Various - CSB Worldview Study Bible

CSB Worldview Study Bible

Copyright 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers

Nashville, Tennessee. All Rights Reserved.

Christian Standard Bible Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers.

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Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Proofreading was provided by Peachtree Editorial Services, Peachtree City, Georgia.

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PREFACE FOR THE WORLDVIEW STUDY BIBLE

The apostle Paul calls followers of Jesus to renew their minds and to offer themselves as living sacrifices to him (Rm 12:1-2). Similarly, the apostle Peter calls believers to prepare their minds for action (1Pt 1:13). These exhortations form the foundation for learning to think Christianly about life and about the world. This is the beginning of worldview thinking.

Immersed in our pluralistic and secular society, Christians often find it difficult to think carefully and coherently about how the Christian faith affects all aspects of life. We fail to connect what we hear on Sunday with what we do on Monday. This disconnect especially affects our consideration of the deepest questions regarding the purpose and nature of human life. At stake is the way we understand the world God has called us to serve.

Christians around the globe recognize there is a great spiritual battle raging for the hearts and minds of men and women. Believers find themselves in a cosmic struggle between Christian truth and a morally indifferent culture. This study Bible is intended to help Christians make progress in developing a Christian worldview that will help them learn to think in a Christian manner and to live out the truth of the Christian faith.

The reality is that everyone has a worldview. Some worldviews are incoherent, attempting to bring together a smorgasbord of options from a collection of different worldviews. An examined and thoughtful worldview, however, is more than a private personal viewpoint; it is a comprehensive life system that seeks to answer the basic questions of life. A Christian worldview is not just ones personal faith expression, not just a theory; it is an all-encompassing way of life, applicable to all spheres of life.

More than a century ago, James Orr, in The Christian View of God and the World , contended that there is a definite Christian view of all things, which has a character, coherence, and unity of its own, and stands in sharp contrast with counter theories and speculations. The notes and articles found in this study Bible are based on a Christian view of things that bears not only upon the spiritual sphere, but also on the whole of life and thought.

Those who have worked together over the past five years to bring together this project join us in praying that the Lord will use this reference work to help Christians hear afresh the words of Jesus from what is known as the Great Commandment (Mt 22:36-40). In this passage, we learn that Jesus calls on his followers to love God not only with hearts and souls, but also with our minds. The words of Jesus refer to a wholehearted devotion to God with every aspect of our being, from whatever angle we choose to consider itemotionally, volitionally, or cognitively. This kind of love for God results in taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2Co 10:5), a total devotion to Christian thinking and living. We pray that the CSB Worldview Study Bible will serve Christians well, enabling them to see life from a Christian vantage point, thinking with the mind of Christ.

There are more than 125 contributors to this work, who serve at more than fifty different institutions, organizations, and churches. They come from North America and other parts of the globe. Coming from these diverse backgrounds, they share a commitment to the inspiration, truthfulness, and authority of Gods Word as well as to the importance of developing a Christian worldview.

At the core of a Christian worldview is the truth that Jesus Christs life and death revealed Gods love for the world. Moreover, his sinless sacrifice delivered sinners from their alienation and reconciled and restored sinners from estrangement to full fellowship and inheritance in the household of God. Jesuss death on the cross for the sins of the world is the basis for the call to everyone everywhere to place their faith in him to be reconciled to God. Central to this Christian worldview message is the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1Co 15:3-4). The resurrection establishes Jesuss lordship and deity, as well as guaranteeing the salvation of sinners (Rm 1:3-4; 4:24-25). The resurrection provides new life for believers, enabling them to see, think, and live anew.

The contributors to this study Bible also recognize that developing a Christian worldview is an ever-advancing process in which Christian convictions increasingly shape our participation in culture. Thus a Christian worldview offers a new way of thinking, seeing, and doing based on a new way of being.

In this sense, this study Bible is distinctive. It is not only a study Bible that offers an exposition on the verses and themes of Scripture, but also includes numerous articles that consider many implications and applications of the Bibles teaching for all aspects of life. Together these study notes and articles attempt to amplify the meaning of the biblical and theological foundations of a Christian worldview, seeking to help believers take every thought captive to Jesus Christ. The notes and articles begin with the affirmation of God as Creator and Redeemer, recognizing that Christian worldview thinking is not only soteriological, but also cosmological as well. The contributors share a commitment to the sovereignty of the triune God over the whole cosmos, in all spheres and kingdoms, visible and invisible, which is the essence of Christian worldview thinking. It is the prayer of each contributor to this project that all of us and all who read and study this Bible will be grown in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and continue to make progress in learning to take every thought captive to the lordship of Jesus Christ in order to serve and edify others, which is a high calling indeed.