How are Christians to relate to an increasingly hostile and alien culture?

I really enjoy working with the youth at our church.  They like to talk about the Bible, and though they don’t agree on everything, they love the pursuit of truth.  Such was the case last night, as we chatted about how Christians ought to interact with a culture that increasingly celebrates sin and is hostile toward Christ – this conversation stemming from another theological quandary of whether the protection of people we love through the use of violence is prohibited, permitted or required by the Scriptures – but that’s a conversation for another day…

So, how ought we to interact with a culture that calls us bigots and rejoices in things that grieve and anger our beloved Lord? Do we meet force with force, muster the troops and prepare for culture war (either figuratively or literally), or does the Bible call us to something different; something better? 

1. Know that what we are experiencing now is nothing new 

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

Romans 1:28-32, NASB1995

Though written some two thousand years ago, Paul’s warning to the Roman church is eerily contemporary.  Perhaps then, the reason it feels odd to be the societal outcasts today, is because we have been living in an anomaly – where up until recently it was a social positive to be a Christian.  We feel the loss acutely – and all the more because the change has seemed so swift.  We yearn for a country that loves God and we feel that hopeful future slipping through our fingers.  It scares us.  It angers us.  It depresses us.  

Yet when you look at the global church over history, the cultural embrace of Christianity just hasn’t been the case for most of our brethren. Yet, here we are, two millenia gone by, and God’s promise that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18), no matter how evil the world that encircles His bride may be, is as good today as it was when it was penned.  We can take great comfort in this.  

2. Know we are but beggars, and apart from the grace of God, we too would be in total bondage to sin 

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NASB1995

As Christians, we should hate sin.  We should, as Romans 12:9 commands, “abhor evil”.  But, too often, we project that hatred beyond the sin, and onto the people who celebrate it.  Yet when we do this, we are not only going beyond what God commands, but we’re also losing sight of the Gospel and its boast-killing nature.  

One theme we see echoed through all of Scripture is God’s hatred of human pride.  In fact, both the old and New Testament use the word abomination – the strongest word for God’s hatred of sin – to describe God’s utter disdain for human boasting (Proverbs 6:16f, Luke 16:15).  The grace we receive cannot be earned (Romans 11:6), otherwise it wouldn’t be grace at all.  We are beggars, all, and so is each and every enemy of the cross. What they are is who we were, and what made us who we now are is not owing to us in the least.  

Do you think those who were rescued from the frigid North Atlantic waters on April 15, 1912 felt derision or pride toward those who didn’t make it out alive?  No, if anything, they felt deep gratitude for being saved, and often survivors remorse as they reflected upon those who didn’t make it. No – as we look out into a world gone mad, we should be moved by loving pity and a humble resolve to point them to Christ – for apart from the grace of God, so go I.  

3. Know the model of the suffering savior and the examples of His persecuted bride

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:20,21, NASB1995

“But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

Hebrews 10:32-36, NASB1995

2 Corinthians 5:20f, makes the link between our mission and Christ’s example explicit.  Our suffering savior endured the wickedness of a kangaroo court, spitting and mocking, beating and lashes, ridicule of the people, and finally a gruesome, bloody death on the cross – and he did it all for the joy of His people and the glory of His name.  Christ did not come as the conquering king the people desperately wanted, but the suffering savior they desperately needed.  And indeed, Christ made it clear that the way of suffering – the way of the cross – is our way, too (Mathew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23).   We are called as ambassadors of the suffering savior to joyfully endure and accept suffering for the cause of Christ, not fight against it.

And thus was the example we see, both in Scripture, and in the stories of myriads on martyrs throughout the church’s history.  This approach is exemplified in the account of the Jewish church in Judea who chose the path of sacrificial service, knowing both the cost and the reward – fixing their eyes on eternity and not on their earthly pleasures and comforts.  Oh, might we be empowered to likewise love as we place eternity before our eyes!

4. Know how the Lord expects us to act toward our enemies

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse… Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

Romans 12:14,17,18, NASB1995

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.  

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:38-48

The principle is clear.  The Christian way – the way of the cross – is not an eye for an eye, but blessing for cursing.  Tit for tat has no place in the Christian life. When evil is done to us, we are to respond with love, service and sacrifice.     

5. Know how the Lord expects us to act toward outsiders in general

“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

Colossians 4:5,6, NASB1995

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

1 Peter 2:12, NASB1995

Paralleling the fourth point, we also must understand how we are to conduct ourselves within a hostile culture.  First, Colossians tells us we should treat interactions with unbelievers as opportunities – and that we would use wisdom, covered in a spirit of grace.  This grace doesn’t shy away from truth, but uses wisdom to present truth in a winsome and wooing way that is flavorful to the hearer (seasoned with salt).  If all the hearer tastes is the puckering salt of the law without the love of the Gospel, we don’t understand the assignment.

Likewise, 1 Peter 2:12 gives us this fascinating peek into the transformational work of the kindness of God. Here, despite the excellent conduct of the saint, his opponent slanders (falsely accuses) him of evil.  This is, perhaps, because the slanderer legitimately feels the good that the Christian is doing is evil, or perhaps he is intentionally slandering the believer out of jealousy or anger.  Nevertheless, when the believer doesn’t respond in kind, but continues to show love, mercy and kindness in doing good, God brings about the salvation of the slanderer.  

