Cultural Christianity

Cultural Christianity is about how you think. What you sound like. How you dress.

Biblical Christianity is about who you are.

Christianity isn’t like a suit of clothes you keep in your closet and put on every Sunday. A Christian is a person who has been changed by God. From the inside out.

Churches each have a culture. That culture may be a style of dress, style of music or a style of worship (formal, liturgical or casual). Some allow no makeup or jewelry. Others are about a particular political party or point of view. But culture is not the essence of faith.

A Christian’s faith begins with understanding who Jesus Christ is. That he is the divine Son of God who said he came to “seek and to save the lost.” That he died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. That he was buried, rose on the third day and was seen by many witnesses.

But that understanding, that knowledge, must change to faith. A trust or reliance on Jesus to do for you personally what he said he would do: forgive your sins, take away sin’s penalty (eternal death) and give you eternal life.

Jesus’ mission wasn’t about an improved standard of living. He was more concerned about an improved standard FOR living based on a personal relationship with God.

I’m not sure if Jesus were here today in person that he would go to many churches to worship. He might be put off by the culture.

Sadly some churches are more concerned about what the members want than what Jesus wants. (Does anyone even ask about what Jesus wants? It’s supposed to be HIS church—right?)

Now while he might find it difficult to worship in some churches, he probably would be glad to preach. Of course some might be put off with his haircut or clothing. Or all the stories he would tell (“That’s not preaching, is it?”). But I digress.

If Jesus were to preach in your church, what would he say?

You can get a good idea from what he said to the religious people of his own day. And it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t feel-good fluff. Or positive principles for powerful living.

He said, “Woe to…you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

While you’re at it, check out what he said to the seven churches in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation to John, the Apostle. While he complimented some churches, he called one “lukewarm.” Then he added, “You have forsaken your first love.”

Even though Jesus had endless patience and love for “sinners,” he had little for the religious, self-righteous types. Why? Because they elevated their religious “culture” (“traditions”) to the same level as the Laws of God.

Now before we come down too hard on the Pharisees (the religious leaders), let’s remember that we are much like them. They were sincere in their beliefs. Passionate for their religion. And they were more concerned about what they wanted than what God wanted.

In fact, they thought that what they wanted WAS what God wanted? Sound familiar?

If you identify yourself as a Christian, ask God to give you his eyes. To see as he sees. To love as he loves. And to be what he wants you to be: A new creation in Christ.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!