Vance Havner said, โThe devil is not fighting religion. Heโs too smart for that. He is producing a counterfeit Christianity, so much like the real one that good Christians are afraid to speak out against it.โ I believe that itโs time for the church to stand up and live out true Christianity for the world to see.
Thatโs what I am going to attempt to do: very gently point out areas where the church has compromised, or, in an attempt to obey the Lord, has made obedience “easier.”
For centuries, Christians approached the Bible as a sacred text to be interpreted with reverence and obedience. Today, however, many churches are reshaping its language, tone, and expectations, making it more accessible, more relatable, and, some argue, easier to obey.
But what is gained, and what might be lost, when ancient commands are adapted to modern sensibilities?
As we look at some examples of this later in the article, let’s start by looking at how cultures can also shape the way we interpret scripture.
In 2013, the Lord called my wife and I to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti. We left behind good-paying jobs, a home we sold, and everything we owned fit into a 5X8 storage unit. And yet we were excited to embark on an adventure that the Lord had clearly called us to.
We were eager, ready to roll up our sleeves, spread the Gospel, and see many come to Jesus. So we hit the ground running. We started putting on roofs, building homes, and starting Bible studies in multiple locations, and we saw many come to faith in Jesus.
But one thing that was glaring at us was the fact that the Haitian culture made it hard for some to be able to come inside a church. For instance, we learned that, at least in the area in which we were working, people who would come to church without wearing shoes were often not allowed inside.
Also, the dress was held to a high level, and if one wasnโt dressed appropriately, many were stopped at the front door.
Without even knowing what they were doing, the locals were sending a clear message to those less fortunate that Jesus was only for those who could dress appropriately and who had shoes. And although it was sad to witness, that was the reality in the area in which God had called us.
So, we went to those who couldnโt go to church because of this. When I read the Bible, I see Jesus, who had compassion on those who were less fortunate. I read that Jesus is no respecter of persons, and yet, in this culture, it seems that many had implemented rules, and guidelines that fit into their culture.
We read this and probably think, wow, this is not good. In fact, some might even be thinking that something should be done, and the locals should be educated on who Jesus is and how He cared about everyone, regardless of who they were.
And that’s true, they should be educated on what the Bible actually says, and yet, we can succumb to the same type of Biblical obedience adapted to our culture.
That is the reason I have decided to write this article: to mention areas in which the church is adapting the Bible to our culture, and for most, not even realizing it. This is an area that the Lord has been dealing with me regarding certain topics, and I have, of late, become very convicted by those choices.
So, when you think about adapting Biblical doctrines, truths, and practices to a modern-day interpretation, what kinds of things do we see in our modern church culture? This is not an exhaustive list, but when I look at the landscape of the modern church, we see many practices today that are practiced in order to make it easier to obey the Lord.
Things like fasting, praying, serving, loving, gluttony, tithing, and many, many more. In many cases, I believe the enemy has done a pretty good job convincing the church to shy away from speaking Biblical truth in order to not sound so “radical.” We see that regarding politics. People say the church shouldnโt engage in politics because we want to reach everyone. And although we do want to reach everyone, again, this is an area where the enemy has convinced Christians not speak up about politics. But politics are none other than Biblical issues. What if the political questions that often divide us today are, at their core, biblical instructions on how humans ought to live, govern, and love one another?
On top of that, we look at things like what I mentioned earlier, and in order to make it more palatable, convenient, or easier to obey, we modernize it and adapt it to our culture. The Lord said this in John 14:15, โIf you love Me, keep My commandments.โ And I know for me, this convicts me to my core, as I have been guilty of the very things I am highlighting in this article.
See, most Christians donโt even realize what’s going on. Why? Because this is how we were raised, and we just accept certain ways of doing things. But when I read and study the scriptures, I believe in many cases, we are not adhering to what the text is actually saying. I donโt believe the heart of the Lord would have us adapt His Word, or modernize His Word, or, in some cases, completely ignore His Word.
Instead, the Lord is calling us to read, study, and know His word as we draw near to Him. Christians, itโs time to obey God’s Word as itโs written in these areas, and to set aside what others think or say about how we should obey God’s Word. And as we seek to obey the Lord, the Lord will bless, and we will be the salt and light that He said we could be.
I love the church, I love God’s people, and my prayer is that we would reevaluate our obedience and let this be a time in which the church will get back to standing up and proclaiming Jesus to a lost and dying world.
