Benchmark Gospel Essentials

1 Benchmark—Gospel Essentials July 4th, 2021 2 Benchmark—Gospel Essentials Following a thorough study of our textbook, the Bible, and many publications, it has become clear that everyone has a perspective. Everything a person does in their life, from what they say to what they do, is a reflection of the worldview in which they hold their beliefs. The Christian worldview has a significant influence on how individuals live in the world. There are many distinct beliefs in the Christian faith that are frequently debated, yet there are some core principles that are unassailable. According to the Bible, “The biblical account of creation presents God as the Creator of all things, explains the nature of His creation, and gives particular focus to humanity as being created in His image” (Diffey, D. 2014). These fundamental tenets of the Christian worldview include gospel principles such as God's nature, humanity's nature, Jesus' nature, and one’s restoration as His people. Let’s examine not just why these components are so essential to the Christian Worldview, but also how they combine to form the foundation of the Christian worldview. Gospel Essential Beliefs Nature of God God is the central figure in Christianity; it is critical for Christians to grasp who God is, otherwise, they would be at a loss for what or who to believe in. Christians believe that God is the ultimate creator because humanity looks up to Him and replicate His qualities. “Fear of the Lord is the source of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Diffey, D. 2014). God has many characteristics, including the fact that He is everlasting, omnipotent, and unchangeable. However, God may also be intimate. “God is just, kind, merciful, jealous, loyal, and holy” (Diffey, D. 2014). It all began when God created all; all those who sense, touch, smell, and see was formed by the one and only real God. God began with the creation of Adam and Eve. Then 3 God built the Garden of Edan as a sanctuary for them to dwell in. God did this to give love and a sanctuary for His offspring in exchange for their adherence to a single rule. It was cautioned to Adam and Eve that the forbidden fruit should not be eaten since it came from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A snake convinced Eve to consume the fruit from this tree and offered it to Adam. God said, "By the sweat of your brow, you will consume your sustenance until you return to the earth, from whence you were taken; because you are dust and will return to dust" (The Holy Bible, 2016, Genesis 3:19). Adam and Eve's violation of the principle now results in human nature becoming corrupt. Nature of Humanity “The creation of humanity in the image of God shows the special relationship between God and humans” (Diffey, D. 2014). This connection is shown when God speaks with Adam and Eve about the tasks He requires of them and how he provides them with a home to dwell. God created each human being to be like Him in order for everyone to live the lives he desires for us. Everyone should worship God and be grateful for the blessings He has bestowed upon them. Additionally, humanity is to seek God and abide by His example and faith. Humanity was formed with the goal of “created to worship God, have dominion by caring for God’s creation, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and live-in right relationship as God intended” (Diffey, D. 2014). Adam and Eve had a duty, but both defied God and ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Because they violated God's instruction regarding the fruit, the human nature has become destined to be born sinful. All individuals are predestined to be sinful. “Man has a spiritual wellspring or soul, yet he is distracted by the concrete, by bodily wants and cravings” (Shuster, M. 2013). The fact that humanity is now born sinful is what contributes to the fundamental cause of human troubles. Human beings lose sight of the fact that they were created to serve God and 4 care for His creation. However, after God sent His son down humankind began to recollect to worship God as they spoke with Him via His son and saw God's sacrifice for all. Nature of Jesus Jesus was sent by God to earth as the rescuer. Jesus is God's son, and He came to forgive everyone’s sins and free the world as His people. It is critical to Christianity that Jesus be recognized as both completely God and totally human. “His two natures are conjoinedinseparably but without confusion- in one person, such that he possesses all the attributes of God and humans” (Diffey, D. 2014). Jesus was sent down to assist God in gathering disciples and assisting people in reconciling their connection with God. Furthermore, Jesus came to educate, perform miracles, and bestow titles on mankind. Although, He did not just come to educate, perform miracles, or bestow titles; he came to die on the cross for all of mankind's sins. He was crucified for the past and future sins for everyone. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (The Holy Bible, 2016, John 3:16). Without Jesus, humanity would never have a connection with God again since He was the conduit that connected us to God. Jesus Christ died for all sins in order that humankind may be forgiven and enjoy everlasting life. “Jesus was foremost among God’s messengers as his final and ultimate agent” (Watts, R. E. 2012). Everything Jesus accomplished is what brought the Kingdom of God into being. “The kingdom of God is God’s redemptive reign that was promised in the Old Testament, wherein God would judge his enemies and save his people in making all things new” (Diffey, D. 2014). If Jesus never sacrificed His life for the forgiveness of each other’s sins, mankind would never have had a relationship with God. Who Jesus is and the mission He accomplished and continues to do are critical to the Christian Worldview; absent Him and who He is, there would be no Christian Worldview. 