8 Ways to Hold Fast in the Face of a Shifting Culture

Spiritual Life

Audio By Carbonatix

By Denise Kohlmeyer, Crosswalk.com

No one will argue that our American culture is in chaos. Immoral and perverse behaviors are excused, justified, and even celebrated. Unborn lives are viewed as “just a clump of cells,” and are therefore deemed expendable. Certain individuals cry “victim” to avoid taking responsibility for their lives or to justify their criminal activity. Gender identity is now fluid and leaves many confused and lost. TikTok influencers often hold more sway over public opinion than do legitimate experts. False teachers pervert God’s Word for their own gain and fame. Progressive Christians compromise God’s Holy Writ to appease people and win approval (and ratings). Morals, beliefs, and values are on a sliding scale, always shifting and morphing to accommodate the mood of the moment.

Sadly, this is nothing new. We are not—as some believe—living in the “worst, darkest, most evil age that has ever been experienced,” says Pastor Alistair Begg in his devotional (Truth for Life, Volume 2).

Cultural chaos has been a factor for every believer since the beginning of time. “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). We know this to be true if we’ve spent any time reading the Scriptures or studying history. In biblical times, for example, cultural practices and ideologies included child sacrifices, polygamy, divination, slavery, Baal worship, polytheism, temple prostitution (both male and female), infanticide, extreme prejudices between Jews and Gentiles, ecclesiastical hypocrisy, and political tyranny.

Yet even then Christ-followers remained “steadfast, immovable” to God’s commands and his Kingdom culture (1 Corinthians 15:58). Similarly, believers today have a responsibility to follow suit, to remain rooted and unwavering in their relationship to Jesus Christ and keep in step with God’s Word, no matter the prevailing cultural environment.

How do believers do this, though, without being swayed and subjugated by ever-shifting cultural norms? How do we remain wholly committed to God’s Kingdom culture—his biblical principles—without compromising our faith?

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1. Hold on to God

“For I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6a).

God is immutable. He is incapable of changing. His character, promises, and purposes are constant. He was, and is, and evermore will be forever himself.

What does that mean for his redeemed children? In a world that is in regular upheaval, God’s immutability offers comfort, reassurance, and peace. When we are anxious, confused, or fearful about our culture and the unholy direction in which it’s heading (and already is), we can rest secure in God’s unchanging character and truths.

“Due to his steadfastness and unchangeable nature, God is an anchor and rock in the midst of the turbulent times in which we live,” says Dr. Brian Chilton. “God’s steadfastness provides order in the midst of our chaos. God will provide order when no one or nothing else can.”

Hold to these verses for further comfort: Psalms 90:1-2, 102:25-27; Hebrews 13:8.

2. Hold on to Scripture

“Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me” (2 Timothy 1:13a).

Consistent engagement with God’s Word will have a stabilizing effect on your thoughts, beliefs, and convictions. Without God’s Word—his living, active truths—as our foundation, teacher, and anchor, we make ourselves susceptible to our culture’s influences and become vulnerable to compromise. While this may earn the world’s applause—because they our compromising as affirmation of their sinful ways—it ultimately leads to displeasing and dishonoring God.

Scriptural compromise also leads to a wreaked witness for Jesus Christ. Only the truths found in Jesus Christ lead to forgiveness, restoration, and salvation. All else leads to condemnation and damnation.

Jesus calls us to speak “truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), and biblical love often means speaking hard truths into the lives of the lost—with, of course, the mindset of leading them to “Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). If we avoid speaking truth for fear of offending, sinners will be left “dead in their sins,” bound for eternal hopelessness and hell.

Writes Stacey Salsbery, “We don’t get to vote on whether or not we like what [the Bible] says. As Christ-followers, we carry the task of upholding every chapter….Time alters many things, but time cannot change the relevance, accuracy, or legitimacy of God’s Word.”

Hold to these verses for more support: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 4:12-13.

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3. Hold on to the Spirit

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).

The Spirit, our Helper, leads us “into all truth,” which aligns our thoughts, beliefs, and convictions with God and his Word. He gives us the knowledge we need to avoid compromising what we know to be true.

It is also in his strength that we remain steadfast. His power supersedes that of our culture. He imparts wisdom so that we can discern truth from fiction. He will not allow us to take a cultural misstep if we daily seek to live in his power and protection.

