By Daniel Bobinski
This is the fifth and final installment in my series on the biblical worldview. So far we’ve covered Theology, Psychology, Biology, Philosophy, Ethics, Sociology, Law, and Politics. If you’d like to read any of the previous columns in this series, they can be found at ChristianLivingMag.com.
This column presents the final two pieces of the worldview puzzle, Economics and History. In practical terms, Economics asks, “How should we manage resources?” History asks, “What is the direction and destiny of man?”
How Should We Manage Resources?
Mention economics and most people immediately think of money. Economics certainly involves money, but it’s much more than that. It starts with ownership.
For a biblical view of economics, we can turn to Psalm 24:1. “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.” In other words, God owns everything. Whatever we possess has simply been entrusted to us. For Christians, this means the starting point for economics is stewardship.
This principle applies to money, property, possessions, abilities, opportunities, and even our time. Yes, we may legally own things here on Earth, but ultimately we are managing resources that belong to God.
Scripture also affirms private property. The eighth commandment says, “You shall not steal.” That command would make little sense unless people had a legitimate right to possess things that others should not take.
That said, biblical economics balances ownership with responsibility, because what we possess is not merely for our own consumption. We are expected to work, produce, provide for our families, help those genuinely in need, and use wisely that which God has entrusted to us.
Many people overlook that work itself is part of God’s original design. In Genesis chapter 2, Adam was given work to do before sin entered the world. Work is therefore not a punishment for the Fall, it was designed from the beginning to be part of our purpose.
The Apostle Paul underscored this when he wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
Notice that verse has the word “willing.” Scripture repeatedly commands generosity toward the poor, the widow, the orphan, and those who cannot care for themselves, but it also distinguishes between someone who cannot work from someone who will not.
A biblical economy therefore values work, property, stewardship, honesty, generosity, and personal responsibility.
Contrast that with Marxism, which views private property and unequal economic outcomes as fundamental problems. Marxism’s solution is ongoing redistribution enforced by the state.
Granted, Israel had a mandatory economic support program every three years for the needy (Deuteronomy 14:28-29), but it was not an annually administered program designed to equalize everyone’s wealth. It was a targeted, local, and infrequent tithe within a much larger system that retained private property and expected both personal responsibility and generosity.
Overall, the biblical worldview recognizes that people have different abilities, interests, opportunities, decisions, and levels of diligence, and therefore economic inequality will exist. In biblical economics, the issue is not about wealth or poverty, it’s always about stewardship.
What Is the Direction and Destiny of Man?
Our final worldview question is what is the direction and destiny of man? As you might imagine, followers of the Bible and nonbelievers will have very different answers for that question.
Think about it. If the universe came into existence without purpose and life developed through unguided processes, then human beings are merely highly evolved organisms with nowhere to go after one’s body dies. Civilizations may rise and fall, technology may advance, and people may become more educated, but there is no ultimate destination.
This side of death, Marxists see history as a struggle between classes, so their ultimate goal is to produce a classless society. But attempts to create such a society have consistently required coercion and concentrated power.
Other worldviews see history as cyclical, or having spiritual or cosmic patterns. For instance, cosmic humanists / New Age thinkers often see history as humanity’s gradual awakening to a higher spiritual consciousness.
However, the Bible holds that history is linear, with a beginning, a purpose, and a destination. The first chapters of Genesis tell us that history began intentionally, but then came the Fall and sin entering the human story.
Thankfully, God did not abandon His creation. The biblical narrative moves toward redemption, with Jesus Christ at the center of human history. His death and resurrection were not simply religious events. They were the most decisive events in God’s plan to redeem mankind.
History is Not Done
Scripture teaches that Christ will return, evil will ultimately be judged, and God’s purposes will be fulfilled. Revelation does not leave humanity wandering aimlessly into an unknown future. The biblical perspective of history moves us toward restoration.
Why? Because we are not insignificant organisms. We are people created in the image of God.
Putting the Whole Puzzle Together
To wrap up this series, we must realize that without the Bible, a worldview is simply a disjointed collection of opinions about religion, politics, money, morality, or society. But with the Bible, a worldview is an interconnected way of understanding reality. If we change any aspect of the foundation, eventually the entire structure changes.
That is why Christians should occasionally stop and examine what they believe. It is possible to profess a Christian theology while unknowingly adopting secular assumptions everywhere else.
A genuinely biblical worldview strives for consistency: God created the world and He created us in His image. He defines truth and morality. He established institutions for human flourishing. He gives us resources to steward. And He is directing history toward the fulfillment of His purposes.
Bottom line: The biblical worldview gives us a coherent explanation of where we came from, why we are here, how we should live, and where we are going. Competing worldviews cannot do that coherently. For the believer, the ten facets of a worldview fit together because they all begin and end with God.
Daniel Bobinski, Th.D., is an award-winning and best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. You can reach Daniel at [email protected].
