She Must & Shall Go Free Part IX: Beloved Part I

Why do we continue to put on the old-self even after Christ has freed us from our slavery to sin and dressed us in royal robes, the new-self? One major reason we choose to dress ourselves in the "old-self" comes from the way we deal with scripture in our lives.

3 Ways we Deal with Scripture

1. Ignore it altogether: One way we deal with scripture is to not deal with it...just ignore it completely. When this happens we have no basis for understanding what the old-self is or how to keep from dressing ourselves in it. This way of dealing with scripture, for Christians, is completely unacceptable and totally removed from who we claim to be in Christ.

2. Filter Scripture through culture: In this way of dealing with scripture we compare what the Word says to the culture around us and the way we live our lives and remove or ignore the parts of the Bible that don't match with the way we want to live. We remove the parts that make us uncomfortable, that offend us or the people around us, or the parts that we just don't like because they keep us from doing what we want.

3. Filter culture through Scripture: This process involves examining the culture we live in and the way we live our lives in light of scripture and removing the parts of our life that do not match with the Word of God.

We do this everyday. When we decide to gossip we are filtering scripture through culture. When we choose to honor the purity of the girls around us we filter culture through Scripture. When we respect those in authority over us we filter culture through Scripture. When we help others just for what we may get out of it we filter Scripture through culture.

But, why does it matter how we deal with scripture? The more we filter scripture out of our everyday life, the further form Truth we will be and the less we will be tied to the life producing vine, Jesus Christ.

So, maybe you have a question about something in your life; whether you are filtering scripture through your culture so you can continue in that activity. Here are 5 questions you can ask yourself regarding that activity to find out if it is something you should continue in.
(Thanks to Dr. Keith Eitle for this information during seminary classes in 2001)

5 Questions to See if we are Filtering Culture or Scripture:

1. Does it violate any clear teaching of Scripture? (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

2. Does it destroy any part of your body (physically, mentally, or spiritually)? (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

3. Does it cause someone around you to be hindered from coming closer to Christ? (1 Corinthians 8:8-13)

4. Does it violate the express will/desire of someone who has Biblical authority over you? (Ephesians 6:5-10)

5. Does it glorify God? (Can you honestly ask God to bless your actions, relationships, attitudes, etc.?) (1 Corinthians 10:31)

If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions then you need to rethink your involvement.

Examine areas of your life where an improper dealing with scripture may be leading you to "put on the old-self" and a return to the slavery of sin. Maybe it's your relationship with your girlfriend/boyfriend. Maybe you just do enough to get by in school instead of working to the glory of God. Maybe you are illegally downloading music from the internet or illegally making copies of friends' music. Maybe you are using your computer in a way that is disobedient to your parents' desires. Maybe you always speed on a particular road because "there are never any cops." Maybe you live with bitterness, anger, or discrimination in your heart.

Whatever it is for you, filter it through scripture and throw out whatever doesn't match with the Word of God.