Contours of a Bible-Based Christ-Centered Worldview

Question: Discuss about theContours of a Bible-Basedfor Christ-Centered Worldview. Answer: Introduction The author of the passage is Hosea, one of the Minor Prophets in the Bible. The passage is found in the first of the Book of the Twelve which is characterized by brevity in the contents of the writings (Kelle 2008). Hosea lived in the times of the reign of king Jeroboam II. The book depicts Hosea as an emotional man who was known to shift emotions from fierce anger to deep tenderness. The book of Hosea is known to have been written during the eighth century BC and more precisely between 786BC to 746 BC. At the time when Hosea wrote the book, the people of Israel had forsaken God and had become unfaithful through idolatry and the oppression of the poor. To refer to Israel, Hosea uses the tribe of Ephraim, which from history is known as the largest tribe in Israel. The book draws a parallel of Hoseas marriage to an unfaithful wife to the covenant that God had made with the Israelites (Thompson 2014). The vision of God to Hosea, where He talked about his disappointment in the people of Israel is what motivated Hosea to write the book. The book was meant to express how God felt and what he planned as the punishment upon the Israelites as a result of forsaking him. The first chapter of the book of Hosea was written to express the disappointment of the Lord God after the people of Israel had forsaken Him (Bible Gateway 2016).). Hosea uses the term adulteress to depict the Israelites as they had become unfaithful to God who had called them his people and acknowledged to be their God. It is in the first chapter that God expresses the punishment that he was to pour upon the Israelites of which one was to disown them and no longer show his love to them (Biblescripture.net 2016). Further punishment was that he would put an end to their kingdom. The second chapter shows the process in which God was planning to use to regain his people back to Himself. The section explains the process of restoration and reestablishment of the people of Israel. It is in this chapter where God promises to reclaim the Israelites back and be their God just as before (Wolff, Stansell Hanson n.d.). The third chapter of the book expresses the fact that God, despite his displeasure in his people, was ready to forgive them and regenerate the intimate relationship he had with them in the beginning. Marriage is one of the themes that are prominent in the passage. God is portrayed as a jealous husband while Israel is depicted as an unfaithful wife. Israel plays the role of a harlot as she had engaged herself with pagan idolatry. Repentance is also a prominent theme in the passage. Due to the unfaithfulness of Israel, God was displeased and promised judgment upon her, and for him to relent and change his mind, there was the need for repentance on the side of Israel. As an expression of repentance, the Israel was to practice righteousness for her to be accepted back by God as his people (Kakkanattu 2006). Violation of the covenant terms is another theme that is clearly depicted in the passage. The Israelites had promised to follow the commands that God gave them at Mount Sinai, but in the passage, God expresses how they had become rebellious. In the days of Hosea, as depicted in the second chapter of the book of Hosea, the sins of the parents directly affected the lives of the children. Verse four of the second chapter states that God would deny his love for the children born out of adultery. In the Christian life today, the sins of the parents do not affect the lives of their offspring. Because of the punishment that Jesus bore at the cross of Calvary, all the sins of the past were forgiven once and for all hence this portion of the passage is irrelevant in the current day relationship between God and man. The theme of repentance as depicted in the passage is one of the principles that are relevant in current day life today. Just like in the passage, restoration of a broken intimate relationship between God and man and also among the human beings is restored when the one who is in the wrong decides to turn from their ways and seek reconciliation. Marriage is another theme from the passage, one that is relevant in life today. The marriage institution is sacred, but it can be spoiled by adultery and promiscuity just like in the story of Hosea and his wife (Dearman 2010). Love, contrite repentance and forgiveness, however, can reconstruct the sacred bond when it is broken as shown in the passage. The principle of marriage is relevant to the ways of lives in today. God remains faithful even when his people abandon his ways and become unfaithful to him. In the passage, Gods faithfulness does not change even when Israel takes up the worship of other gods. The only occurrence that happens is that he is displeased when Israel adopts the worship of idols, and this is what makes him want to punish them. Gods love is unconditional, and this is one of the unchanging characters of God brought out by the passage. To be in a relationship with him means to trust and rely on him entirely, live him with all our heart, minds and strength and serve him alone. We are always required to draw near to him, rely on him, and when we wander away, we should always repent and go back to him. The passage is relevant to Christian life today because it reminds us of Gods faithfulness and love which are still constant in the day today and which do not change (Book-Satterlee 2012). The passage talks of repentance which remains a crucial step in going back to God when one sins. The passage is teaching and reminding me that Gods love is unconditional and that he remains faithful at all times. The passage is teaching me to repent when I err so that I can be reconciled back to him. References Bible Gateway. (2016). Bible Gateway passage: Hosea 1 - New International Version. [online] Available at: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea+1 [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. Biblescripture.net. (2016). THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET HOSEA. [online] Available at: https://biblescripture.net/Hosea.html [Accessed 19 Oct. 2016]. Book-Satterlee, K. (2012). Book Review: Roger Helland Leonard Hjalmarson Missional Spirituality: Embodying God's Love from the Inside Out. Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies, 29(4), pp.318-319. Dearman, J. (2010). The book of Hosea. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. Kakkanattu, J. (2006). God's enduring love in the book of Hosea. Tu?bingen: Mohr Siebeck. Kelle, B. (2008). God's Enduring Love in the Book of Hosea: A Synchronic and Diachronic Analysis of Hosea 11, 1-11 - By Joy Philip Kakkanattu. Religious Studies Review, 34(4), pp.286-286. Thompson, P. (2014). Book Review: Is There a Future for God's Love? An Evangelical Theology. By Henry H. Knight III. Theological Studies, 75(1), pp.189-191. Wolff, H., Stansell, G. and Hanson, P. (n.d.). Hosea.