Jesus-commending Faith-2

믿음은 바라는 것들의 실상이요 보지 못하는 것들의 증거니 ² 선진들이 이로써 증거를 얻었느니라 ³ 믿음으로 모든 세계가 하나님의 말씀으로 지어진 줄을 우리가 아나니 보이는 것은 나타난 것으로 말미암아 된 것이 아니니라…⁵ 믿음으로 에녹은 죽음을 보지 않고 옮기웠으니 하나님이 저를 옮기심으로 다시 보이지 아니하니라. 저는 옮기우기 전에 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 자라 하는 증거를 받았느니라 ⁶ 믿음이 없이는 기쁘시게 못하나니 하나님께 나아가는 자는 반드시 그가 계신 것과 또한 그가 자기를 찾는 자들에게 상 주시는 이심을 믿어야 할찌니라. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible….⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Heb. 11:1-6)

⁵ 예수께서 가버나움에 들어가시니 한 백부장이 나아와 간구하여 ⁶ 가로되 주여 내 하인이 중풍병으로 집에 누워 몹시 괴로와하나이다 ⁷ 가라사대 내가 가서 고쳐 주리라 ⁸ 백부장이 대답하여 가로되 주여 내 집에 들어오심을 나는 감당치 못하겠사오니 다만 말씀으로만 하옵소서 그러면 내 하인이 낫겠삽나이다 ⁹ 나도 남의 수하에 있는 사람이요 내 아래도 군사가 있으니 이더러 가라 하면 가고 저더러 오라 하면 오고 내 종더러 이것을 하라 하면 하나이다 ¹⁰ 예수께서 들으시고 기이히 여겨 좇는 자들에게 이르시되 내가 진실로 너희에게 이르노니 이스라엘 중 아무에게서도 이만한 믿음을 만나보지 못하였노라 ¹¹ 또 너희에게 이르노니 동서로부터 많은 사람이 이르러 아브라함과 이삭과 야곱과 함께 천국에 앉으려니와 ¹² 나라의 본 자손들은 바깥 어두운데 쫓겨나 거기서 울며 이를 갊이 있으리라 ¹³ 예수께서 백부장에게 이르시되 가라 네 믿은 대로 될찌어다 하시니 그 시로 하인이 나으니라. ⁵ When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶ "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly." ⁷ And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." ⁸ But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." ¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matt. 8:5-13)

FCF: We have a tendency of doubt and unbelief as Jesus’ healing power.

주제: 예수님은 만물을 다스리는 권세가 있기에 하나님을 기쁘시게 하려면 예수님에 대한 믿음을 실천해야 합니다.

Theme: Because Jesus has divine authority over all creation, we must practice faith in Jesus to please God.

Introduction: Faith is a miracle of God. Also, it is a gift of God. Each time I hear a testimony how one gets to believe Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior and Lord, I get fascinated and filled with divine grace. Last Sunday, I talked about how a former spiritual medium got to trust Jesus Christ as her God and Savior. Today, I would like to talk a little about a North Korean refuge who came to abandon the North Korean Founder worship and believe Jesus as her God and King. She grew up in an elite family in North Korea because her father was holding a high office in the North Korea’s regime. She received a best education which she deserved because of her birth. North Korea is a communist country, which argues for a classless society. But she belonged to a high class, of which only a few elite labor party officials are. She became a medical doctor. Instead of working in Pyeong-Yang, the capital city of North Korea, she was assigned to a rural border town. While working there, she got bored and interested in China. She had been brainwashed her country was a paradise on earth. But she knew people were not well-fed, due to lack of food. Due to the shortage of electricity, people in her town turned power off. A lot of people were impoverished. Her whole town was under darkness without lights. In contrast, a border town in China yonder was brightly shining at night. All kinds of lights were shining through the night over the town. She was raising a question how this could be. If her country was a paradise on earth, as she was taught, why was her whole town without lights? she asked herself.

