Daily Archives: August 11, 2016

On Belief, Worldviews and Life

Have you ever come to the unnerving realization that something you once sincerely believed very strongly, now clearly contradicts another sincere belief you now know to be true? When that happens, what do you do? You could dismiss the new information and continue to hold to beliefs now proven to be false (Matt. 12:22-24; Acts 4:16,17). You could just put it out of your mind or lie to yourself and continue as if you had not learned better (cf. Acts 24:25; 26:28). Or, you could give up those old, sincere but erroneous beliefs and embrace the new information and new knowledge (cf. Acts 22:7-10).

Whether we recognize it or not, we face this situation quite often in life as new information challenges our old, perhaps long-held, beliefs. Sincere and honest individuals yield to the new information and boldly accept the truth (Luke 8:15). They embrace it and rejoice in it because they have found something very precious–the truth (Matt. 13:44-46). Serious individuals assimilate the new information into their own body of knowledge, adjusting all previous beliefs to harmonize with the new facts. This is part of what it means to be rational.

Dishonest individuals, however, cringe in fear of any new information that might shatter their own manufactured worldview (John 3:19-21). They do not want to change any beliefs they already hold unless it gives them aid and comfort. Very often they will twist what information they have to fit their worldview at the very expense of truth (cf. II Pet. 3:16). Furthermore, they do not care about unity of knowledge. It makes no difference to them whether or not their beliefs contradict one another, as long as what they believe is what they want to believe.

But the truth is, truth does not contradict itself. If I hold two beliefs that contradict one another, then either one or both are false. I could not both believe “it is raining” and “it is not raining” at the same time and in the same place and way. This is not merely a philosophical exercise, either, but it has practical implications (cf. Gal. 2:14). For example, if I believed that lying and cheating were sinful acts that should be avoided, but then I condoned and excused them in either myself or someone else for whatever reason, I am implicitly contradicting my own beliefs by my actions! At the very least I am being inconsistent.

Truth is also interdisciplinary–that is, for example, a truth of history will not contradict a truth in science. What is true in science and/or history, will not contradict what is true in religion. Unfortunately, too many people disregard this fact and hold to contradictory beliefs depending upon what role they find themselves playing in society. For example, a person may say they believe the Bible as a matter of religion but then hold to a naturalistic view of origins. Logically, however, they could not believe both because the Bible affirms a supernatural origin for the universe.

All of a person’s beliefs together compose that person’s worldview. Most people probably do not give much consideration, if any at all, as to how all their beliefs harmonize with each other or how they harmonize with reality, but simply choose their beliefs as if they were choosing food from a buffet…I like this, I don’t like that, I like this, etc. But sober individuals will always evaluate their beliefs to see if they are correct and if they are consistent (II Cor. 13:5). Sincere, sober and sound thinkers will buy the truth and sell it not (Prov. 23:23).

Perhaps not since the first century has our worldview mattered as much as it does today. Today, the cultural power-brokers are pressing on the people of God situations and circumstances that would involve them in sin. We are being told we cannot criticize homosexuality or same-sex marriage or transgenderism or Islam. We are being told that we cannot preach everything the Bible says to preach because it is not politically correct and would offend certain groups. We are told that we must not talk about sin. We are told we must not speak out too loudly or too passionately. We are told we have to violate Christian moral principles to make America great again because other options are much worse. So we are told. We are told a lot of things that aren’t true.

As Christians, we must make certain that what we believe is scriptural, true, consistent and coherent. All of our beliefs must either be rooted in book, chapter and verse or must not contradict the plain teaching of scripture and all of our actions must be authorized by the word of God. If we disconnect our personal actions from our personal beliefs, then do we really believe? Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18).

Eric L. Padgett