Christ, Culture and the Church
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I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
How the church reacts to culture and the influence culture has on the church
Book - How various groups deal with Culture
Richard Neeber “Christ and Culture”
5 approaches used by various churches to resolve the problem of how Christ and by extension the church deal with this issue
PROBLEM STATED:
How does the sanctified church co-exist with a sinful world?
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
1. Christ Against Culture
1. Christ Against Culture
Reject culture all together
The Amish
Monks
you can’t separate yourself from culture
Any system you seek to establish becomes its own culture. With its own strengths and corruption. The best you can do is freeze
This will not set you apart.
2. The Christ of Culture
2. The Christ of Culture
“One Nation Under God”
Problem - Christ is not the embodiment of a culture or “Christian Nation”
He is the head of a spiritual body (the Church)
This is sincere but inadequate considering the many cultures the make up a nation
Civil war (North vs. South)
3. Christ Above Culture
3. Christ Above Culture
Christ is not in conflict with culture
He is above culture
Liberation Gospel
Christ did not come to save culture he came to save souls
4. Christ and Culture in Paradox
4. Christ and Culture in Paradox
Recognizes that there is a tension between Christ and Culture
Romans - Paul's struggle in Roman 9
can lead to indifference
isolation
5. Christ the Transformer of Culture
5. Christ the Transformer of Culture
Christianize culture
politics
profession
sports
Does not take into account what the Bible says about culture
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
We not hear to Christianize the world we are here to call people out of the world - why, the world is going to be destroyed
Christians cannot be completely divorced from the culture / world.
There is no culture-less Gospel - The Church is imbedded somehow
The war not against culture, but it against those aspects of culture the contradict the divine will of God
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Violence
Pride
Injustice
Disbelief
Lust
Idolatry
Racism
Hatred
THE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD
OUR JOB IS TO MAINTAIN THE CULTURE OF CHRIST IN THE CHURCH NOT IN THE WORLD.
OUR JOB IS TO MAINTAIN THE CULTURE OF CHRIST IN THE CHURCH NOT IN THE WORLD.
Seek and save the lost Matt 28:18-20
Witness against evil John 16:8-9
Warn about the Judgement to come Heb. 12:25
THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE
This is not the job of the government
How do we maintain this christ centered culture in the church that exist is the ever changing complex ever changing world
Maintaining the Culture of Christ in the Church
Maintaining the Culture of Christ in the Church
1. Hold fast to the word as God’s word
1. Hold fast to the word as God’s word
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
God’s word transcend culture
2. Preach the Gospel
2. Preach the Gospel
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
This is a defining attribute
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Must Live Holy Lives
3. Must Live Holy Lives
We can stand out in the culture we belong to because of Christ.
We can stand out in the culture we belong to because of Christ.