The religious news asks how to respond to a culture, that is, to be nice, but against Biblical or Judeo/Christian culture. Had we Biblical adherents been paying attention we would have been fully aware that both Judaism and Christianity have been counter culture from the outset.
For most of history, Judaism and then Christianity have been teaching the better way, summed up in God’s statement to His people in the Old Testament thusly in Exodus 15:26, “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”
The major diseases of history and our time are rooted in a departure of some sort from the restrictions spelled out in the context of the above verse. It’s true that in the New Testament the dietary prohibitions as to kind were lifted, yet a correct smaller amount was implied by common sense, which has largely been thrown to the wind in our time.
As a counter culture group by definition of our founder, Jesus Christ, we should be relishing the renewed opportunity to stand tall, to be true to our Lord and the precepts He laid out for us. They are really simple in that we simply live what we believe, even if it costs our earthly life.
Marriage between one man and one woman has always been against the norm in every other culture since the original couple was escorted from the garden. Intimacy between a man married to the woman, against the culture. Honesty in all dealings is against the culture. Forgiving people who do not deserve it is against the culture. The list gets very long. The modern problem is that we who profess so much have been quietly melded into the culture of the world around us, and now that world is determined to annihilate our culture.
As to what we are to do, this should not be a source of concern as many times over we are given instruction from God’s word and the example of very serious forefathers. Here’s a gem from Albert Einstein:
“Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.”
When a few centuries have been spent caving in to the God of convenience, it’s hard to stand like the Rock of Ages against the current raging floodtide that is clearly against the conscience of spiritually thinking men and women. I believe it’s important to take Einstein’s thought at least one step farther and make certain our conscience is enlightened by the Word of God.
Peter and the early believers had it right when, under the threat of authorities to abandon the faith, respectfully stated, “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.” Act 5:29. We are living in similar times, but we must make sure our hearts and minds are truly saturated with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Copyright © 2015 Larry Lilly
For IT work click Oral Deckard
Please, by all means comment and share.
For most of history, Judaism and then Christianity have been teaching the better way, summed up in God’s statement to His people in the Old Testament thusly in Exodus 15:26, “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”
The major diseases of history and our time are rooted in a departure of some sort from the restrictions spelled out in the context of the above verse. It’s true that in the New Testament the dietary prohibitions as to kind were lifted, yet a correct smaller amount was implied by common sense, which has largely been thrown to the wind in our time.
As a counter culture group by definition of our founder, Jesus Christ, we should be relishing the renewed opportunity to stand tall, to be true to our Lord and the precepts He laid out for us. They are really simple in that we simply live what we believe, even if it costs our earthly life.
Marriage between one man and one woman has always been against the norm in every other culture since the original couple was escorted from the garden. Intimacy between a man married to the woman, against the culture. Honesty in all dealings is against the culture. Forgiving people who do not deserve it is against the culture. The list gets very long. The modern problem is that we who profess so much have been quietly melded into the culture of the world around us, and now that world is determined to annihilate our culture.
As to what we are to do, this should not be a source of concern as many times over we are given instruction from God’s word and the example of very serious forefathers. Here’s a gem from Albert Einstein:
“Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.”
When a few centuries have been spent caving in to the God of convenience, it’s hard to stand like the Rock of Ages against the current raging floodtide that is clearly against the conscience of spiritually thinking men and women. I believe it’s important to take Einstein’s thought at least one step farther and make certain our conscience is enlightened by the Word of God.
Peter and the early believers had it right when, under the threat of authorities to abandon the faith, respectfully stated, “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.” Act 5:29. We are living in similar times, but we must make sure our hearts and minds are truly saturated with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Copyright © 2015 Larry Lilly
For IT work click Oral Deckard
Please, by all means comment and share.
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