If we do start to lean toward compromising God’s Word—for whatever reason—the Spirit is faithful to convict us, then to guide us back to a firm footing.

Hold to these verses for more help: Psalm 143:10; Isaiah 11:2; Ezekiel 36:27.

4. Hold on to Prayer

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b).

Prayer is a powerful tool that can help prevent cultural compromise. Prayer should undergird everything that we do, including engaging with our culture while not being influenced by it. It helps us to withstand culture’s temptations.

Prayer is our “holy helpline” when we feel ourselves slipping into compromise because we fear offending or appearing hateful. Prayer renews our strength and courage to stand firm and speak God’s truth, even if it means incurring verbal abuse.

Writer Amy K. Hall gives us a short prayer for such a time:

Father, move my heart to desire truth.
Sharpen my eyes to see truth.
Mold my mind to think truth.
Embolden my mouth to speak truth.
Strengthen my hands to serve truth.
Grant me love to adorn truth.

Amen.

Hold to these verses for prayer support: Psalm 32:6; Proverbs 15:29; John 17:9.

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5. Hold on to Faith

“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong” (1Corinthians 16:13).

When your faith (pistis, “belief”) is built on Christ alone, you are already on solid ground. Faith in anyone else—a political leader, a pastor, a Christian “celebrity”—or anything else—good works, being good—will only lead to disillusionment and discouragement…and eventual damnation.

Faith in Jesus Christ counteracts culture.

Faith calls us to be holy as Jesus is holy (hagios,“set apart”); culture calls us to “be yourself and live your truth…whatever that is” (1 Peter 1:16).
Faith sanctifies us into becoming more like Christ; culture sabotages the identity of God’s image bearers.
Faith professes allegiance to God alone and His Kingdom; culture professes allegiance to and his kingdom.

Hold to these verses for a firmer faith: Proverbs 3:5-6; Hebrews 11:1; 2 Corinthians 5:7.

6. Hold on to Peace

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).

In the midst of cultural conflict, we can still experience peace, which comes from knowing that God is still in control. Nothing is happening without his knowledge and sovereignty.

This peace, which indeed surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), keeps us secure and steadfast in our faith. God’s perfect peace will “guard our hearts and minds” from succumbing to fear and anxiety as we remain fixed on him.

“God’s presence provides peace, comfort, and security, and His continual presence is a key component of the perfect peace promised in Isaiah 26:3,” posits gotquestions.org.

Hold to these verses for overwhelming peace: Isaiah 54:10; 1 Corinthians 14:33; Psalm 85:8.

7. Hold on to the Faith Community

There is strength in numbers, as the idiom goes, and in terms of a spiritual community, it is doubly true. A strong faith community that is united in its beliefs about God, his Word, and Jesus Christ—his life, death, and resurrection—stands a better chance of fighting against the schemes of the devil. Together, as one Body—governed by one Lord, one Spirit, and one Faith—we are better able to withstand the enemy, in this context, the secular culture, over which Satan holds sway.

8. Hold on to Kingdom Culture

As redeemed citizens of “heaven” (Philippians 3:20), our ultimate allegiance belongs to God, who has established his own set of cultural values which he calls us to embrace and live out. God’s values are in stark contrast counter to the world’s values and are not to be compromised.

What values make up God’s Kingdom Culture?

Love – Loving God first and foremost, and above all others, and loving others (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37).

Holiness and Obedience - Living as “set apart” believers in alignment with God’s Word (John 14:15; 1 Peter 1:15-16).

Truth and Righteousness - Walking in and witnessing to God’s truths (Matthew 6:33; John 17:17).

Peace and Reconciliation – Being at peace with all men and striving for unity within the Body of Christ and spreading the Gospel in the hopes that we will win souls for Christ (Matthew 5:9; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Humility and Servanthood – Sacrificially serving others without seeking anything in return (Philippians 2:3-5)

Generosity and Stewardship – Generously giving of our time, talents, and resources to the Church, for the good of others (Acts 2:44-45).

In short, God’s Kingdom culture reflects Jesus Christ—his character, his teachings, his way of life. When we follow Christ closely, walk in step with the Holy Spirit, and keep our hearts and minds set wholly on pleasing our heavenly Father, we will remain steadfast and not compromise our Kingdom values.