MY WORLDVIEW

My family background had no Christian Evangelical tradition whatever. My father had only some Bible education from his public school, a public school in Ohio, making him more of a cynic than a believer.  I remember my dad's description of the teacher (apparently a sincere man), but my father pitied him because this teacher had broken down in tears over frustration,  My mother had involvement in Christian Science. She wanted to believe but, caught up in a cult, she accepted Christ, as did my father, late in life.

At the age of 17, (Jan 1950) I accepted Christ as my Savior. The impact of Christ definitely changed my thinking. However, while I said, I accepted Chris as Lord, I didn't walk the talk until He called me on it.
At the age of 18, I  made a secret commitment, that I would serve the Lord with whatever gifts or talents that I possessed. Reflecting back from this point of time when my earthly life's end is obviously about 90% of my life has been already lived (I'll be 86 beginning 2020). 
I can say from that time, my life took a definite direction.  From that time I begin setting definite Christian criteria to make decisions.  This would determine major choices I made--like marriage, education, and employment.  
Up to this time,  my pride and independence was something I would fight for.  This what I had learned from life.   I don't outright selfishness, but it certainly wasn't a living sacrifice either. 

MARRIAGE
From that time I begin looking for a life partner, a wife, who would be faithful--not only to me but had the worldview that was willing to be a living sacrifice.  Entering a marriage relationship immediately brought on this idea.

A BIBLE VIEW OF GOD'S WORLDVIEW

         ONE WOULD THINK TO KNOW GOD'S WORLDVIEW WOULD INVOLVE OR EVEN REQUIRE UNDERSTANDING GOD.
But I wonder if that's the case. In my experience to understand God is beyond man's ability, but God has provided numerous instances indicting  His feelings and intent: "For God so loved the world...."; "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word....He came to His own and His own rejected Him... But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become His children."  Prologue of John.

       That surely indicates God's worldview .
        Scripture tells us God wants us to know His worldview. "We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely givien to us from God. ...But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit...and he cannot understand them...for who has known the mind of the LORD that He should instruct  him??  But we have the mind of Christ."  1Corinthians 2:12 

EPHESIANS 1.1-10--A WORLDVIEW OF GOD

	Webster's Translation 1833 EPHESIANS 1:1-10
1	Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2	Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3	Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4	According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5	Having predestinated us to the adoption of children to himself by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6	To the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he hath made us accepted in the beloved:
7	In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8	In which he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence;
9	Having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10	That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might collect in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

A NEW WIDER VIEW

WHAT DO I MEAN?

WHEN MY PRESENT WORLDVIEW ENDS--WHICH I  PRESENTLY  VIEW  AS AN EVANGELICAL BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN--I ANTICIPATE  A NEW WORLD AND NEW  WORLDVIEW, A NEW SET OF SENSES. NEW WAYS ENJOYING A NEW LIFE.
 CHRIST

 PLEASE "PRAISE THE LORD" WITH ME AT MY DEPARTURE.
 I TRUST MY SAVIOR'S PROMISES.
MY EXPECTATION IN NO WAY IS CONDITIONED ON ANYTHING I DID OR DIDN'T DO, BUT WHOLLY ON JESUS'  PROMISES.
"Let not your heart be troubled--you believe--trust in the Father, trust also in Me. I go to prepare a place for you...."  JOHN 14:1
  WILL INHERIT THIS NEW LIFE  ,AT MY LEAVING THIS PRESENT LIFE,. 
BUT CAME TO ME BECAUSE i TRUST IN JESUS ---Ephesians 1:11-14

The mighty CREATOR GOD , according to the Bible, not only has the infinite power, intelligence and wisdom to create the Cosmos or the Universe, but He also has an infinite love to match those attributes.  God's plan for the believer involves this infinite love 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."  JOHN 3:16

I know this wonderful mighty Creator God will abundently match this present world, if not far far exceed it.    


EPHESIANS 1:11-14

11	In whom( also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:	en autw en w kai eklhrwqhmen proorisqenteV kata proqesin tou ta panta energountoV kata thn boulhn tou qelhmatoV autou
12	That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.	eiV to einai hmaV eiV epainon doxhV autou touV prohlpikotaV en tw cristw
13	In whom ye also trusted, after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,	en w kai umeiV akousanteV ton logon thV alhqeiaV to euaggelion thV swthriaV umwn en w kai pisteusanteV esfragisqhte tw pneumati thV epaggeliaV tw agiw
14	Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory.	o estin arrabwn thV klhronomiaV hmwn eiV apolutrwsin thV peripoihsewV eiV epainon thV doxhV autou

THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS--THE GOSPEL OF OUR SALVATION.

The "In whom" phrase is repeated through this introduction and identified in verse 12 as Christ Jesus--"In whom we have trusted....."(in verse 13).

"         after listening to the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation..."

"In whom ye also believed ye were sealed that holy Spirit of promise Who is the earnest of our inheritance...."(verses 13-14)

Exegeting this 

Verse 13 Ye also (kai umeiß). Ye Gentiles (now Christians), in contrast to hmaß (we) in Acts 12. In whom (en wi). Repeated third time (once in verse Acts 11, twice in Acts 13), and note o or oß in Acts 14. Ye were sealed (espragisqhte). First aorist passive indicative of spragizw, old verb, to set a seal on one as a mark or stamp, sometimes the marks of ownership or of worship of deities like stigmata (Galatians 6:17). Marked and authenticated as God's heritage as in Galatians 4:30. See 2 Corinthians 1:22 for the very use of the metaphor here applied to the Holy Spirit even with the word arrabwn (earnest). Spirit (pneumati).    2 Corinthians1:22        "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts." [o] kai sfragisamenoV hmaV kai douV ton arrabwna tou pneumatoV en taiV kardiaiV hmwn  In the instrumental case.

Verse 14 An earnest (arra1:2bwn). See 2 Corinthians 2 for discussion of arrabwn. Here "of promise" (thß epaggeliaß) is added to the Holy Spirit to show that Gentiles are also included in God's promise of salvation. Of our inheritance (thß klhronomiaß hmwn). God's gift of the Holy Spirit is the pledge and first payment for the final inheritance in Christ. Of God's own possession (thß peripoihsewß). The word God's is not in the Greek, but is implied. Late and rare word (from peripoiew, to make a survival) with the notion of obtaining (1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:14) and then of preserving (so in the papyri). So in 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 10:39, and here. God has purchased us back to himself. The sealing extends (eiß) to the redemption and to the glory of God.

ROMANS 8;16-25 speaks more about this inheritance