July 3, 2007 – The Results of Yielding to Culture – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
Believers fit into one of two general categories. First, there are committed followers of Jesus Christ. These believers are focused on pleasing God and growing in their faith. The other type of Christian isn’t concerned with spiritual matters. Instead, they remain focused on worldly things. Such people are heavily influenced by their culture and often compromise their convictions.
When a believer loosens his grip on God’s Word, he begins the decline into his earthly desires. Perhaps he disobeys a command or refuses to believe a certain truth. Or he may simply stop reading Scripture. Sooner or later, something in the culture grabs his attention. This fixation slowly influences him and consumes his time and resources. His “new love” gradually wins his affection away from the Lord.
After a while, other aspects of culture that once appeared undesirable begin to look appealing. The believer may dabble in such things at first and eventually indulge with abandon. Eventually, his witness is ruined because neither his conduct nor his character are consistent with a follower of Jesus. The culture’s influence has rendered him useless for the kingdom of God.
Have you yielded to the world’s mindset? You don’t need to waste your life in pursuit of things that can’t bring lasting peace. Repent and return to the God who saved you. Peace and fulfillment are the reward of those whose sole focus is to please the Lord.
Every day we’re influenced by our culture. Society’s prevailing philosophies and attitudes are everywhere??? on radio and TV, in books and magazines, and even in conversations at the workplace and corner coffee shop. It’s difficult for believers to avoid the pressure to be and think like everyone else. But the Bible calls us to live in our culture without becoming part of it.
In his letter to Titus, Paul explained how we’re to accomplish this. Titus 1:9 says those who won’t participate in the sins of the culture must hold “fast the faithful word.” To survive the pull of our present culture, we must cling to God’s Word and apply His principles. The Bible is the revelation of God. He tells us what He thinks, how He acts, and what He expects of us. Reading and obeying the Bible ensures that believers will live righteously, identify error, and avoid sin.
The Bible can’t do any of these things if we never open it. Obeying God’s Word is a practical matter. We’re to read Scripture carefully and meditate upon it daily. In other words, we must think about the meaning of passages and apply their lessons to our daily life. To apply scriptural truths, we must not only believe the Word wholeheartedly but also obey it consistently. When we take practical steps to keep Scripture as the anchor of our belief system, we will not be swayed by culture.
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