What is a Worldview? Does It Define Our Thinking?

​A  worldview is a defined philosophy about life that influences and directs how we live. While many worldviews are defined and labeled, a worldview is ultimately individual and personal, so any definition or label remains broad and general. A person’s worldview is formed and expressed by how they perceive and understand the world.

Just as every individual’s relationship with Jesus is deeply personal, the fine details of one’s worldview are equally unique. However, core foundations define worldviews across several categories.

Five Major Worldviews

1. Naturalism—atheism, agnosticism, existentialism
2. Pantheism—Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, New Age, Consciousness
3. Theism—Christianity, Judaism, Islam
4. Spiritism and Polytheism—includes thousands of religions
5. Postmodernism and Secular Humanism—marked by skepticism and individualism

Beyond those listed above, many people claim not to adhere to any mainstream definition. They consider themselves “free-thinkers” with the right answers. In reality, they simply modify one basic belief system or combine several. And most often, they cannot clearly define what they believe.

The Questions of Life

Worldviews seek to answer these basic questions of life:

• Who am I?
• Where did I come from?
• Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?
• Where will I go when I die?
• Why is the world in the condition it is in?
• What can be done to improve my life?
• What can I do to make a difference in the world?

How people answer these questions is shaped by their knowledge and perceptions of the world and by what they hold to be true. Therefore, one’s worldview is defined by one’s beliefs. And since much of that knowledge and perception cannot be proven, every worldview is ultimately a faith-based system, which is defined as a system of beliefs by which people live until they reach their ultimate destiny.

True, False, or No Religion

Man has been trying to understand and define his life since the world began; and for centuries, worldviews have been largely defined by religious beliefs, such as Abrahamic faiths, far eastern religions, or false religions. But another worldview is defined by no organized religious beliefs.  It’s an inward-focused, personal reasoning religion based entirely on one’s own thoughts and understandings, commonly known as an atheistic worldview. It becomes a worldview of believing in and trusting one’s own abilities and following the false god of self, and rejecting the true God, or any kind of god, who might call them to accountability for their actions, whether good or sinful.  So it’s understandable why atheists reject the true God of the Christian Bible.

On the other hand, there are many worldviews based on false gods, and they can be attributed to the deceptions of Satan that began in the Garden and have continued through time.

The Christian worldview, by contrast, focuses on the one true God, who is evident in creation and revealed in His word as almighty, all-loving, merciful, and gracious.

Unlike Other Worldviews

Only the Christian worldview is built on a rock-solid, never-changing, absolutely true foundation. How can we say that? 

“For I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6).

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

The Christian worldview is not based on man’s thoughts, but on God Himself, who has revealed Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ and His written and preserved word—the Holy Bible. God is unchanging; therefore, the Christian worldview is never-shifting, always solid, and always true.

The Christian worldview offers a freedom no other worldview does. Only here does man place himself into the hands of a good, loving, all-powerful God who directs and guides his life. In every other worldview, man is left depending on himself.

We could study all the varying worldviews in detail, and doing so would help us understand false religions. But at the end of the day, what really matters is knowing God’s answers to life’s great questions—answers revealed on the pages of Scripture and in the hearts of His children. Reading and studying the Bible prepares Christians to share their worldview and faith with others.

The Christian Worldview & the Questions of Life

• Who am I? I am a soul, knit together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). I was born into this world in the flesh, and I can be born again of the Spirit (John 3:5).
• Where did I come from? The almighty God of all creation gave me life (Psalm 139:13; Revelation 4:11). God created the world and everything in it (John 1:3; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:16).
• Why am I here, and what is my purpose in life?* Man was created for God’s pleasure and by His will (Revelation 1:6; 4:11). Man’s purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
• Where will I go when I die? Physical death comes to all people—“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)—but the soul lives on eternally, somewhere. Christians will live in heaven with their Creator, having received forgiveness of sins and the gift of salvation: “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Sadly, those who reject that gift will live separated from God forever (Mark 9:43–48), condemned by their own choice (John 3:18), and judged for their works (Revelation 20:12).
• Why is the world in the condition it is in? Because of sin. God created the world perfect, without death or dying, and He created man without sin. Man chose to disobey God and seek his own desires, and in doing so, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12). Every one of us is a sinner—we aren’t sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. We were born sinners, and we are the reason for our world’s condition.
• What can be done to improve my life? Live for Jesus, and allow His Holy Spirit to work in and through your life. Every religion but Christianity teaches that if man simply tries harder, his life will improve. But doing good works does not guarantee a better life. Jesus asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). He also warned, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). But He also promised, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28).

The only way to improve life in a sinful world is to be cleansed of one’s own sin and to receive the gift of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. That gift produces rest for the soul.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29).

When Jesus saves someone, He also gives that person the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower them to live for Him.

What can we do to make a difference in the world? 

Know the foundational truths of the Christian worldview. Be prepared and ready to share God’s truth, His love, and the saving grace of Jesus with all people. Make an effort to turn conversations from worldly matters to spiritually important subjects. Be a testimony for Christ by living in accordance with His will and reflecting His light.

“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15–16).

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Beliefs About God in Religious Belief Systems

Atheism says, “There is no God.”
Pantheism says, “All creation is God.”
Panentheism says, “God is in, and transcends, all creation.”
Deism says, “God is a distant creator.”
Theistic Finitism says, “God is limited.”
Polytheism says, “There are many gods.”
Monotheism says,   “There is only one God.”
Christianity says, “God is Triune: one God in three Persons.”

The Doctrines of Salvation:

• Revelation of SalvaTION, Propitiation & Expiation
• The Gift of SalvaTION: Justification & Imputation
• What you need to know about Sanctification & Glorification