By culture, I am referring to the prevalent philosophy and lifestyle of the day. We sometimes refer to this present state of being simply as, the world, or, the world system. We refer to it in contrast with the way we live our lives in Christ. The world is saturated with lust and sin. Christians are to live much differently (Titus 3:10-15). We refer to the transformation that occurs after salvation as sanctification. It comes from the Greek word for holy. It implies that we are to be the holy people on the earth, the ones to whom God has given His Spirit. It is by virtue of Christ’s presence living in us that we are able live above the state of the world (Acts 1:8; 2Corinthians 3:17-18; 1John 4:4).
Culture means conformity to a popular standard.
Culture creates a certain kind of pressure to conform to its standard of living. That is what Paul acknowledged in Romans 12:2 when he wrote, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed…”. I think it’s easy to agree that the world tries to press individuals into its mold. People are usually popular in society because they embrace pop culture. Often, people go along with culture because they fear looking different, or, “standing out”. They look for acceptance from their peers. And the best way to receive that acceptance is to “fit in”, which means to look, think, and act like everyone else.
There is an implicit assumption in culture that living according to its norms and mores is normal, desirable, and sufficiently good. Why would anyone disagree with the majority? After all, how could so many people be wrong? A person could reason the world is better educated now than ever before and has made significant moral inroads over time. And, of course, that may be true. To be sure, Judeo-Christian values have certainly improved our world but all cultures are still corrupt and lost (Matthew 7:13-14; 1John 2:15-17). It has been that way since the Fall. Not a single culture is salvific, that is, able to save those who embrace its customs. For example, no one will be saved for being a “good American”. The same can be said regarding any of the world’s cultures. In fact, the devil largely controls culture (Ephesians 2:2-3). He can tolerate some good in the culture but he opposes salvation vigorously.
Culture is not saved nor can it save. People are saved by believing and living what is in the Bible. Christianity is the true culture that is to be embraced— the true way to live. It is indeed a culture but, because it’s number of people are so few, it is a subculture within the larger culture. We’re children of God and citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). We bring a kind of heavenly culture to earth. The world can’t appreciate it, though (1John 3:1).
The world is probably the Church’s greatest hindrance.
The world is attractive. In it are many appealing things clamoring for our attention. Its sin has pleasure (Hebrews 11:25). Its entertainment is often captivating. Its quests and achievements are remarkable. There is money to be made and things to amass. People can get so wrapped up in the allurements of the world that there is little time for their souls (Mark 8:35-37). Worldliness thus becomes a difficult hurdle. But everything the world has to offer is time and earth bound. In His parable of the rich fool, Jesus made it clear that a man’s life has a higher purpose than the mere acquisition of goods (Luke 12:13-21). The most important thing is the state of our souls.
Propensity to be like the world (worldliness) may be a Christian’s most difficult hurdle. It’s easy to get caught up in the world. That’s why Christianity comes with commitment (Luke 9:23). It’s the reason Jesus encouraged a person to count the cost before lightly embarking on becoming His disciple (Luke 14:25-33). Christianity is for keeps (Luke 9:62; Matthew 10:22). Certainly, the world can continue to be alluring even after the salvation experience (James 4:3-4). Demos, a ministry companion of Paul, turned away from Christianity, having loved this present world (2Timothy ). It’s hard for people to give up the world. Heaven will cost a person the world and the world will cost him heaven. The old expression, We’re in the world but not of the world, still applies. Where is Demos now? The world is not a good trade for heaven. We must finish our Christian course, as did Paul (2Timothy 4:6-8).
The worldly cares of this life (Luke 21:34-36)
Just being busy with the legitimate cares of life can rob a person of time needed to cultivate a relationship with God. There is not sufficient time in life to do everything conveniently. A person who will be saved must make time for God. I recall talking to many men over the years and inviting them to attend Church on Sunday, only to hear that they needed to do extra work to support their families or that Sunday was the only day they got to sleep in. A much better support of their families would have been to support them spiritually, which is their first God-given responsibility. And God would still have enabled them to provide for their families with His blessing upon them.
It has been observed by many that people generally do what they want to do. If spiritual things are a priority, a person will find a way to do them, along with adequately caring for the necessities of life. But if his focus is on the world, even necessary things in it, he will become unfruitful and endanger his soul. And, of course, there are always other things that come along and compete for one’s time and energy (Mark 4:18-19), like striving for an unnecessarily high standard of living. Some, otherwise good people, miss out on salvation just out of overindulgence in the world to the neglect of their souls (Hebrews 2:3). Solomon was the wisest mortal man to ever live. Therefore, everyone should regard his assessment of life. In all his wisdom and experience, he found no greater purpose for life than to be in right standing with God (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Biblical instruction to holiness
In Israel’s history, God did not want His people engaging the cultures of the world (Leviticus 18:1-5). He called them to Himself to be holy, which, in that sense, and at the time, was to be separate from the cultures of the world (Leviticus 20:7-8, 26). He did not lessen this theme in the New Testament but enhanced it to include personal holiness along with separation from the world. Consider the following biblical texts, some of which have already been used: 2Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:1; Romans 12:2; James 4:3-4; Titus 2:10-15; 1John 2:15-17; James 1:27.
In these last days, we must prepare ourselves for the Lord’s soon return. He’s coming back for His spotless Bride (Ephesians 5:25-27; 1Timothy 6:11-14; 2Peter 3:13-14). The Rapture of the Church will be the greatest moment of all time. All of creation awaits it (Romans 8:19). If you seriously think about what it holds for you, you will not want to miss it.
We will look at the third external obstacle to salvation in the next post.