When Culture Changes, the Church Must Still Stand on God’s Word

Culture changes quickly.

Ideas that were almost universally accepted a generation ago can suddenly become controversial. Words are redefined. Moral standards shift. What society celebrates today may have been rejected only a few decades ago.

The temptation for the church is to change along with it.

When biblical teaching becomes unpopular, churches can begin asking a dangerous question:

“How can we make Christianity more acceptable to the culture around us?”

But that is not the question the church has been called to answer.

The real question is:

“What has God said?”

Paul writes in Romans 12:2:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

The church was never called to reflect the values of the surrounding culture. We were called to be transformed by the truth of God.

Scripture Must Remain Our Authority

Christians do not determine truth by opinion polls, social media trends, political movements, or cultural pressure.

Our authority is the Word of God.

Paul reminds Timothy:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
—2 Timothy 3:16

If Scripture truly comes from God, then the church does not have the authority to rewrite it when its teachings become unpopular.

Our responsibility is to understand Scripture faithfully and obey it.

That applies to every area of life.

It applies to money.

It applies to forgiveness.

It applies to pride.

It applies to marriage.

It applies to sexuality.

It applies to how we treat our enemies.

And it applies even when Scripture confronts something we personally would rather believe differently.

The Church Should Expect to Be Countercultural

There is a growing assumption that if Christianity conflicts with modern culture, Christianity must change.

But Christians should expect the gospel to challenge every culture.

The first-century church challenged Roman culture.

The prophets challenged the culture of Israel.

Jesus repeatedly challenged the religious and social expectations of His own day.

Christianity has never simply existed to affirm whatever society already believes.

Jude tells believers to:

“Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
—Jude 3

Notice those words: once for all delivered.

The Christian faith is something we receive from God. It is not something every generation gets to reinvent.

Truth and Love Are Not Enemies

Standing firmly on Scripture does not give Christians permission to treat people harshly.

Jesus was described as being:

“full of grace and truth.”
—John 1:14

Both matter.

Truth without love can become harsh and self-righteous.

But love without truth eventually becomes something other than biblical love.

Sometimes love means saying something difficult because we genuinely care about another person's relationship with God.

Ephesians 4:15 tells Christians to speak “the truth in love.”

That should describe the church.

We should welcome people.

We should listen to people.

We should show compassion.

We should treat every person as someone created in the image of God.

But none of those things require us to change what Scripture teaches.

Human Sexuality Is One Example

Few issues demonstrate this tension more clearly today than human sexuality.

Historic Christianity has taught that God created humanity male and female and established marriage as the covenant union of a man and a woman.

Jesus Himself pointed back to creation when discussing marriage:

“He who created them from the beginning made them male and female.”
—Matthew 19:4

For much of Christian history, this teaching was hardly controversial within the church.

Today it is increasingly challenged.

Some denominations have changed their teachings in response to changing cultural attitudes.

Others have chosen to maintain their historic understanding of Scripture despite tremendous pressure to change.

Regardless of where cultural opinion moves next, the church must ask the same question:

What does Scripture actually teach?

And once we have faithfully determined that answer, we must have the courage to stand there.

We Cannot Select Which Scriptures We Will Obey

There is another danger Christians should recognize.

It is easy to defend biblical teaching on sins that do not personally tempt us while ignoring passages that confront our own lives.

Scripture condemns sexual immorality, but it also condemns greed, gossip, hatred, pride, dishonesty, adultery, drunkenness, unforgiveness, and countless other sins.

Paul writes:

“Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
—1 Corinthians 6:11

That is the beauty of the gospel.

Christianity is not a message saying, “Those people are sinners.”

Christianity says:

We are all sinners who desperately need the grace of Jesus Christ.

The church therefore stands firmly against sin while holding out the hope of forgiveness, transformation, and new life in Christ.

Pastors Must Have Courage

Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would:

“not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”
—2 Timothy 4:3

His instruction to Timothy was not to adjust his message.

Instead, he said:

“Preach the word.”
—2 Timothy 4:2

That remains the responsibility of pastors today.

A pastor is not called to tell people what they want to hear.

A pastor is called to faithfully proclaim what God has said.

Sometimes that message will encourage.

Sometimes it will comfort.

Sometimes it will convict.

And sometimes it will make us uncomfortable.

But if it comes faithfully from God's Word, we must proclaim it.

The Church Does Not Need to Fear the Culture

The church has survived empires.

It has survived persecution.

It has survived political revolutions.

It has survived philosophical movements.

It will survive today's cultural pressures as well.

Jesus promised:

“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
—Matthew 16:18

Our responsibility is not to make Christianity fashionable.

Our responsibility is to remain faithful.

Cultures will change.

Public opinion will change.

Political movements will change.

Moral standards will change.

But:

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
—Isaiah 40:8

That is where the church must stand.

Firmly on the Word of God.

Not arrogantly.

Not cruelly.

Not fearfully.

But faithfully—speaking the truth in love and trusting God with the results.