10 Reasons Why the Bible is Countercultural

A Simple Anti-Aging To-Do List

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In James 4:4, the author famously writes that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Certainly this conflict is a theme throughout the scriptures, and yet sadly today modern Christianity finds itself far from these words. On one side you have the liberal, progressive gospel that tries to marry culture so that nobody is offended by the truth – and on the other you have the conservative, nationalist gospel that believes the Church (as an institution) needs to invade culture and Christianize all aspects of society.

These are just different flavors of deception that the enemy has created, and because we are at the end of time it is to be expected. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that we wrestle against the spiritual powers of darkness, and also to expose such works so that others may not be deceived. Peter also echoes these points in 1 Peter 5:8-9, warning that the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for people to devour, so we must be sober minded.

And because the devil appears as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 4:4), this means that the thing that seems right and good is often the devil’s favorite form of deception. So, we must be sober minded indeed.

With that in mind, today I want to share with you several ways that true, biblical Christianity is countercultural. There is in fact no comparison between Christianity and culture, as they are two separate things in two separate categories. They intersect as a matter of consequence, yet that doesn’t mean that we should be invading culture or watering down the gospel to make it more cultural.

In the following list you will learn some reasons why the gospel will never be popular and why Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 concerning the narrow road are a true reflection of reality.

1. Knowing Yourself vs. Knowing God

The world will always be obsessed with itself, because the world is based on the lie of the ego.  Today people take countless personality tests and get self-absorbed in “discovering themselves” that they totally forget about God. This is all by design, because the enemy’s job is to invert the truth so that he can lead people to their destruction. The bible teaches that we are wicked, imperfect and depraved because of the fall of Adam. We are also limited in many ways, and nothing new happens under the sun because the world is predictable. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

This is why the adventure of life is not to get to know yourself, but rather to get to know God, who is perfect and infinitely mysterious. While there’s nothing wrong with developing self-awareness, that awareness must always be grounded in a relationship with God. Biblically speaking, getting to know ourselves is coming to terms with the inherent wickedness of our flesh – rather than how great and awesome we are, which is what the world will always emphasize. Proverbs 9:10 says that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that is why the bible will always direct you to getting to know God instead of obsessing over knowing yourself.