One day, she decided to visit a brightly shingling border town in China out of curiosity along with her three doctor friends who worked at the same hospital. They should cross the Tuman river at night secretly to get to China. If they were caught, they would be killed for sure. So, they were slowly approaching the shore of the Tuman river through the reed field. All of a sudden, they heard the guns clicking. Terrified by the loading sounds of the guns, they ran in every other direction with their full speed. The searchlights were following them exactly where they were running. All her three friends were shot down. Their limbs and fleshes were thrown up into the air. She was watching all of it and even more petrified. She simply planned to visit the town and come back in secret. But now there was no way he could escape from the terrifying searchlights and flying bullets. She ran with all her strength and threw herself into the Tuman river. The bullets flew over her. She was tumbled into the water. She was rapidly thrown by the rapids of the Tuman river. Afterwards, she was miraculously caught by a huge twig and was able to escape from the North Korean soldiers. She ran and hid herself somewhere in the border town in China. Since she was a North Korean migrant refuge, she had no legal right to stay there. If she was caught by the Chinese police, she would be deported. She was able to work as a nurse with a forged document. She learned Chinese. She worked as a translator. She made money and bought a house. Also, she heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and came to trust Him as His Savior. But she was an illegal immigrant in China. She was no longer able to continue to stay in China.

Believing the propaganda that those returnees from China would be exonerated and well-treated, she decided to go back to North Korea. As soon as she returned, she was arrested and thrown into a maximum-security prison, which housed political prisoners. She was beaten and tortured every day. She was treated like a beast without mercy. She was emaciated and was regarded a lunatic. But she was a believer despite all her former communistic education she had received in North Korea. She kept praying for deliverance from the prison. The prison guard examined her condition and determined she was dead. She was thrown into heaps of the corpses. Finally, she was able to escape to China, and eventually to South Korea. As she experienced life in China and South Korea, she realized how seriously she was deceived. As she saw things in a new world, she began to think differently. She no longer sees the Kim dynasty as divine because she sees Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. She no longer sees her native country North Korea as a paradise because she believes heaven in store for her. The way she understands the world, life, things, or people has become new because she has become a new creature in Christ. Now, she was recovered. She became a medical doctor in South Korea. She got married and have two kids. She is happy. Her mission is to expose cruelty, falsehood of the Kim dynasty worship in North Korea. Also, it is to testify to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to the world. Her faith story reveals how she has transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, from the bondage of communism to the freedom of democracy, and from the anti-God worldview to the Christian worldview. Every salvation testimony reveals somewhat similar, at least, a transformation from a non-Christian worldview to a Christian worldview. 

I see something similar in the centurion who beseeched the Lord to heal his paralyzed servant. Jesus marveled at his faith and praised him as follows: 이스라엘 중 아무에게서도 이만한 믿음을 만나보지 못하였노라 ¹¹ 또 너희에게 이르노니 동서로부터 많은 사람이 이르러 아브라함과 이삭과 야곱과 함께 천국에 앉으려니와 ¹² 나라의 본 자손들은 바깥 어두운데 쫓겨나 거기서 울며 이를 갊이 있으리라. , "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The whole story calls our attention to the following truth: Jesus has divine authority over all creation. The centurion believed Jesus not only as the divine Healer but also the divine authority over time and space. His faith so pleased Jesus Christ. Jesus praised him and answered his request. We learn here that we should practice faith in Jesus Christ in order to please God. Last Sunday, his faith was commended because he came from a Gentile background. From this truth, we learned that we should practice faith that exceeds our ethnic boundaries. Continuing to delve into what kind of faith the centurion had in Jesus, I shall discuss the second point, which is we should practice faith that….

I.               민족적 테두리를 초월하는 예수님께 대한 믿음을 실천하라.

Practice faith in Jesus that exceeds your ethnic boundaries.

II.             세속주의적 세계관의 테두리를 초월하는 예수님께 대한 믿음을 실천하라.

Practice faith in Jesus that exceeds your secular worldview boundaries.

How did the centurion get to trust Jesus as the authority over all things? If we examine where he lived, what he did, and what he believed about Jesus, we may guess how he came to believe in Jesus Christ as the authority over all things. First, he lived in Capernaum. We have no information on the country of his birth, his citizenship, or his family background. All we see from the text is that he stationed in Capernaum. As I said last Lord’s Day, Capernaum was a commercial fishing town. So, the local economy was thriving. Gentiles and Jews were dwelling together in Capernaum. There might have been religious conflicts between them. However, they were mixed together in the city. Though it was not nearly close to the modern New York city in size, demography, economy, etc., it was a mixture of peoples from a variety of nationalities.

