Stepping Stones Toward Developing a Biblical Worldview – Part 2: Developing a Passion for God’s Word

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In Part 1 of Stepping Stones Toward Developing a Biblical Worldview, I explained how God’s Word identifies two types of wisdom: man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom. In order to receive God’s wisdom (and hence, a Biblical worldview), an individual must get born again. The Bible includes God’s revelation to mankind including all things pertaining to life and godliness. [1]

What then is the proper approach to God’s Word?

Again, allow me to go to God’s Word to see what it says about itself. In going to God’s Word itself we are taking an essential step toward developing a Biblical worldview – finding out what it says about every aspect of life, including but not limited to, an individual relationship with God, developing godly character, preparation for marriage, raising children, finances, education, how to conduct business, law, heaven and hell as well as proper roles of family, church, and state.

As mentioned, it includes everything pertaining to life and godliness!

So, what does God’s Word say about itself and our relationship to it? [2]

I have found three essential interwoven attributes: magnifying God’s Word, trembling at God’s Word, and delighting in God’s Word.

Magnifying God’s Word
Let’s look first at magnifying His Word. Psalm 138:1-2 reads:

I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. [3]

In this psalm, David spoke to God mentioning that God had magnified His word above all His name. Put into personal application, I am to have a high reverence for God’s Word in my own life because God magnified it above His name. If I think less of God’s Word than God thinks of it but genuinely desire to develop of Biblical worldview, I can ask Him to help me to have the proper perspective. Truthfully, I have had times where my pride has hindered my true appreciation of God, His Word, and what He has revealed in His Word. Acknowledging that pride and asking for His help to gain or reinstate a proper attitude has helped.

For those who do hold that proper attitude toward God’s Word, in the next verse David reveals a great benefit. He writes, “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.”

Trembling at God’s Word
The book of Isaiah reveals God’s calling of Isaiah to be a prophet and reveals a distinct vision God gave to Isaiah of Himself. Early in the book, in the sixth chapter Isaiah sees the Lord “sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe tilled the temple.” Then he heard seraphim crying to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah realized his own inadequacy in having seen “the King, the LORD of hosts before God unilaterally takes away his iniquity and purges his sin. After that the LORD speaks to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” to which Isaiah humbling responds, “Here am I! Sent me.” [4]

Sixty chapters later, in the last chapter of Isaiah, God speaks of the type of person on which He will look or bless. CLUE: it is NOT one who is perfect, doing all the right things, carrying out all the right religious acts.

God says:

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is my footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist.”
Says the LORD.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor
and of contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.” [5]

One source writes, “Trembling at God’s word means receiving it as the gracious yet powerful word of the Almighty that comes with dignity and authority.” He goes on, “The word of God is not common, it is extra-ordinary. It comes to mankind through the direct miracle of God’s grace, in which He clothes His eternal truth in the garments of human language.” He then adds, “As such it comes with an awesome power that makes the believing soul tremble. We fear to think what might happen if we were merely to wink at his word.” [6]

Two qualities God looks on as we approach His Word: do we magnify His Word as He does above His name? Do we tremble at His Word since it, like He, is holy?

Delighting in God’s Word
Additionally, do we delight in His Word? I love this truth found in the first psalm.

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night. [7]

As we delight in God’s Word we can believe to receive the blessings He portrays in the succeeding verse:

He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. [8]

These blessings can include gaining wisdom in a Biblical worldview over all subjects pertaining to life and godliness.

Do you have a need in which a genuine Biblical worldview could help? His Word has the answer.


[1] See 2 Peter 1:3 as referenced in the previous post.

[2] A word of encouragement: as you read through what God’s Word says about itself, do not be discouraged if right now your attitude does not reflect these attributes. As with other growth we usually do not begin with the ideal end result. If we did, there would be no need for growth!   I find it helpful when I am not at a given standard in God’s Word (often) to ask God to help me as I make a commitment to move toward the desired result, a commitment to begin taking steps in that direction.

[3] Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version

[4] See Isaiah 6:1-8 and following regarding this calling

[5] Isaiah 66:1-2

[6] Tim Hegg, “Trembling at the Word” from TorahResource, found at http://www.torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/TremblingAtTheWord_8.13.13.pdf

[7] Psalm 1:1-2

[8] Psalm 1:3

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