December 1, 2023

Gleanings

Rooted and Grounded in Christ

Gerald R. Chester, Ph.D.

God’s design for the material universe includes results-based reality. Humans are given faculties (reasoning ability and sense perception) to help us understand how to live in God’s universe according to his design. Human faculties are a divine gift available to all people through the gift of common grace.

But because of the sinful condition of mankind, the ability to use our faculties correctly can be problematic—for example, if you are in a rowboat with an oar. Assume that the oar looks straight when it is out of the water. But if the oar is put into the water (assume calm water), the oar might look bent. But when you pull it out of the water, it will look straight. This illustrates that sense perception can be erroneous but, generally, it is useful to determine truth. Sense perception is a gift from God to help us live in his universe. Our faculties help us confirm the true interpretation of reality.

Since God created and defined everything, trying to disconnect from his worldview will lead to unreality. And because of our faculties and common grace, we can recognize unreality. So, erroneous interpretations of reality can be evident. When this happens, humans can quickly change their interpretations. In other words they can be fickle. This is because only a Christian worldview is true and, therefore, the only worldview that can credibly explain reality.

The book of Acts records two examples of people with non-Christian worldviews whose interpretation of events were easily changed when their expectations were not realized. Because their worldviews were not sound, their interpretation of reality was erroneous. The first event was the healing of a crippled man in Lystra:

Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. (Acts 14:8–19 ESV)

Paul healed a man. The people in Lystra used their Greco-Roman worldview to interpret the event. They wrongly assumed that Paul and Barnabas were gods and sought to worship them. But when Paul and Barnabas debunked their view, they were easily influenced by jealous Jews who turned the people against Paul and Barnabas. Paul was stoned and left for dead but he wasn’t dead or he was resurrected, we don’t which.

A second experience occurred on the island of Malta:

When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. (Acts 28:3−6 ESV)

Paul was one of 276 people saved from a shipwreck. While helping to build a fire for warmth, a viper attached itself to him. The pagans interpreted this as an omen that Paul was a murderer and should have died in the shipwreck but didn’t and the gods were now going to punish him by death. When he didn’t die, they changed their minds and decided that he was a god.

These two situations illustrate the fickleness of non-Christian worldviews. These worldviews are human inventions. As such, they lack true metaphysical awareness, that is, the ability to see reality as God sees it. Therefore, the people were unable to properly interpret reality.

Since the Christian worldview is the only correct worldview, it is the only worldview that can discern truth reliably and consistently. This skill requires divine wisdom to interpret general and special revelation through the Holy Spirit, seeking to understand reality from God’s perspective.

Christians are called to mature in living based on God’s perspective. In the epistle to the Colossians, the apostle Paul called this the skill of being rooted and built up in him (Christ) and established in the faith.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:6-8 ESV)

The pagans at Lystra and on Malta were captive to humanistic thinking and, therefore, unable to understand events correctly.

There is no certainty of anything unless it is built on the certainty about Jesus as Lord and Christ. Peter explained the good news of God’s kingdom based on the certainty about the identity of Jesus as the key to Scripture. He said:

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. (Acts 2:36 ESV)

Without being rooted and grounded in Christ, who is the only certainty, people will be fickle. They will never be able to be certain about anything. They will not see reality correctly, they will not understand reality correctly, they will not draw right conclusions, and they will not make right choices.

The mandate of every Christ-follower is to become rooted and grounded in Christ and, therefore, unmoved by the interpretation of humanistic worldviews such as atheism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The only correct way to understand reality is from God’s perspective. This is the only way to avoid fickleness due to the deception of non-Christian worldviews.

As we prepare for Christmas and the celebration of Jesus’ birth, take a moment to assess the soundness of your worldview and consider what transformation you need to better live in God’s reality based on the certainty of Jesus as Lord and Christ.

Merry Christmas!

. . . the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us). (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)