12/04/25 CULTURE MATTERS

12/04/25 CULTURE MATTERS

Being a Christian means becoming a new creation and becoming a part of a new family. This includes changes in your nature, beliefs, thinking, speaking, behavior, relationships.
I asked Google, "What does culture include?" It gave me an AI answer along with other links. I share this AI response below, which is thorough and accurate. I sometimes use computer searches for general information, if it is valid and saves me time. I don't let AI do my thinking or guide my Bible study or belief system.

CULTURE does influence and impact our beliefs and behavior. If your salvation (your right relationship with God through Jesus) does not transform you and correct the detrimental parts of your cultural experience, then you are not going to be conformed to the image of God's Son and you will not fully follow Jesus.

Being conformed to the image of Christ includes instantaneous changes and progressive changes. Sound doctrine and the whole counsel of God are essential for experiencing and living the Spirit filled life. This will include cultural changes, which come by, "walking in the light, as He is in the light," and "doing that which is pleasing in His sight."

Sadly, people want their eternal status changed but they do not want their lives changed; they want God's blessings, but they do not want to accept God's Lordship. People refuse to let Biblical Christianity change their cultural values and they reject Biblical changes that their children need to make, enslaving their children with cultural heritage. Do not hold on to your earthly culture. The new life, the new path of salvation will lead you out of the entanglements and darkness of the old life.

Remember, the Bible says, "we are new creations in Christ, old things are passed away and all things become new," and we are to, "walk in newness of life," and "come out from among them and be ye separate, says the Lord."

If your culture is not dominated by salvation, then your culture becomes your god. Don't hold on to a "worldly treasure." Take hold of the heavenly treasure with both hands.

Each phrase in the following description of CULTURE should be considered. Your culture will either agree with the Bible, or it will not. This is where the importance of the great Biblical truth of "being crucified with Christ," becomes evident.

In our New Birth we put on the New Man, we receive life from Christ; but in our being Crucified with Christ we put off the Old Man, we die to the world, the flesh and the devil and we are made pure, even as Christ is pure. As the Scripture says, "Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded."

Consider the following points as they relate to the Christian experience and life. Salvation is a "WHOLE PERSON" reality. It transforms the whole person, and it makes the person whole.

GOOGLE AI said...
Culture includes shared behaviors,
beliefs,
values, and attitudes,

as well as the
social norms,
institutions, and
knowledge
of a particular group of people.

It encompasses both
nonmaterial aspects like language, religion, and customs,
and
material aspects such as tools, art, and physical objects.

Nonmaterial culture
Beliefs and values:
Shared understandings of what is right and wrong, good and bad, and what is important to the group.

Language: Spoken and non-verbal forms of communication that allow for social interaction and influence how people think and perceive the world.

Norms and customs:
Rules and expectations for behavior, including social habits, etiquette, and rituals.
Symbols:
Things that stand for or represent something else, such as gestures, objects, or ideas.

Material culture
Artifacts:
Physical objects created by a group, including tools, technology, clothing, and art.
Institutions:
Organized systems that shape society, such as legal, political, economic, and educational systems.
Cuisine and music:
The specific foods, music, and other arts that are characteristic of a group.