In summary; one of the three biblically based views was that Christ is over culture. All good things (artistic renderings of nature and beautiful musical instrumentals for example) are gifts from God, but require revelation to be fully appreciated or realized.
Another view states the belief that we should honor the divinely ordained, such as family, hard work etc, but at the same time refrain from compromising with what is obviously at odds with what is divinely ordained.
The third is the view that the Christian should be at the task of reforming culture, redeeming it by working toward it's conversion to Christianity.
My first reaction, and my reason for writing this is that, though I agree with the article, that there are biblically legitimate elements from all three views, something is also missing from it's consideration of the Christian's proper approach to culture.
I think it's a human tendency tendency to look for rules to follow, and Christians are not immune to this tendency. We want a road map. That's fine, and we do need guidance, however, it isn't all that we need. I believe that the successful discernment of God's will requires more than just a search of the Bible for answers, essential as that is. I believe it also includes "listening to" or "waiting upon" God.
If you think about it, you'll realize that there may be several different biblically legitimate answers to any particular situation or question we face in life. If God were to specifically address every situation or question in His Word, the Bible would be many times thicker than the IRS tax code. It's so important to look to the Lord in prayer for guidance and to "listen" expectantly for the Lord's will to be revealed. I believe He not only "speaks" to us through His Word and through the wisdom He has given to members of His Body, but also through our thoughts and inclinations as we wait upon Him. Every thought or inclination, of course, must be biblically supported, and never elevated to the level of scripture as far as whether to trust them.
So often I find myself rushing to do or say something based on what seems to be the biblically obvious answer. Sometimes (unfortunately not often enough), I will check myself, stop, and pray, "Lord, what is your mind in this?" Then I will wait and "listen". What I'm waiting for at those times is not an actual "word" from the Lord. I'm not expecting Him to give me some obvious revelation as though I'm a prophet. What I'm waiting for is for the mind of Christ, which is already in me, to be made evident to me by His Spirit.
As Christians, we're a mixed bag in that we still have the mind of the flesh as a part of us. Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world. That conformation starts in the mind, and behavior follows. The verse goes on to tell us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. I think this renewed mind that we are to be seeking is, ultimately, the expression of the mind of Christ in us.
We, of course, renew our mind by immersing it in the Word of God. But along with that, in order for me to discern the will of God in any particular situation, I need to consult with Him in prayer and then wait for Him to, for lack of a better word, "speak". "Which word, Lord?" "What path?" "What answer?"
Let me give an example. My wife and I were sitting at our dining room table chatting with the college aged Christian daughter of a couple of friends of ours. During the conversation, she expressed a lot of frustration about her mom. Her mom was being way too clingy. She wanted to know everything that was going on in her daughter's life. She wanted to know everything that her daughter thought about every subject. She was constantly asking her daughter for advice. "What do you think I should do with my hair?" "Do you like this dress?" "What do you think I should do in this or that situation?" In short, she felt like her mom wanted to be her best friend. It was pretty clear that the young lady was totally sick of her mom and wanted her to just go away and leave her alone. She couldn't wait to get out of the house and away from her.
As she talked, I became increasingly irritated with the young lady. I was thinking about all the love her mom had poured into her throughout her life. I wanted to rebuke her and was thinking of ways to do it without coming on too strong.
I started thinking of some biblically correct words to say. It had become obvious what the real problem was and what she needed to hear. "You are thinking only of yourself. You are not respecting your parents, nor are you appreciating what God has done through them in your life. You are being worldly minded and selfish. You need to get into the Word of God and stop thinking the way the world thinks." There were a lot of things that I could have said that would have addressed her attitude, and all of them seemed biblically obvious.
Then it occurred to me to pray. I asked, "Lord, what does she need to hear now? What do You want me to say, if anything? Is there something that is timely and appropriate that would speak to her heart?" Then I waited and "listened" for God's wisdom, for the mind of Christ in me to be revealed, for the Lord to speak to me.
As I waited, I believe by the grace of God, it occurred to me to think about her mom's behavior and what motivated it. It occurred to me that her mom was crying out for love and companionship. It also occurred to me that this young lady was in a unique position to minister to her mom and build her up, perhaps in ways that no one else had the opportunity to. I believe that these thoughts, which also had a biblical basis, were the ones that were right for that moment. So I mentioned them to her. I felt like the words impacted her and caused her to reconsider her desires. I also felt a sense of "rightness" and timeliness to the words that brought joy to my heart.
