Articles
Christ, the Culture, and the People of God
Christ, the Culture, and the People of God
Cultural changes take place from generation to generation. The present generation knows nothing more than the current society in which they live. As a result, Christians have a hard time relating in any way to the societies in the Old or New Testament. If you are raised in a society of political turmoil and immoral neighborhoods and humanistic ways, the temptation is to yield to that lifestyle through loosening the reigns of your values and full participation in what others do.
God’s people have been and always will be influenced by the society in which they live. Why is that such a concern? Go back and read what the cultural impact on Israel was from living in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the land of Canaan. Each environment in which they lived impacted their morals and decisions. Think about the society prior to the flood where “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). That culture had such an impact on the world, only eight souls were saved from the flood. It was because the technology and advancements of their society reached a level where man thought of himself as greater than God. There was idolatry and immorality at a stage never seen before by man. What did those cultures do to Abraham and Sarah, Lot and his daughters, Esau, etc.? It affected their character. They yielded to the pressure of what was around them.
The book of Corinthians provides a good picture of what a culture does to Christians. Fornication, lawsuits, abused worship services, marital problems, misapplied religious teachings, pride, internal division, and exchanging the cross of Christ for an elite view of life through philosophy and eloquence. The attempt to resolve the problems within the church were based upon position, prosperity, and prestige. No problem or questions in the book fails to reflect the influence of the culture.
Wonder why a church would be considered a “Worldly Church” rather than the “Lord’s church”? Would it not be because it looks more like the one in the “World’s Bible” than it does the “Holy Bible”? Is the answer to this dilemma the opposite of what Jesus requested regarding his disciples -- “I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world…” (John 17:15). Would it not be better if Christians were removed from such evil circumstances? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:10,11; 6:9-11, we cannot go out of the world, but he makes it clear we CANNOT bring the world into the church.
We are not able to change the world with pessimism. We will never warn people, teach people, and lead people if doubt and uncertainty fills our hearts. Compromises do not work either. One illustration from Charles Colson may help us: “I take comfort in the legend of the man who stood preaching at the gates of Sodom. ‘Why do you keep screaming at them, when they will never change’, the old man was asked. ‘I keep screaming so they don’t change me.’”
