Every believer is subject to bias, seeing the Bible and even the life of Jesus through a cultural lens. Our brains are wired to seek confirmation bias, and our understanding of our faith has inevitably been shaped by the environments we live in. Here are five aspects of Western culture that can twist scripture out of shape:
Individualism
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
This verse is often interpreted as a promise to the individual reading it - that God plans for us to be successful in whatever way we measure success - and although that can be harmless, it is not the intent of the verse. This promise was made to the nation of Israel as a whole rather than to the individuals within it. The nation was living in exile and was in great need of God's promised intervention.
Western culture is so wed to individualistic thinking that it can be hard to read Biblical promises and apply them in a scriptural way. Israel was a nation, and the early church lived as a community, sharing their lives and possessions in ways that are far too radical for most Western believers today. Naturally, God is involved in our individual lives, but the Kingdom of God is more about "us" than "me"; more about "we" than "I". The promises of God are primarily collective - we are all members of one body, and in our union, the blessing of God unfolds.
Prosperity
"All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country…The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands" (Deuteronomy 28:2-12 NIV).
This passage and others like it are often used to claim financial blessing from God. It is commonly taught in certain denominations that God wants each of us to be wealthy, and even that the receiving of wealth is a sign of God's blessing. Unfettered capitalism/materialism is a problematic aspect of our culture, as promises of abundance in both testaments are made to bless a nation or a community rather than the individual. Of course, God wants to provide for us, and especially for the needy, and yes, He will channel that blessing through specific individuals, but his aim is never to make those people vastly rich. 2 Corinthians 9 is the most explicit New Testament promise of abundance, but it states the clear purpose of this generous provision:
"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." As it is written:
"They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever."
"…You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (2 Corinthians 9:8-11).
The purpose of divine abundance, then, is to abound in every good work, give gifts to the poor, and to be generous on every occasion, which results in thanksgiving being offered to God. People will see his generous nature reflected in our lives, and overflow with gratitude for God's love.
Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin
This is not a biblical phrase, but it is so often quoted in Christian circles that it merits some scrutiny. Jesus spent his time loving sinners, and considering that means all of us, we can be very grateful for that. However, is there an explicit requirement to actively hate another person's sin? Didn't Jesus tell us to take the plank out of our own eye (i.e., to focus on our own journey and growth) before we attempt to correct other people? Yes, Jesus compassionately urged individuals trapped in harmful behaviors to leave their lives of sin, but there was no hatred in his words. It was all love. It is the love of God that transforms us, rather than other people hating on our lifestyles. As the Apostle Paul taught in Romans 2, the goodness of God brings us to repentance. We are not called to have a relationship with someone else's sin. We are simply called to love. Focusing on someone's sin plays into Western society's culture wars, which only divide people, but in Christ, we are simply called to love.
Abandoning Spiritual Discipline
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
There are numerous such statements in the New Testament, representing one of the most empowering truths of the Christian faith: that the work of Jesus is finished and that we are "in Christ". This is our eternal reality, but we are meant to see that beginning to manifest in the here and now. Western culture is more secular than sacred, and it can be easy to slip into a lifestyle that avoids spiritual rigor. Learning that we do not need to earn our way to Heaven and that we are complete in Christ can be misapplied if we allow it to lead to carelessness about our spiritual growth.
We should absolutely avoid striving (trying to earn God's favor through our performance), but passionately pursue spiritual growth, which means yielding to the Spirit as He leads us to become more loving people.
The biblical truth is that the work of Christ is both complete and incomplete. Our eternal identity has been established, but we are also called to work out our salvation (continue to bring it to fruition) day by day. Perhaps the writer of Hebrews put it most succinctly:
"For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Hebrews 10:14).
We have been perfected (the work is finished), but we are being made holy (we let salvation unfold in us) as we learn to be more loving.
Violence and Force
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household" (Matthew 10:34-36).
This highly unusual teaching of Jesus contradicts his entire life and ministry if taken as an encouragement to use force, including violence. Sadly, this happens all too often when Christian men dabble in the ideology of "the manosphere" and lose the ability to identify "toxic masculinity". When Peter cut off Malchus' ear in Gethsemane, Jesus rebuked him, healed the man, and warned against violence/force as a way of life. When He stood before Pilate, He didn't defend Himself. In the Sermon on the Mount, He told us to turn the other cheek.
In context, this unique statement of Jesus is part of a passage in which He prepares his disciples for persecution, just as He would be persecuted. The violence He speaks of is the inevitable attacks the disciples will face. If we exclude Judas, 10 of the 11 remaining disciples were martyred, just as Jesus was martyred. Jesus was not urging his disciples to use violence or even to defend themselves, and to suggest otherwise is to ignore everything about his life, ministry, and death. We do well to remember that we worship Jesus as the Prince of Peace.
We should not let our cultural assumptions shape our understanding of scripture. Instead, we can rededicate ourselves to letting scripture, which points to Jesus, shape our faith and how we love those around us.