From this fact, we may infer that there were cultural, religious interactions among various groups. Jesus certainly performed a lot of miracles. Though He grew up in Nazareth, He worked His kingdom ministry in Capernaum, which was called the center of His public ministry during the early days. And He called Peter, Andrew, John, and James as His disciples in Capernaum. Although He performed a lot of miracles, people there were not favorable to Jesus. They refused to recognize Him as their Messiah-King. Jesus pronounced divine judgment for their unbelief. At any rate, people overall there heard a lot about Jesus and witnessed Him performing healing miracles and teaching in the synagogue. The centurion had heard about Him as an itinerant preacher, miracle-worker, moral teacher, or healer of incurable diseases. Though he was a Gentile, he came to trust Jesus as the authority over diseases. He began to develop a practical faith in Jesus as a divine healer.

Second, he worked for Herod Antipas as a centurion. The office of centurion was normally the highest one within reach of the ordinary soldier. A centurion was often chosen from the ranks because of his experience and knowledge. After one became a centurion, further promotion could come by transfer to positions of increasing responsibility, the highest being senior centurion over the first of 10 cohorts in a legion. Thus, a centurion might move about extensively throughout the Roman empire. A centurion had many duties besides maintaining discipline among the ranks. A centurion’s authority was actually quite extensive because he was the working officer who had direct contact with the men. He went to the field with them and made spontaneous decisions according to each situation. He had to oversee executions for capital offenses. He was responsible for his troops at all times, whether they were Roman citizens or recruited mercenary soldiers. He had to keep law and order in his region from bandits. Centurions were the military backbone throughout the empire, maintaining discipline and executing orders. The position of centurion was prestigious and high paying. Those who reached that rank usually made a career of it. From all this information, we may see the career of the centurion in the text.

The centurion’s words of faith in Jesus reveals his understanding of the Roman military system. In the Roman empire, all authority belonged to the emperor and was delegated. Therefore, because he was under the emperor’s authority, when the centurion spoke, he spoke with the emperor’s authority, and so his command was obeyed. A foot-soldier who disobeyed would not be defying a mere centurion but the emperor, Rome itself. The centurion applied the self-understanding from his military experience to Jesus. Because Jesus was God’s authority, God spoke when Jesus spoke. Disobeying Jesus was equal to disobeying God. The word of Jesus must be endowed with God’s authority which is able to heal diseases. Though he was immersed with the Roman rituals, or magic, he supposed by faith that Jesus didn’t need to rely on any ritual, magic, or any other help. Unlike the Syrian army general Naaman, who anticipated the prophet Elisha to come out to welcome him and perform some magical rituals for his healing, the centurion simply believed Jesus’ authority and word were divine and so effective enough to conquer any spiritual, physical, or psychological maladies.

His Gentile background put his faith into spotlight. How could a Gentile living under the kingdom of darkness without having the light of God’s law have such marvelous faith in Jesus Christ? We may answer this question from the standpoint of God’s enabling grace. God granted him such faith. It was not because of his wisdom or greatness that he reached the stature of such a great faith, but because of God’s grace that he was able to place his practical faith in Jesus as the authority over sickness. His faith went beyond race, ethnicity, or religion. Also, his faith exceeded his former way of interpreting and understanding the world, life, God, prayer, purpose of life, self-understanding, etc. He was immersed in the Roman/Greek worldview. In those days, the Greek culture pervaded the thoughts, actions, and lives of people. But the Roman political and military systems brought the whole world under control. The centurion was working under the authority of the emperor. He represented the power/authority of Rome. He may have aspired to rise above his humble background. He must surely have not inherited the position of centurion from his father. He must have worked hard for it. He must have earned trust and admiration for his character, leadership, or patriotism. Also, he must have felt the ephemeralness of happiness when he reached the position of centurion. But he couldn’t stop. He may have aspired to rise to a higher authority over a greater number of soldiers. He may have relentlessly worked for a higher rung of social ladder.  

He must have been a product of the Roman worldview. To the Roman citizen, people were either Roman or barbarian. A barbarian was hardly better than an animal. Roman citizenship came with responsibilities but it also came with privileges unmatched even in our time. At its peak a Roman could travel anywhere in the known world; if he was robbed or assaulted the Roman Legions would be sent to rescue or avenge him. Now that's power. The Romans thought of themselves as the only enlightened people on earth. As a result, the whole world was theirs to colonize, and they did just that to the limits of the infrastructure of the time. The centurion was imbibed with such a worldview before he came to believe Jesus as the only, true authority over all. Before he met with the God of Israel the Creator of all things and the Deliverer of His people, he must have worshiped the god of power, prosperity, and happiness. He must have worked hard to please a god to gain what he wanted. He was the center of his own world according to his worldview though he tried anything to help him achieve self-fulfillment. 

