority in all areas of human existence, sees Satan as a defeated foe, sees Christian culture as leavening all areas of life and blessing mankind, and sees self-governing Christians as influencing and dominating home, school, culture, and church.

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16) Salt cleanses, purifies, preserves, and makes people thirsty, and light dispels darkness; government corruption and social maladies are signs of a lack or decline in Christian influence or an increase in exposure of corruption. Christians are supposed to be a cleansing and illuminating influence on society, but whenever a preacher reminds Christians that Christians have a duty to impact society and culture for righteousness there are always professed Christians arguing that Christians should not be doing this or be concerned about this because there is no time to accomplish anything or because this would contradict their pet theories and speculations about things they do not and cannot know. It is often difficult to convince modern Christians that God is not obligated to submit to any schedule they have set for Him.