Colossians 3:17

Culture. Last semester that meant blue collar workers and Pennsylvania’s suburbia. The semester before that it meant flannel, hardwoods, and snowmobiling. Right now it’s high rise buildings, taxis, and constant motion. It’s funny what a range I have been able to experience…and I’m only a Sophomore.

I often think about the question “how does culture fit in with the Gospel?” I heard a sermon by Timothy Keller where he made this point: The whole idea of this thing we Christians call salvation is not just for eternal security. Rather, it is part of God’s plan to redeem creation. We should not condemn culture as it appears in occupation and hobby. Instead, we must embrace these God-given gifts with the motivation to exalt Him with them.

Isaiah 60:19 says :“The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.”

Sounds pretty similar to a passage in Revelation..21:23 “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

Isn’t it interesting that the Lord himself will be the light in these 2 passages that describe the future redemption of culture? In heaven we will see Jesus for who he really is. What was once in a realm of only spiritual understanding will become tangible, visible, and actual in our finite minds. Therefore we will be perfect, with all desires fixated on our King.

Although we still dwell here, in a land of sin and division and cultural separation, the Lord desires that we be a part of His plan to bring it all back to himself. We can be a part of redeeming culture. As Keller notes, the best way to do that is to show others the light that has always existed, that still exists today, and that will one day be the very sustaining reality and glory of God himself.

In Genesis God put his hands in the dirt and put gardeners in the garden. He created man to draw out of their surroundings what he left for them to use. This is culture. So whether by work, art, music, food, dancing, or any other kind of culture, the Lord and his light can through them shine. These are our God-given outlets for this light. How does culture fit in with the Gospel? It is the very mode though which it is communicated. With his Gospel message, God redeems culture…through culture.

I heard a pastor this summer speak from Matthew 5. He made a very interesting observation about the mentioned “salt” and “light”. When it comes to these things, the question is not “are we being salt and light?”, but rather “What kind of salt and light are we being?” This passage makes it clear that salt and light are part of the identity of those who follow Christ. We are already shining..Applied to the concept of culture, all participate in culture, because culture is a part of what makes us human. So it’s not whether or not we participate in culture that we should be focusing on, but rather whether or not we are using culture to magnify the Father…whether or not we are a part of redeeming it.