Slave to Culture

Are you a slave to culture?

The words “slave” and “culture” are used quite frequently today and have definitely garnered different meanings. So I’ll ask this question again, but more specifically:

“Are you submitting and giving your life to the popular beliefs, ideas, and/or trends of the general public that’s in front of you – in person and on screen?”

This is a question that we, as Christians, need to constantly be asking ourselves. We need to be taking inventories of our days, weeks, and years, identifying our beliefs, ideas, and trends we hold to. And when we come upon something in our lives in which we see submission to culture, we ought to immediately stop and ask ourselves, “Why am I giving in?”

Here’s the twofold reality: 1) culture can (and does) enslave you, and 2) we’ve been saved from that slavery.

Freed from Slavery

I love the way Paul explains this in Titus 3:3-5,

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us…”

Again, in Galatians 4:3-5, Paul writes,

“In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

So, What?

To be sure, we’re not to become monks who reject all external earthly things. In many ways, we will “look” similar to the world. Our uniqueness, however, is found in our heart’s submission to God – not the world.

We can so often blindly step back into cultural bondage. This rejects God’s grace, holding us back from true freedom.

We’re saved from slavery. We no longer blindly believe in the elementary principles of this world.

We’re adopted sons and daughters of God – displaying to the world what real freedom looks like.

So, live in your freedom. Stop living in slavery. Not because “worldly things are bad and Christians do good things,” but because living in the freedom of God’s grace is so much better.

Submit and give your life to God.