5 Restoration According to the Christian Worldview, we can solve all of humanity's problems via Jesus. However, in order to solve the issues, people must embrace Jesus as their savior and allow them to be saved by him. The concepts of repentance and belief as well as graciousness, are essential for salvation. “Repentance turns away from sin, and faith turns toward God” (Greever, J. 2020). One must have trust in Jesus in order to be saved. Salvation would be attained if people believe in how Jesus died for their sins so that humankind may go to heaven and spend an everlasting life with God. As Christians, people must have confidence in God and believe that He would save those who embrace Jesus Christ as their savior. To be enabled to have salvation, everyone shall require grace through Jesus to enable themselves to enter paradise. “Two corporate means of grace are baptism and communion. Two other personal and corporate means of grace are the Word of God and prayer” (Greever, J. 2020). The change of individuals and community with humanity occurs via a connection with God that begins and ends with a personal relationship with God. When individuals begin to discover and develop their identity in Christ, they will discover what they think their true mission in society is. Christian Foundations God's nature, mankind, Jesus' nature and restauration are only few of the basic aspects of Christian viewpoints of the world. These are the same ideas for everyone who has a certain kind of Christian Worldview. For Christian Worldview, the existence of God is essential, since those understand that God is the creator, and that God has many characteristics that make mankind what Christians believe in and who they are now. The nature of mankind is also an important aspect since it informs those that previously had been born virtuous but now have been born sinful after Adam and Eve have sinned. However, humankind may be rescued once again 6 because of the character of Jesus and how humble He is. “Christianity, however, offers an understanding as to why evil exists, and it explains carefully how evil will ultimately be overcome through Jesus’ finished work” (Greever, J. 2020) ) How we are rescued with salvation and with trust in Christ is essential for restoration. Those are major ideas since this is the foundation of what Christianity believes and how it will reside according to its faith. These five essential ideas teach all through their eyes and enable them to see what Christian's trust and believe. Christian’s would have no clue without such notions how mankind came to be and who they consider is their savior. Analysis of the Implications of the Christian Worldview There are so many advantages of Christian religion, including a community that ends with redemption and is cleansed for their sins. Christianity is one of the only sights of the world which believe with God through redemption in a kind of afterlife or an everlasting existence. For example, atheists claim that no afterlife exists. They think that once one is gone and that their work on earth is complete, there is nothing except simply being gone. Christianity is one of the few world philosophies that shows how one must embrace Jesus as their Savior and have trust in God if they desire an eternity. The Christian perspective of the world also has a strong community which is one of the major faiths around it. All these communities may help individuals understand more about and who God is by passing along the word of God and giving them an enormous amount of faith. The capacity for forgiveness is among the most incredible components of Christian Worldview. Humanity may be pardoned for their sins because of their previous sins and future sins that Jesus died on the cross. Other faiths believe that certain crimes are worse than murdering or robbing. However, Christianity thinks that all sins are homogeneous, and no one is superior to others. Each perspective of the world has a distinct 7 understanding of ethics, truth and understanding. Then, each individual has a distinct perspective of what items in a Christian worldview are acceptable. “Suffering and evil remain a blight upon humanity’s peace and prosperity, wrecking communities, marriage, families, and individual lives” (Greever, J. 2020). Even though humankind is born corrupt, they should try to make their life free from sin, but the tentation is practically impossible and will lead to instability. We still have a possibility of redemption since our sins are forgiven. This is a declaration some Christians will quarrel with since the faiths of Christianity may create some misunderstanding. People that are a member of Christian Worldview debate often over what they all think is right or wrong. In a different perspective, everyone perceives good and evil. These are all kinds of factors that affect the way Christians live, speak, do and create connections. Every Christian wants a life that they do not feel the temptation to sin and through His characteristics, Christianity plays a major role in people striving to be like God. Humankind would have more compassion, be more loyal and be well, if individuals were to live by all the characteristics of God. Conclusion There are hundreds of subjects, ideas, principles, teachings and signs to be covered in Christian Worldview. Each of them is extremely significant, however this essay addressed the building blocks of the Christian Worldview. The Christian Worldview is founded on the nature of God, mankind, the nature of Jesus and the resurrection, and on their religion and their living. Christianity demonstrates that any vision of the universe must have but also a remedy to all pain and evil. It teaches those in Christianity that sins are the manifestation of evil but "the presence of pain and evil is ultimately overcome by the person and work of Jesus Christ" " (Greever, J. 2020. Thus, Christian Worldviews take the greatest essential elements to take away from, since God loves all His children. For the forgiveness of mankind, He was ready to let His son give up 8 His life. He died on the cross for all humanity's sins since humankind is made in the image of God. Jesus Christ is humanity's Savior. Lastly, one must continue to maintain a generous spirit of connection with God since it is why humankind is created. He is the reason for humanity, Christian's Savior and everyone’s everlasting existence.