Understanding History from a Christian Worldview

In our present day and age, we tend to forget what is really matters. This has been more evident in how people today view history. Most people view it as the storytime subject and don't any application from it. There is a far more deeper meaning to history than a bunch of stories about people in the past. History is there for man reasons.

1. So that we do not make the same mistakes that people in the past did. It has been the case that what we learn from history is that we do not learn anything from history. We keep repeating the past, making the same mistakes, and suffering the same consquences. Do you want to have a better understanding of the debt debates that our leaders are going through, look no further then the fall of Rome and the French Revolution. Do you want to learn how Communism and Facism infiltrate countries, study the Nazis and the communists. Just to let you know, there is nothing new under the sun. Learn and save yourself alot of pain.

2. History has a goal and a purpose. Do you ever wonder where the word history got its name from? If you take the word apart it turns out to be his story. Whose story? It is the story of God and his sovereignty at work in this world. Abraham Kuyper says this, "there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'" The world is Christ's and He has been preparing for himself a people which He has redeemed. History is heading towards a goal. It has been fulfilled through Christ' incarnation, atonement, and ascension, and will be fulfilled in the consummation. The core of history is Christ's redeeming work on the Cross.

3. As stated before, history is linear, not cyclical. Based upon God's sovereignty, he is at work shaping the events of the world. If it weren't for Alexander the Great hellenizing the world, we would not have the New Testament. If the Roman Empire did not form and take over, Jesus would not have been born in Bethlehem and probably would not have been crucified. It is the kindness and providence of God that he has a purpose for each event in history that occurs.