A couple of years ago, my wife bought a jigsaw puzzle of old-time Disney posters. She soon realized that a one thousand piece jigsaw puzzle has a lot of little pieces!
For over a month, those jigsaw pieces took up our entire dining room table that seats eight. The puzzle seemed almost impossible. So how was she able to complete it? Because she had something to guide her, the image on the cover of the box. And without that cover, she had no hope of ever finishing the puzzle.
Like A Puzzle
How successful would you be if you took pieces from different puzzles and added them into the original jigsaw? That wouldn’t work at all!
The same goes for the Christian worldview. Because Christianity is like a jigsaw puzzle, you need all the pieces (comprehensive), and they need to fit perfectly (cohesive) to reflect the final picture on the box top (coherent). Trying to add pieces from other worldviews (i.e., different puzzles) will not work and only corrupt the outcome.
Do you sometimes feel like your life has one thousand pieces scattered in front of you? Let’s look at how the world fits together.
Having a Worldview
A worldview is a fundamental way that you perceive the world around you. It is the grid or filter through which you take in the data of life, interpret it, think about it, make decisions, and then act.
Our worldview consists of beliefs derived from the answers to the most critical questions in life. These worldview topics can be remembered by the acronym “GO HOME”:
- God (Theology): Who is God, and what is His nature?
- Origin (Cosmology): Where did the universe and humankind arise?
- Humanity (Anthropology): What is the origin, nature, and destiny of humans?
- Ought (Morality): Who determines what is good versus evil and right versus wrong?
- Meaning: What is the meaning and purpose of the universe and humanity?
- End (Destiny): What happens after this life?
So what are the answers to these questions?
God
Your understanding of who God is and what he’s like is the most critical question you will ever answer. God is:
- An eternal Spirit (John 4:24; cf., Exod. 3:14)
- Infinite (Matt. 5:48)
- Omnipotent (all-powerful) (Job 42:2)
- Omnipresent (all-present) (Ps. 139:7-12)
- Omniscient (all-knowing) (Job 38:39; Rom. 11:33–36)
- Immutable (unchangeable) (James 1:17)
- Sovereign (in control over all) (Exod. 20:2-3)
God exists in a Trinity of three persons:
- Father
- Son (Jesus)
- Holy Spirit
Each one shares one divine nature. Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, is both fully God and fully human. And while the Trinity and Jesus’ two natures are both mysteries that we can never fully comprehend, we can apprehend them sufficiently to show they are not contradictory.
The universe operates in a regular and orderly way by the “laws of nature” (i.e., physics, biology, chemistry). But on various occasions, God invades the natural realm with supernatural miracles such as the conception and resurrection of Jesus. God exists transcendently (beyond) and immanently (within) the universe, sustaining everything.
Origin
God created the universe ex nihilo (out of nothing). Its current existence depends totally upon God (Col. 1:17), and God also created the first human beings (Gen. 1-2).
Humanity
God created humans in his image (Gen. 1:26–27) for fellowship with him. As God’s image-bearers, every human life is sacred (Gen. 9:6). Only God gives life, and only God can take life. No human has the right to take his or her own life nor end the life of an innocent. There can be no ethnic bigotry (Acts 17:25–27) or prejudice of one person over another.
We live to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31), knowing him and following his ways. And as we trust in him and follow his Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16), we become more like Jesus (Rom. 8:28-29).
Ought (Morality)
As God’s image-bearers, we are moral beings obligated to live by his absolute moral law based on his unchanging nature and will (Rom. 1:18-20). His absolute moral standard offers a timeless means for measuring the morality of all individuals and all societies.
This law lays down principles we ought to live (prescriptive). It is over and above human laws. And God’s moral law is most fully revealed in the Bible (Matt. 22:36-40).
Meaning
Sin has marred us so that we don’t seek to live out our proper meaning (Rom. 5:12–21): sinful humans do not naturally seek an intimate relationship with God to worship him (Rom 3:11).
Finding true meaning in life begins with establishing a relationship with God: by repenting and placing our faith in Jesus (Acts 2:38).
After conversion, our true meaning is loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:36-40). We find our greatest joy in intimately knowing (John 17:3), worshipping (Rom. 12:1-3), and serving God and others (Mark 10:45).
End
At the end of time, God will triumph over all evil and bring his perfect kingdom forever. Meaning that he will defeat Satan, quarantine evil from him permanently (in hell), judge every person who has ever lived, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
After physical death, our immortal soul survives and awaits reuniting with a transformed (resurrection) body that--after judgment--will live away from God (in hell) or with God (in heaven) forever. Our ultimate eternal fate depends on our relationship with Christ (2 Cor. 5:1-21): those who trust in Jesus will live forever with him (John 3:16).
All The Difference In The World
Because Christianity is the only worldview that considers all the facts of reality and perfectly fits them without contradictions, it is what the final jigsaw puzzle looks like. Every one of us is on a journey in our spiritual life, but as we discover Christianity’s answers to these big questions, we’ll find ourselves knowing God and seeing him fit all the pieces together.
