Page 31 - Christ and Culture Textbook

on whether they believe in Christ and Repent to their sins. The gospel claims something that has eternal
value, but culture denies this reality. Eternity is at stake in how one responds to Jesus. Every man and
woman have turned from God to self, and if nothing changes before they die, hell will be the God given
punishment for this sinful, self-exalting choice. (Matt 8:12; Revelation 14:11)

The most offensive and countercultural claim in Christianity is not what Christians believe about
homosexuality or abortion, marriage or religious liberty. Instead the most offensive claim in Christianity
is that God is the Creator, Owner, and Judge of every person on the planet. Every one of us stands
before him guilty of sin, and the only way to reconciled to him is through faith in Jesus, the crucified
savior and the risen King. The gospel does not allow us to be selective regarding different social issues.

A call to Conviction, compassion and Courage.
As we consider these social issues, we will need conviction. We live in unique time and unique culture.
Wickedness is increasing every minute each day. What if Christ commands us to make these issues our
concern? And what if Christ’s call in our lives is not to comfort in our culture? What if Christ in us
actually compels us to counter our culture? Not to quietly sit and watch evolving cultural trends and not
to subtly shift our views amid changing cultural tides, but to courageously share and show our
convictions through what we say and how we live, even when these convictions contradict the popular
positions of our day. God has given us the privilege to influence the world by taking risk to declare his
Character and purposes to all people. May we not sin through silence. May we realize that not to speak
is to speak. Let us hold firm to the gospel and speak clearly to the most pressing issues of our day. Let us
develop compassion. Matthew 9:36 tells us that “When He saw the crowds, he had compassion for
them, because they were harassed and helpless, like Sheep without a shepherd” May God give us grace
to see what he sees. Let us be moved to apply the gospel to social issues. Acting with conviction and
compassion will require courage, to be sure.

The gospel of Christ is not a call to cultural compromise in the face of fear. When we believe the gospel
of Christ it will compel to counter our culture.

There are four possible responses in engaging our culture:
1. We Conform. We start compromising what we believe and the way we act in order to appeal to and
appease the surrounding culture. We may even genuinely believe that doing so is both loving and
strategic, hoping somehow people will be attracted to Jesus through a less offensive form of Christianity
and will ultimately be saved. However, we have to realize that our goal isn’t to make following Jesus
easier.

2. We Check out. The opposite extreme is to secede from culture, distancing ourselves so completely
that we never have any interaction with the world around us. Again, the intent may seem honorable and
sincere because we want to remove even an appearance of evil and the temptation of sin. But Jesus
specifically prayed that His Father wouldn’t take His followers out of the world but protect them while
they were sent into it (John 17:15-16).

The world around us desperately needs the life-changing power of the gospel. Forming an isolated,
insulated subculture may feel countercultural, but it isn’t an appropriate response. Countering culture
doesn’t mean withdrawing and isolating ourselves from culture.

3. We Combat. This approach is antagonistic and defensive. While the intent begins moving in the right
direction, refusing to give in to or give up on the world around us, it misses the heart of Jesus. This

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