Surely, his conversion from the kingdom of man’s power to the kingdom of divine grace reveals a change of his worldview. He must have followed the Roman worldview by which he believed in many gods, worshiped the emperor as a god, while living in a place where the Roman worldview dominated the culture. The Romans believed Jupiter as the most potent of all the gods. They believed gods interacted in the lives of people. In order to secure their food, protection, or growth, the Romans believed gods had to be propitiated. So, they offered sacrifices to a god with prayer to secure their security, prosperity, and happiness. Their religious worldview centered around their security, not divine glory. They tried to cajole gods to master the unknown forces that inspired awe and anxiety, and to live successfully. The centurion must have soaked with such a view of religion. Coming from a polytheistic background, he may have worshiped the god of power for his success. People turned to God for their own peace and prosperity, that is, happiness. This is what people today view as the purpose of religion. 

The centurion may first have been converted from the religion of Rome or Greek to the religion of Jews. Luke records he sent some Jewish elders first to Jesus for the healing of his sick servant. The elders came to Jesus and earnestly entreated Jesus, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us our synagogue” (Lk. 3-4). He must have believed in Yahweh the covenant God of Israel. He must have heard about the coming Messiah. He must have been a God-fearer like Cornelius the Roman centurion in Caesarea, a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people, and prayed to God continually (Acts. 10:1-2). Like Cornelius, the centurion loved the Jewish people who were subjugated by Rome. The centurion had the power to oppress them or exploit them for his personal gains. In those days, the Roman soldiers had the right to make the colonized people carry their burdens about a mile. So, the Jews didn’t like the Roman soldiers, who inspired dread among the subjugated peoples.

However, this centurion was highly esteemed by the Jewish elders in Capernaum because he must have feared Yahweh and built a place of worship of Yahweh for Jews. What does this fact tell about the character or faith of the centurion? We may infer that the centurion came to believe Yahweh created the whole world, created Adam and Eve, put them in charge of maintaining the world, and the like. He must have learned about the fall of Adam and Eve. He must have heard that God had mercy on them and promised the seed of woman (Gen. 3:15). He must have heard Yahweh is the only God who rules over the entire world. He must have learned that He should offer his prayers only to God. He must have changed his view of prayer as a means for his success into a means for God’s glory and an intimate fellowship with Him. While he was worshiping in the synagogue, he must have been taught to love God and neighbor from the law. He must have learned Yahweh would send the Messiah from the line of King David. He must have been waiting for the Messiah of Israel. When he heard about Jesus, he may have thought of Him as the One sent by God. So, when he came to Jesus, he addressed Him as “Lord,” which is used to refer not only to “Mr. So and So,” but also to God.

His understanding of the law and the prophets, which he may have gleaned from the synagogue worship, may have positively impacted his relationship with Jews and his way of life. Instead of seeing his sick servant as a useless, disposable one, the centurion viewed him as a dear brother, who needed his help and love. His faith in Jesus was not without effects. He humbled himself before Jesus and people. He was admired by the Jews for his faith. He spent profusely to build a synagogue, which we don’t know how much it would cost. He surely donated his personal money to that project. He must not have raked money from the poor populace in Capernaum. He didn’t use his power for his personal gains. Rather, he used his power to love people. In so doing, he loved God and received the Lord’s approval for his wonderful faith. His military career was used to do others good, which means he didn’t live according to the Roman secularistic worldview. His love and humility demonstrate that he lived according to the theistic, altruistic worldview. He valued people rather than power. He valued sacrifice rather than success. He valued humility rather than pride. He valued mercy rather than ruthlessness. He valued faith rather than skepticism. He most valued divine authority over all. He trusted Jesus as the authority over all. For this reason, he received Jesus’ praise for his faith that goes beyond race and secular worldview.      