Do I know that I had "heard" from God? No I don't. But the words that I ended up saying still checked out when held up to the light of God's Word. Regardless, I believe that He wants us to wait upon Him in expectant prayer as we consider our involvement in culture and our responses to specific circumstances. When we do, I believe we will discern paths that we might have missed otherwise.
I think also that this is what Proverbs 3: 5-6 is talking about when it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Acknowledging Him includes more than simply discerning His will by looking for it in His written word. It's possible that even that can be done while leaning on our own understanding. The Pharisees are an extreme example of what can happen as one leans on his own understanding while searching the Word.
God has been showing me the havoc that I have often brought into my life and the lives of my loved ones when I lean on my own understanding, even in the "discernment" of His will and application of His Word in life. There's "a time for everything". But only God knows when, where, what, why, and how to apply His Word.
In summary, it seems to me that there are two essential activities in discerning God's will, not only with regard to our relationship to and involvement in culture, but with regard to all of life. One is the immersion of our minds in God's Word so that worldly thinking can be replaced by Godly thinking. The other is dependent, expectant prayer, looking for His mind to be revealed to (in) us.
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him..." Psalm 37:7
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:26
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.....But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth...He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you." Excerpted from John 16: 7-15
Paul described certain experiences that I think are the kinds of experiences that we should expect. For example, in 2 Corinthians 12, Paul writes of a "thorn in the flesh" that he was experiencing. He appealed to the Lord about it and asked that it be removed. Now, Paul could have simply used his mind to search for, and apply, scriptural principles to his situation. He could have looked at the sufferings of Joseph, or Job, or Christ and thought about how God was at work in each case. He could have reasoned that God is powerful, loving, and faithfully involved in all circumstances, so he could rest in those scriptural facts and that would be that. But Paul had a relationship with the Lord that included communication...two way communication. I believe that, in the outworking of that relationship, the Lord guided him into specific wisdom concerning his current trial. God comforted him by specifically reminding him of scriptural truth in a direct communication to Paul's mind, along the lines of what Jesus was talking about in the verses from John 14 and 16 above.
I believe that God continues to "speak" in this way to believers who are "listening". He may not always "speak" directly to their mind. Often he "speaks" through other believers (who have been "listening").
In 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 Paul says,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God"
It's interesting that the word "comfort" used here is the same root word for "helper" used in John 14 and 16. God comforts us with truth, but I believe it's truth that God actively brings to our mind as we "look" to Him expectantly. And the truth and wisdom that God reveals to our mind will always be scriptural, but not necessarily revealed by a search of scripture.
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him..." Psalm 37:7
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:26
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.....But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth...He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you." Excerpted from John 16: 7-15
Paul described certain experiences that I think are the kinds of experiences that we should expect. For example, in 2 Corinthians 12, Paul writes of a "thorn in the flesh" that he was experiencing. He appealed to the Lord about it and asked that it be removed. Now, Paul could have simply used his mind to search for, and apply, scriptural principles to his situation. He could have looked at the sufferings of Joseph, or Job, or Christ and thought about how God was at work in each case. He could have reasoned that God is powerful, loving, and faithfully involved in all circumstances, so he could rest in those scriptural facts and that would be that. But Paul had a relationship with the Lord that included communication...two way communication. I believe that, in the outworking of that relationship, the Lord guided him into specific wisdom concerning his current trial. God comforted him by specifically reminding him of scriptural truth in a direct communication to Paul's mind, along the lines of what Jesus was talking about in the verses from John 14 and 16 above.
I believe that God continues to "speak" in this way to believers who are "listening". He may not always "speak" directly to their mind. Often he "speaks" through other believers (who have been "listening").
In 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 Paul says,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God"
It's interesting that the word "comfort" used here is the same root word for "helper" used in John 14 and 16. God comforts us with truth, but I believe it's truth that God actively brings to our mind as we "look" to Him expectantly. And the truth and wisdom that God reveals to our mind will always be scriptural, but not necessarily revealed by a search of scripture.
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