Last summer, while on sabbatical, I watched a sermon on YouTube. The sermon was on the topic of “deconstruction.” What struck me, as I was listening to what was called a “sermon,” is that not one Bible verse was cited.
Let that sink in. Not one Bible verse. There was no “Turn in your Bibles to…” or “Let’s look at what the Bible says about this…” Nope. Not one Bible passage. The pastor didn’t have a Bible with him. There were no Bible verses projected on any overhead screen. The Bible was not a part of this sermon.
At all.
When I did a little digging into the church that this “pastor” served, I found that they style themselves as a “progressive Christian community.” They say they are “completely fascinated with this complex and beautiful collection of texts we call the Bible — but we worship Jesus.”
This is a standard line you will hear in progressive Christian circles. And, yes, “progressive Christian” is a thing. If you’re a member of Olney Baptist Church (most of you reading this probably are), then you may recall that Adelso Calderon gave a Wednesday night lesson recently on this topic. Suffice it to say, progressive Christians (and I feel like putting the word “Christian” in quotes) don’t have a biblical worldview. But the question I want to ask is…
Do you?
It’s easy to point the finger at others and say they don’t have a sufficient level of respect for the Bible or trust in God’s revelation. It’s harder to look in the mirror and ask that question of ourselves.
As Christians, our identity, our outlook on life, and our belief system should all be anchored in the Word of God. A biblical worldview isn’t just a set of ideas we turn to on Sundays or in moments of crisis—it’s the lens through which we should view everything.
Scripture makes it clear that God’s Word is not just a guide, but the truth by which we are to live.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
II Timothy 3:16, KJV
for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
Scripture refers to sacred writings. It refers to those writings that are based on God’s revelation. And God’s revelation is to be the basis of what we believe and how we live.
This is echoed in the Book of Psalms, when we read: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105, KJV). If you want to follow God, then follow His word.
So, how do you know if you’re following the word of God or the world that’s wandering away from God?
Here are some good questions to think about…
- Do you regularly read and study the Bible?
- Do you memorize or meditate upon verses in the Bible?
- Do you pray with Scripture in mind? (Something you will notice in the Bible is that God’s people often quote God back to Him when they pray to Him).
- Do you strive to obey the Scriptures? Not just read them.
And then here is a big one…
Are you ever offended by or bothered by the Bible?
Ponder that question. Take a moment on it. Does the Bible ever offend or upset you? Does it offend or upset you if you hear your pastor say: “We can’t do that because the Bible says….” or “This is how we’re going to do things because the Bible…”? Does it offend you to hear that?
If the answer is yes, then your worldview is shaped more by the world than the word of God.
Think about it.
If the Bible upsets you, it means that the Bible represents a threat to you in some way. If the Bible represents a threat to you, that means the Bible is the outside force coming against you. And you are resting on something else.
A recent example: Were you “triggered” or “bothered” or “offended” when I recently pointed out that the Bible is no friend of abortion and that God hates the shedding of innocent blood? Did that upset you? If so, then you don’t have a biblical worldview.
The Bible may be “special” to you or even “beautiful” to you – as claimed by the progressive pastor referenced at the start of this blog post. But the Bible shouldn’t just be special to you. The Bible should be authoritative for you.
Yes, you have to do the work of biblical study. You can’t just lift out a Bible verse and build an entire theology around that. Nor can you read a verse, divorced completely from its original meaning and context, and then assume its meaning for you. You have to do some work. But…
Once you understand what the Bible is saying…
To disagree with the Bible is to disagree with God.
If you want to follow God, you need to listen to God’s word.
You need to have a biblical worldview.
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