Biblical faith makes us new creatures in Christ and transforms our former worldviews. It changes the old way of thinking, feeling, or deciding we followed in the past. It exhorts us not to be conformed to the way of living of the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, so that we may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom. 12:2). Paul says, 너희는 이 세대를 본받지 말고 오직 마음을 새롭게 함으로 변화를 받아 하나님의 선하시고 기뻐하시고 온전하신 뜻이 무엇인지 분별하도록 하라. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2). The fact that we have faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, the divine authority over all things, implies that we are not of the world though we live in the world, and that we reject the secular worldview and practice the Christian worldview, which is our mental framework whereby we not only understand the world, life, man, history, purpose, meaning, or eternity, but also interpret the things, events of the world or our lives. A secular worldview is a framework of the mind whereby people of the world understand their cultures, religions, lives, politics, economies, or histories. Everyone has a worldview, whether being aware of it or not, and decides what course of action to take or what course of life to live. A worldview affects the way we understand and live. So, it is critical for us to live a right life.

Christianity doesn’t remain merely as a private faith or personal salvation. It is a comprehensive worldview that covers every area of life. It is a perspective through which we see the world, man, life, culture, science, etc. This way of looking at things is more than a doctrinal system. It is an all-encompassing principle that governs every thought and life. It gives answer to reality of life and teaches us how to live. Man is spiritual, seeking to answer the following fundamental questions: “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?” “Does life have any meaning and purpose?” Christianity offers the most reasonable and cogent answers to these questions. People seek to find answers to these questions in philosophy, science, religion, or education. But the answers Christianity offers are much more convincing than those of the other worldviews.

The problem is many Christians are unaware of the Christian worldview. So, they understand life and world from various secular perspectives that are constantly broadcast by the media. For this reason, they confine their faith life to church. Outside the church, they fail to serve as salt on earth and light in the world. They are swept away by huge waves of worldly culture, wandering without direction. They make the teachings of the Lord walled within the church, unable to change the world. It is because they live according to secularistic, humanistic, individualistic, or success-driven value systems. A great number of modernists today deny the existence of absolute truth and implicitly adopt the absolute dogma of relativism. The Bible affirms that God created man. In contrast, so-called scientific evolutionists assert that man is a product of chance plus billions of years. These two worldviews are diametrically opposed to each other. The former says that man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The latter says that man is the measure of all things and the individual’s freedom and happiness is the chief end.

These opposing worldviews result in two totally different lifestyles. The former says man’s sin is the origin of all current problems, whereas the latter, denying the existence of sin, says circumstances, education, government, and family beget problems. The former offers the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection as the solution of man’s sin, whereas the latter preaches that man can create a utopia by resolving negative external factors. History proves that the latter’s suggestion was a failure. The former teaches believers should be agents of restoration in a God-opposing world. But the latter’s dogma of individualism can’t show a way to restore broken families and morality, increasing crimes, or damaged humanity. It is because each individual is deeply infected with pride and selfishness and is unable to reform oneself. While seeking his or her individual freedom and happiness, each ends up in nihilism, narcissism, and meaninglessness. We Christians should reject lies of secular worldview. Holding the Christian worldview, we must participate not only in a personal transformation but also a creation of a new world.  

Faith and worldview are tied together. Depending on an understanding of origin of the world, worldview varies. The evolutionistic worldview sees that the world automatically came into existence and has evolved, whereas the creationistic worldview sees that the world is the byproduct of God’s creative will. Those arguing for the former attack the latter is superstitious. However, it is the obvious fact that no one has witnessed the origin of the world and people, interpreting the pieces of evidence, present their own arguments. After all, each of them determines what to believe for himself or herself. In fact, faith is necessary to understand the world and live a life. What matters is the contents or objects of faith. If they are genuine, faith in them is good. But if they are false, such faith is wrong. Even though we believe a New York-bound flight as a Seoul-bound flight, that New York-bound flight won’t go to Seoul. If we believe what is not factual to be factual, we may suffer a trouble.

Today, many believe they believe what is truthful even though they believe what is false. However, we believe the Bible is the word of God. We believe the existence of God. We believe that God created the whole world and rules over it. We believe that Jesus died for us on the cross and rose from the dead. We believe we are forgiven through the merits of Jesus’ death on the cross. We believe we will go to heaven after death. We believe Jesus will come back. We believe in our bodily resurrection at the return of Jesus. We believe there will be an end to the history of this world. If all this were false, we would be most miserable. And all that we understand by faith about the world, events, life, humanity, purpose, meaning, etc., would be wrong. But if that God is alive and Jesus is the Savior is truthful, our mental framework, whereby we understand the world, is trustworthy.

