Opposing Worldviews

Introduction

As we continue in this passage we will take note of the three differing wordlviews that are present here struggling against one another.

These are still the dominant worldviews in our world today and the same struggle has continued to rage throughout history.

We will notice the distinct differences between these worldviews and see the worldview of the Apostle Paul which serves as the worldview that you and I should have today.

Humanism

This worldview is represented by Festus and Agrippa as well as Felix previously. These men are not primarily concerned with God or religion in any serious sense.

The primary motivation of the actions of those who hold to this worldview is self-preservation. Notice how Festus is willing to do whatever is necessary to present himself in the best possible light.

His concern was not with Paul’s welfare of with the complaints of the Jews, rather his only concern is what would be most beneficial to him and his political career.

So many in our world are consumed with this worldview which posits that everything is about me and my pleasure, my happiness, my advancement. It is dangerous because often these people do not care how their actions affect others and will stop at nothing to advance themselves.

This is because more often than not there are no moral principles which govern their behavior. These are pragmatic to the point of doing whatever is most expedient in the moment.

They literally live their lives with the attitude that the ends always justify the means if it means that they gain from what is done.

Festus embodies this mindset. The only reason he is conflicted at all about Paul’s condition is because he has yet to figure out how to handle the situation such that is impresses the higher authorities in Rome and pleases the influential Jewish leaders as well.

He is not necessarily concerned even with abiding by the law for if this was the case it seems clear that Paul should be set free having had not actual criminal charges brought against him.

This has sadly even infiltrated many churches which have embraced pragmatism to the point of doing whatever is most popular with the masses. They have set aside their conviction in the race for prominence and the appearance of success.

False Religion

This worldview is represented by the Jewish religious leaders of Paul’s day. The line between this and that of humanism is blurry at best because it is difficult to discern whether the Jewish leaders were truly concerned with what they believed to be a departure from the Jewish faith or if they simply desired to maintain their power and influence over the masses.

This worldview is less about self-preservation and more about the preservation of a system of beliefs and traditions.

These are intent on attacking and even eliminating those who do not hold to their beliefs and traditions. This has certainly been common throughout history. The Catholic church being a prime example as they martyred many who refused their traditions. It may also be seen among other false religions such as Islam where those who refuse to convert are often killed and has even been prevalent at times among the eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

A writing from Foxe’s book of Martyrs summarized this worldview very well.

“but it is the nature of error to resort to force instead of argument, and to silence truth by taking away existence, of which the Redeemer himself is an instance.” (Written with regard to five martyrs one man four women who were executed by the papacy on January 31 1556)

The worldview of false religion often seems to have a set of moral principles but often these also embrace pragmatism and a willingness to violate their own principles to silence dissent.

This is exactly what we see in the Jewish leaders who against the very law they claim to be protecting they conspire to kill Paul on multiple occasions and lie and bring false accusations against him in hopes of silencing his dissenting voice.

For these a forced conversion is often as good as a sincere one and there is no action that may not be taken if it furthers the cause and preserves their traditions.

The chief problem that these religious leaders had with Paul was that they felt he was turning people away from Judaism as he pointed them to Christ and thus Paul had to be silenced by whatever means necessary.

They could not tolerate Paul’s viewpoint because it was not their own and did not align with their traditions. This is why we see them continually attacking him and conspiring to kill him at every turn.

Christian/Biblical

The final worldview that we come to is the Christian or Biblical worldview and of course the representative for this worldview is the Apostle Paul

This worldview is not about self-preservation or preservation of a system of beliefs and traditions but is concerned with faithfulness to Christ.

Paul was governed primarily by his desire to make Christ known and he was not wiling to do anything that would compromise his ability to do so.

He was intent upon standing for Christ even if it meant death or imprisonment. He was intent upon keeping a pure conscience even if it meant that he would suffer under persecution.

Paul could have compromised and turned away from Christ at any point ,but for him this would have been worse than death.

Paul was governed by the principles of the scriptures and the instruction of Christ and the influence of the Spirit of God in his life.

These principles were absolute and could not be violated no matter the circumstance. The ends never justifies the means for Paul if the means were contrary to the Word of God or would cause him to violate his conscience.

Even under intense persecution and opposition Paul would not renounce Christ and continue to affirm that HE was indeed alive having risen from the dead.

His morality was not subjective but was objective on the basis of the truth that God had revealed to him.

Paul was not interested in forcibly converting anyone, he would tolerate other religious views without violence but he would do everything in his power to bring them ultimately to Christ.

He did not insist upon strict adherence to a set of rituals or traditions but rather insisted that every man must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by faith.

Never do we see Paul threatening or ridiculing unbelievers but rather patiently attempting to win them to Christ.

The supreme motivation for him was to please God and to live for Christ. He was willing to lose everything in order to remain faithful to Christ.

Conclusion

It may be time that you and I reexamined our own worldview to determine if we have the right perspective. Far too many professing Christians have allowed the worldviews of humanism and false religion to infiltrate our own worldview.

Have you been less than faithful for reason of self-advancement. Have you embraced pragmatism and convinced yourself that on occasion the ends justify the means?

If so maybe today our worldview needs an adjustment. Maybe its time that we again recognized faithfulness to Christ as the highest priority of our lives and maybe it is time we realized that we must hold to the truth even if it costs us.

It may be time that we again measured our lives not by the world’s standards but by the standard of the Word of God.