Biblical Foundations Essay

Total Length: 1925 words ( 6 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 5

Page 1 of 6

Biblical foundation is of utmost important for a practicing Christian in today's tenuous, and arduous, times. There are several different sources that acknowledge the fact that "the truth of the Bible is applicable to every area of a person's life: to every sphere of society, to every aspect of creation" (Fey, no date). The Bible helps to provide the word of god in a relatively unadulterated form. As the preceding quotation suggests, the knowledge contained within this book helps to provide a degree of truth that transcends a variety of facets of life itself. Therefore, the relevance of the Bible will be discussed in this document in terms of its relevance to Christian philosophy and worldview, to the truth about society, to the roles of the teacher and the learner, and in the roles of society, government, church and family in the development of curriculum.

In terms of a Christian worldview and philosophy regarding the external world, the Bible provides the very foundation upon which such a world should be examined and discerned. This fact is primarily attributed to the notion that even more than mere secular teachings, the Bible provides teachings that are demonstrative of truths that are fundamental to Christianity itself. Foremost among these, of course, is the fact that Jesus Christ was the son of God in the flesh, and was crucified to atone for the sins of the world and resurrected to reign again in heaven in God. Without this basic truth, there would be no formal Christian viewpoint with which to regard the world, a fact which the following quotation makes readily clear. "Living from a Christian worldview means that what you do aligns with what is true, and the Scriptures are the ultimate authority on Truth" (Fey, no date). The scriptures are the ultimate authority on truth because they provide first-hand chronicling of many of the feats of Jesus that are believed by adherents to Christianity alone, and which provide an integral aspect of the worldview for its followers. Many different Christian doctrines that are of immense important to this religion and to the outlook of its followers -- including the virtues of forgiveness, the power and truth in believing in a monotheistic deity in the form of the trinity -- are directly attributable to the teachings propagated in the Bible, and which have substantially impacted the very philosophy with which Christians view life.

After establishing the fact that the Bible provides the basic foundation with which Christians can view and relate to the world around them, it becomes fundamentally less difficult to explain the relationship between this source of knowledge -- the Bible -- and the other components of life discussed in this document. In all actuality, the various facets of the truth, roles of the teacher and the student in education, as well as different units of society such as government church and the nucleus of society, the family, are intrinsically related to this basic Christian worldview regarding the veracity of the Bible as the source of inspiration for adherents to this religion. In terms of one's personal belief about the truth of society, it is interesting to see the way in which this concept intersects with the foundation of the Bible. Being that the Bible is the source of truth for Christians due to the primary teachings it espouses regarding Christ and other pillars of Christianity, it is relatively easy to relate this truth to additional facets of society, which the following quotation largely suggests.

"God's Truth lays a design for every area of life. Whether for economics, history, politics, family or church, God has given us a design, governed by His nature and Truth, that we are to follow. When we follow His design, we can discern what is good and right and holy. When we don't suffering and immorality result (Fey, no date).

This quotation implies that the basic nature of God's truth lies in adhering to his plan for people as individuals. The crux of this plan is living a Christian life in which one has discovered and acknowledged Christ's existence, and lives according to the fundamental nature of Christianity. Living in harmony with this truth actually helps to bind several facets of society, and is reinforced in a distinctly biblical foundation.

From a sociological perspective, then, it is notable that many of the basic tenets of how to regard one another at a myriad of levels spanning from a basic person-to-person basis to more formal structures of family, government and church are founded in the Bible, and can be used in the development of curriculum for teaching others.
Many of these essential teachings were elucidated in the Ten Commandments, still more were disseminated by Christ himself in a plethora of didactic messages and anecdotes. All of these guidelines are influential in the building of character based on mutuality and reciprocity that are actually unlimited by the ties of religion, as the following quotation proves. "The Six Pillars of Character values…transcend cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences. Those six values are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring, fairness, and citizenship (Josephson, 2011). What is fascinating about this quotation is that even though it comes from a decidedly secular source and claims to transcend religion, it readily applies to Christianity and many of the concepts that the Bible teaches. The aforementioned values are essentially the moral fiber that unites many of the parables involving Jesus and the legacy of the 10 commandments. This sort of morality is demonstrable in several different facets of life, and should ideally be incorporated into curriculum communicated to others with examples of these values from government, society and church. For example, there are a number of Christian themes that exist in some of the most upper level reaches of the federal government, including murals of baptisms and Pilgrims in prayer, replicas of the 10 Commandments and entire Biblical verses. These are all excellent examples of the moral fiber that is founded in the Bible and evinced within public facets of life, that provide excellent sources for the inspiration for curriculum pertaining to Bible studies.

When discussing how the Bible is the foundation for some of the most basic roles between teachers and learners and formal education in general, it is necessary to discern the importance that it plays in providing inspiration for learning about various facets of life. According to James Dobson, many aspects of education "originated with the inspired biblical writers who gave us the foundation for all relationships" (p. 234), including, of course, the relationship between the teacher and the student. Moreover, the Bible itself serves as direct inspiration to broaden one's mind through the process of education, which the following scripture alludes to. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2). This quotation helps to elucidate the roles of the teacher and the learner in education in general, and in Bible studies in particular. It is the role of the learner to absorb the knowledge and teaching of a pedagogue in an attempt for the former to renew his mind -- largely by focusing on things other than secular patterns and thoughts. Similarly, it is the role of the educator to provide lesson that do more than simply edify, but which ultimately help to bring a regeneration of the mind, which is hopefully followed by one applying to the spirit as well. Again, it is important to realize that the most effective way of doing so through education is to study the Bible itself in terms of Christian theology, since "knowing and applying biblical theology is absolutely necessary" (Schuman, 2009).

Thus, it is fairly apparent that the Bible is the foundation not only for the spread of Christianity, but also for the spread of a Christian worldview. This worldview is integral to providing personal beliefs about society, as well as for properly facilitating didactic things such as curriculum development and elucidating the roles of learners and teachers. The Bible provides the foundation for the fundamental teachings of this religion: namely that Christ is divine, came to the world in a fleshly form in order to expiate the sins of all humans, and was resurrected after his crucifixion in order to prove his divinity. Additionally, this manuscript provides key information for the formation of character traits that are distinctly Christian and in conformity with the sort of morality that is most applicable today. The key facet about remembering that the Bible is the foundation for life from a Christian viewpoint is to recall that there are many secular aspects of life that can only be properly understood through the scriptures themselves and the tenets that they profess either directly, such as in the 10 commandments, or though the usage of allegories and parables, many of which involve Christ. As such, the….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Biblical Foundations" (2013, January 16) Retrieved April 27, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/biblical-foundations-77333

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Biblical Foundations" 16 January 2013. Web.27 April. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/biblical-foundations-77333>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Biblical Foundations", 16 January 2013, Accessed.27 April. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/biblical-foundations-77333