Faith in the truth that Jesus is the authority over all things transforms our mental framework whereby we understand the world. In the past, we thought that this world existed for us. But now we understand that the world exists for the glory of God. Before, we thought we were the masters of the world, but now, we see that Jesus is the Master of the world. We understand ourselves as God-appointed stewards over the world. We know Jesus as the Master of our lives and we strive to live our lives for the glory of God. Depending on what people believe, their mental frameworks, by which they understand the world and life, change. We must understand all things according to the evangelical worldview that trusts Jesus as Savior our God. Also, we must live according to the same worldview. If we live by a wrong worldview, we will suffer misery. The Christian worldview centers around Jesus Christ the Son of God. Rightly interpreting and understanding all things through Jesus Christ, we should live a right life, all of which we call “faith.” 

Faith certainly transforms our ways of thinking, feeling, and living. It challenges the atheistic, evolutionary, anti-supernatural, or anti-God worldview. If a communist is converted to Christ, he or she no longer sees God is dead. God is alive. From this perspective, they understand the world, life, career, purpose or meaning of life, or our final destiny. If we do not change the purpose of life even after our conversion, it may imply that we are still stuck in the old mental framework of the world. Lee Strobel was converted from atheism into Christianity. He was a Yale-educated legal editor of the Chicago Tribune. His wife’s conversion to Christianity drove him to investigate the faith for nearly two years. He argued with his wife, who tried to convince him to believe in God. But he couldn’t accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. He embraced the atheistic, evolutionary worldview. To him, Christianity was a product of myths, superstitions. He didn’t believe in the vicarious atonement of Jesus on the cross and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. His worldview didn’t let him embrace such cardinal doctrines of Christianity.

However, after his two-year long investigation, he decided the evidence of Christianity and Christ’s resurrection was too strong to ignore. He put his trust in Jesus Christ on Nov. 8, 1981. Six years later, he left daily journalism to become a pastor. He is a prolific Christian writer. He has written several books, for example, “The Case for A Creator,” “The Case for Faith,” and “The Case for Christ” that address challenges to the veracity of Christianity. He defends the Christian faith and worldview against the atheistic worldview, explaining the legitimacy and reliability of the biblical claims about Christ. In the movie “The Case for Christ,” which pictures how he came to believe Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord, we see he at first attempted to repudiate the biblical claims about Christ. But as he delved into the evidence of Christ’s resurrection, he couldn’t deny the validity of the evidence of Christ’s resurrection. Finally, he couldn’t but to embrace Jesus Christ as his God. His conversion story illustrates how he was delivered not only from sin and its curses, but also from the falsehood and folly of the secular, humanistic, atheistic worldview.

Our faith in Jesus Christ as the authority over all should transform our ways of thinking and living. Let me quote Paul’s exhortation again: 너희는 이 세대를 본받지 말고 오직 마음을 새롭게 함으로 변화를 받아 하나님의 선하시고 기뻐하시고 온전하신 뜻이 무엇인지 분별하도록 하라. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). If we are justified by faith, we must be transformed by the renewal of our minds, which includes the transformation of our pre-conversion worldview. Since we are new creatures in Christ, we must see the whole world as the creation of God. We must not pursue materialistic prosperity; rather, we seek and love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves. Faith in Christ leads us to serve Him as our Master. According to the secular, humanistic worldview, we are the center of the universe. We see everything revolves around us. We attempt to play God. In fact, we attempt to establish our own kingdoms in our power. We follow the old lie of Satan in the garden of Eden: 너희가 그것을 먹는 날에는 너희 눈이 밝아 하나님과 같이 되어 선악을 알 줄을 하나님이 아심이니라. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5).     

But the biblical worldview sees humankind as a sinner. It teaches the total inability and depravity of man before God as far as salvation is concerned. October 7, 1969 the Montreal, Canada police force went on strike. Because of what resulted, the day has been called Black Tuesday. A burglar and a policeman were slain. Forty-nine persons were wounded or injured in rioting. Nine bank holdups were committed, almost a tenth of the total number of holdups the previous year along with 17 robberies at gunpoint. Usually disciplined, peaceful citizens joined the riffraff and went wild, smashing some 1,000 plate glass windows in a stretch of 21 business blocks in the heart of the city, hauling away stereo units, radios, TVs and wearing apparel. While looters stripped windows of valuable merchandise, professional burglars entered stores by doors and made off with truckloads of goods. A smartly dressed man scampered down a street with a fur coat over each arm with no police around, anarchy took over. Such anarchic scenes are plenty today after riots, hurricanes, or walkouts. We can’t deny the sinfulness of humans. We need divine grace for salvation. We need God and Savior. We are to be dependent upon God because God is our Creator and we are His creatures.

