True Christianity and Culture

In Genesis 4, God records for us the history He wants us to know and understand about the culture before the Great Flood that killed everyone except for Noah and his family. This is the world’s culture. Almost everything in that section in the latter half of chapter 4 is about culture. Jude calls this culture in his epistle, “the way of Cain” (Jude 1:11). Culture is a way of life and this the way of life of the ungodly line, started by Cain.

God in scripture continues to contrast the way of Cain, the ungodly culture, from the godly one. From the Bible, believers know what is the way of life of an unbeliever and that of a believer. These two ways contradict one another like darkness and light.

Salvation has at least two aspects – one, an entrance requirement, and two, an expected outcome. The entrance requirement is faith in Christ. How do you know if you have believed in Jesus Christ? Your life will mirror or show forth the expected outcome. The Holy Spirit, who indwells the true believer, will manifest himself in the life of a believer. Titus 2:1 says that these are the things that become sound doctrine. True salvation connects with the life, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, if any man be in Christ, he is new creature, old things passed away, all things become new.

From start to finish the Bible presents the culture of God and the culture of the world. The future kingdom of Jesus Christ will only allow the culture of God. The church today, which is the form of the kingdom in the age in which we live and in the midst of the enemies of Christ’s kingdom culture, will reveal that culture. In a negative way, the Apostle Paul writes about it in Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world.” The Apostle Peter says it in 1 Peter 1:14, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” Does your culture reveal the way of God or the way of Cain?