In our culture (and apparently back in the first century) when one is slandered, they tend to respond by going on the offensive.  You call me a bigot?  Well you’re an evil queer.  You call me a conspiracy theorist? You’re a libtard snowflake… We expect – in fact we often desire – and angry rebuttal to justify our claim.  But when we meet fury and slander with love and grace, it just doesn’t compute.  It was this dichotomy that finally turned the tide of civil rights in the Twentieth Century, and it has and continues to be this alien response that softens souls for the Kingdom.      May we too, be light and life in the face of accusations and attacks – for it may please the Lord to remove the hardened scales and win us a brother or sister in the process.       

6. Know your assignment and how you fit into God’s redemptive plan

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20, NASB1995

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds:”

Romans 2:4-6, NASB1995

As Christians who have enjoyed relative peace and acceptance for generations, it can be easy to assume our job is to return America to its Judeo-Christian values.  There are good impulses here – and it can be helpful to encourage the pursuit of godly laws and leaders – but that’s not our primary goal.  We are not here to conform the culture to our comforts and ideals, but to transform the culture through the making of disciples.  

Such work isn’t easy, it’s seldom fast, and it’s often costly, but it is the job Christ gave us to do. We are to go out into all the world (including in our own communities), sharing the good news of the Gospel – sinners made right with God through the cross of Christ.  But did you notice in Matthew 28, what sandwiches the command in verses 19 and 20?  It is the assurance of Christ’s authority and His presence.  He’s the one ensuring this great endeavors success, and He’s the one right beside us every step of the way! 

Romans 2:4-6 goes on to remind us that it is specifically God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. It is the underved common graces of God – certainly including those kindnesses extended from believers – that draw us to Christ. But don’t skim over this verse. What does it specifically say – perceiving God’s kindness rightly leads to repentance. Repentance? Why is that? When we see the kindness of God toward us, and recognize that we have not earned it, it produces in us a hatred for our sin and a precious love for our savior. Therefore, if we are to be faithful ministers of the Gospel to our culture, we must embody the kindness of God – a kindness that clearly points to the whole Gospel, including our need for repentance.

7. Know whose role it is to judge outsiders

“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.“

1 Corinthians 5:9-13, NASB1995

“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.“

Romans 12:19, NASB1995

We love justice!  Well, we love when others get justice.  I’ll take the mercy, thank you very much!  Christ’s warning against judging in Matthew 7:1-4, though often taken completely out of context, sheds light both on the nature and motive of right judging. Wrong judging is to see the wickedness in brother but deny the wickedness in your own heart.  But right judging first recognizes our utter helplessness before a just God (the plank) and seeks to restore our brother through removing the speck we are now able to see rightly.  If we fail to see our sin clearly, we will always flip the equation – seeing our brother’s sin as giant, and ours as manageable.  

Paul helps us to understand when human judgment is appropriate, and when it is not.  As Christians, there’s a clear dividing line given – if they are in the church, it is not only our right, but our responsibility to judge sin – the purity and health of the church, and the hopeful restoration of the person depends on it. And, as we see, the cost to the person is high – we should no longer associate with such a person (apart from praying for and pleading with them to repent). 

But when it comes to the broader culture, Paul is really clear – we still associate with a fallen world.  It is by our association that we reach them for the Gospel.  We don’t do this in a way that leads us into the stains of sin (James 1:27) – it’s not wise for someone struggling with pornography to choose a brothel as their place of outreach – but our job (see point 6) is to reach the world for Christ – and that requires purposefully interacting with people who are outside of our Christian community.  Oh, we will see sin.  We will grieve over the things our culture loves and encourages.  Lord willing, we will weep over their waywardness, but it is not our place to pass judgment that casts them aside. Why? Because it’s God’s job to judge them – and he will judge them perfectly.    

But, just so we don’t let the pendulum swing too far to an unintended extreme, this is not a call to water down God’s Word.  This doesn’t mean we shy away from the reality of sin or the just consequences of it.  It simply means we don’t push sinners away simply because they were sinners.  We follow Jesus’ example of bringing sinners, the “sick”, close to the Physician (Matthew 9:12) in hopes that they rightly see their sickness and turn to Christ.        

8. Know a day is coming when justice will win and all will be made perfectly right 

“For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.“

Hebrews 10:30,31, NASB1995

“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 21:22-27, NASB1995

This is a precious truth to help us combat the fear and anger that are so prone to well up when we see the brokenness of the world.  The book isn’t over, and we already know the glorious ending!  Not a single solitary sin – from a careless word to mass murder of millions – will go unpunished ultimately.  Every single sin will either be paid through the offender’s conscious and eternal punishment in Hell, or have been paid for in advance by the death of Christ.  No one will get away with anything.  Justice will be served, and his saints will rejoice on that day.  

