When I graduated from high school I had no doubt about what was considered popular. As a teenager I was “plugged in” to what pop culture had determined as the standard for what was acceptable dress, entertainment, communication, and behavior. As a naive adolescent I was shocked with how quickly new fads replaced my generation’s code of cool. As each year passed my favorites became old favorites.
Undeniably we live in a world where culture is always changing and it’s changing faster than ever. With more frequent changes come more opportunities for us to question whether the church should change its methods in working for the Lord. How does our ever-changing culture affect the authority of the word of God?
Culture Does Not Change the Word of God
The word of God does not change and meets the needs of every culture. The entirety of the revelation of scripture is a timeless work of art, perfectly and powerfully crafted to meet every need of the disciple of Christ in any and every era. Consider what Peter has to say about Christian living in 2 Peter 1. In this great chapter Christian qualities are listed and the summarized message is that everyone can live holy and acceptable lives because God has spoken to us and delivered a standard that is not up to “any private interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:5-8, 20). He teaches that we have been given “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). Peter taught that the word of God lives and abides forever in his first letter (1 Pet. 1:23). God’s standard, the faith, was once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3) and Jesus said that His words would never pass away (Matt. 24:35).
Because such a permanent and perfect standard has been left, Christians must remain steadfast upon its principles. The church is described as the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Pillars are firm, unmoving, and steadfast. Neither congregations, nor individual Christians, should be swayed by changing doctrines because they can remain f irm in the flawless standard of the word of God (Eph. 4:14). We are to be “rooted and built up” in Christ, meaning in His death, His doctrine, His faith, His resurrection, and His conduct (Colossians 2:7).
Although culture does not change the authority of the word of God we will see in part two that culture does matter.
-Ross Haffner