We must examine whether we are in the faith or not. We must check whether our faith is working or not. Paul says, 너희가 믿음에 있는가 너희 자신을 시험하고 너희 자신을 확증하라 예수 그리스도께서 너희 안에 계신 줄을 너희가 스스로 알지 못하느냐 그렇지 않으면 너희가 버리운 자니라. Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-- unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Cor. 13:5). Also, he says, ⁴ 우리의 싸우는 병기는 육체에 속한 것이 아니요 오직 하나님 앞에서 견고한 진을 파하는 강력이라 ⁵ 모든 이론을 파하며 하나님 아는 것을 대적하여 높아진 것을 다 파하고 모든 생각을 사로잡아 그리스도에게 복종케 하니. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5).

Conclusion: Many Christians, even after their conversion, follow the secular, humanistic worldview. So, they take pride in birth, rank, possessions, personal appearance, independence, educational credentials, position, success, ability, intellect, etc. But Jesus was a carpenter’s son. He had no place to lay His head. He had no form or comeliness. He gave Himself to people. He never went to college. He came to serve others. His own people didn’t receive Him. He was despised and rejected. He relied on His Father.  

Jesus Christ’s life was an absolute failure according to the secular, materialistic worldview. But He was a wonderful triumph according to the standpoint of God. We see ourselves from the standpoint of the Bible, not from the standpoint of the world. We are often discouraged about our social standings, careers, or possessions. But the Christian worldview teaches we are created according to God’s image. We are God’s precious children bought with the blood of Christ. According to the Christian worldview, therefore, we can say along with Paul as follows: ⁹ 무명한 자 같으나 유명한 자요 죽은 자 같으나 보라 우리가 살고 징계를 받는 자 같으나 죽임을 당하지 아니하고 ¹⁰ 근심하는 자 같으나 항상 기뻐하고 가난한 자 같으나 많은 사람을 부요하게 하고 아무 것도 없는 자 같으나 모든 것을 가진 자로다. ⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything (2 Cor. 6:9-10).

            Faith in Jesus as the authority over all makes us see ourselves complete in Christ. It transforms our self-understanding, our view of the world. It impacts our way of thinking and living in every area of life. So, we must practice faith in Jesus that exceeds our secular worldview boundaries. We must be convinced that we have Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. If we are mistaken here, we will suffer misery. In April 1988 the evening news reported on a photographer who was a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with numerous other skydivers and filmed the group as they fell and opened their parachutes. On the film shown on the telecast, as the final skydiver opened his chute, the picture went berserk. The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without his parachute. It wasn't until he reached for the absent ripcord that he realized he was freefalling without a parachute. Until that point, the jump probably seemed exciting and fun. But tragically, he had acted with thoughtless haste and deadly foolishness. Nothing could save him, for his faith was in a parachute never buckled on. Faith in anything but an all-sufficient God can be just as tragic spiritually. Only with faith in Jesus Christ dare we step into the dangerous excitement of life.

            If you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are called to serve Him and His purpose according to the Christian worldview. There is no reason we can be proud of your own faith. But there is always reason to be proud of Jesus Christ. It is not due to your faith, but through your faith, that you are saved from sin and eternal condemnation. Your faith is a means whereby God works within, with, and through you. God-commending faith impacts the way of your thinking and living. It glories in the truth, “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.” It is not about our decisions for Christ, or our determination to be Christians. But it is about Jesus Christ who upholds us by His perfect love. Let’s hold unto this truth by faith to please our Father in Christ through the Holy Spirit.  

Benediction: ²⁴ 여호와는 네게 복을 주시고 너를 지키시기를 원하며 ²⁵ 여호와는 그 얼굴로 네게 비취사 은혜 베푸시기를 원하며 ²⁶ 여호와는 그 얼굴을 네게로 향하여 드사 평강 주시기를 원하노라. The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.