And, for those whom God has chosen to believe, for us awaits the Celestial City – an eternal home free from not only the sin out there – but the sin in our own hearts. The curse will be forever vanquished, and with it all the physical, emotional and spiritual malaise it has wrought.  It will be glory beyond glory, inconceivable and infinite – and we didn’t earn even a single drop of that Heavenly nectar – not even an atom of God’s goodness is deserved.  To the degree that we grasp this reality, how can we not be moved to compassion and kindness, pleading and praying for those who do not know the Lord.  May the weight of Romans 5:10 land on us with all the weight of Gospel-glory it deserves, propelling us toward the enemy-world with love, compassion and sacrifice, knowing that the one who saved his enemies will certain sure bring us home, no matter the persecution, rejection and hardship along the way!

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” 

Romans 5:10, NASB1995 

But Christ overturned tables and Peter called lots of people murderers.  What should we make of that?

What should we make of Christ’s turning of the tables (Matthew 21:12) or his really harsh words to the religious leaders of the day (Matthew 23:27)?  Paul said some equally harsh things to people (Galatians 5:12).  So did John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7).  What of Peter and Stephen’s sermons that are recorded in Acts (Acts 3:15, 7:52), where they call their hearers murders, seemingly pulling no punches?  Does this mean there’s a place for blunt, angry and even harsh confrontation of the culture?  In principal, I don’t think so – at least not as something normative or prescribed.  Here’s why:

What is the common denominator in all of these passages?  The people Jesus, John, Peter, Stephen and Paul are talking to all have one thing in common.  They are Jews (and usually Jewish leaders) who should have known better. People who claim to belong to God, but are denying him by their actions. As Paul notes in Romans 9:1f, the Jewish people had a tremendous advantage that should have made them embrace their Messiah, but in God’s wisdom and (at least in part) because of His global mission, these first century people rejected their savior.  

The Biblical category for leaders who intentionally lead people astray is that of wolves (Matthew 7:15).   Wolves, are those within the religious community (the Jewish and Christian community in the early church, though probably only those in the Christian church today) who willfully take advantage of those in the church for their own sinful ends (2 Peter 2:1,2).  And it is for these sorts of people that the Bible reserves the strongest condemnation.  But, at least as far as I have been able to find, there isn’t one use of this sort of language (either prescribed or described) as appropriate for how we deal with the wider culture around us. As I hope this post has made clear – the overwhelming weight of Scripture calls us to a sort of brokenhearted boldness that loves people into the Kingdom through Word and deed, not condemnation and finger pointing.        

Two case studies highlighting the transforming power of kindness

Finally, I want to leave you with two case studies from my own experience where, by God’s grace and through His power alone, God turned difficult situations into beautiful moments.  

The first is a conversation I had online with a friend who was an outspoken supporter of abortion rights.  She was certain her way was the virtuous way, and that anyone who opposed her perspective was misguided at best; misogynistic tyrants at worst.  I approached the conversation with two goals.  The first was to help her see that the abortion issue is so difficult because two widely accepted ideals are put in a place where they are mutually exclusive – namely the right to life and the right to choose.  The second was to show her I understood and sympathized with her position, even while strongly opposing it.  And the Lord was gracious – He turned what began as a tense conversation into a really good, kind, and respectful dialog. In the end, she began to question if her understanding was correct, and though I don’t know where she stands on the subject now, she understands the Christian perspective – and more importantly the love of Christ – more clearly than she did when our conversation began.  

Coming full circle, the other encounter I’ll share is from a long-term conversation with one of the youth from our previous church.  At the beginning of the school year, she believed homosexuality to be good and right, and believed herself to be a lesbian.  When this came out, she expected condemnation and exile, but to the credit of the group, that wasn’t what she received.  She, Bryn and I had many conversations over the next several months, and I gave her the book, “Gay Girl, Good God” by Jackie Hill Perry.  I encouraged her to read it, and when she said she was going to mark it up to show how wrong it was, I encouraged her to do that and I would do my best to answer her questions and concerns.  As I recall, she read the book in less than a week – cover to cover – along with some of her LGBTQ friends, and boy did they mark it up. Bryn and I then, slowly but surely, began to respond to her questions, being honest about what we knew and didn’t know, giving respect, kindness and deference to her thoughts, and holding the Gospel before her. But as best as we could tell, apart from a general softening to us, I didn’t think anything had changed. A few months later, she told us she no longer had feelings for girls.  She wasn’t sure why – perhaps it was just a phase – but regardless, she was (mostly) excited to tell us.  Quite some time has passed since this series of conversations, and I don’t know where this young lady is with the Lord today, but I know for sure she is more open to the things of God and His people today than she was before these encounters.  The love of Christ and His truth presented with love and patience, not judgment and exile, made an impact.  

But, lest you get an inaccurate impression of me, know that there have been many-an-argument that have not borne such fruit.  Far too often, I have been guilty of desiring to win an argument out of selfish pride, and have had little regard for loving my neighbor well.  These two stories are not about Nate the Great, but of God the Gracious, who chose to use me despite my many failings.  I am weak, but He is strong and the credit belongs solely to Him. 

As we behold the undeserved kindness of God toward us, might we overflow with kindness toward others – even our enemies – that they would become our brothers and sisters in Christ, and joint heirs with Him in Glory.