Living as Christians in an Unchristian Age

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” (Philippians 2:14–18, ESV)

Things have changed in our culture. Christianity was once a prominent part of culture. Early in our nation's history, church membership was even required to vote. Now, it seems as though being a Christian is permissible as long as you do not make it a part of your public life. Most politicians claim some attachment to Christianity, but it is exceedingly rare for their faith to impact their policy. Saying that you are a Christian is still acceptable, but being a committed and outspoken Christian will eventually cost you something; Committed Christianity is at odds with the culture in which we live.

The reason that biblical Christianity is at odds with the culture is that we are a nation under judgment (Romans 1:18ff). The Lord judges cultures by slowly removing the truth until there is nothing left to hold it together (Amos 8:11-12). The Lord is judging our culture by handing it over to its desire to suppress the truth and practice moral insanity. The Lord has allowed for our nation to collectively suppress the truth to the extent where there is not much left. Virtually all the common graces that would bind our society to even the most basic eternal truths about God and morality have been rejected. There are increasingly few laws or traditions that actually restrain sin and uphold any kind of transcendent truth. In fact, our culture has gotten to the point where we cannot even agree upon the most basic facts of society. People from all across our society do not agree on what is true politically, medically, historically, and culturally. Where there is no truth, there is no hope of a society unifying for the good of one another.

The church is the last bastion of truth in our society.

The church cannot fall into the truth-less and chaotic confusion that we see going on in the world around us. The church is the pillar and support of God’s truth (1 Timothy 3:15); our job is to proclaim the truth, defend the truth, and obey the truth. In this way, the church is to function as salt and light in the world—we should have a preservative and prophetic function. This is a serious responsibility, especially for our generation. The church may be the only remaining vestige of truth that we have in our culture, which is why the church finds itself at odds with the culture so frequently. Our very existence disrupts the suppression of truth and it threatens the affirmation of sin that is going on all around us. As a result, it is a very challenging thing to live out the Christian life in this unchristian age.

The church is not facing a new problem.

We are not the first or the only Christians to live in a culture where Christianity costs you something. Christianity has had more or less influence in different times/places, but biblical faith is always counter-cultural. Even now we have persecuted brothers around the world whose faith will cost them a lot more than cultural capital. This has been true throughout Church history; there’s always been a personal price associated with Christianity (Luke 14:28).

“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:27-28, ESV).

There has never been a truly Christian age in the sense that no iteration of this world has ever totally submitted to the Lordship of Christ. In fact, the Bible calls Satan “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), which is simply a way of pointing out that he is the most influential being in a world system that is opposed to God. In other words, the world has rejected the Lordship of Christ in favor of the schemes of Satan just as Adam did in the Garden. As a result, the world will be perpetually enslaved by Satan's influence until Christ returns. The Devil will be at work hindering Christians, enslaving unbelievers, and deceiving the nations until Christ vanquishes our ancient enemy (Revelation 20:3).

“And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:2-3, ESV).

That being said, some nations are less deceived than others and some generations have acknowledge more truth than others. Until Christ comes back, every nation/culture is susceptible to becoming a pawn in Satan’s schemes, but not every nation/culture has equally fallen prey to spiritual insanity. This is a reminder that our salt and light can benefit the world around us in real, tangible, and spiritual ways. Additionally, our commitment to truth can restrain sin in a way that benefits our families and shields the culture from greater judgment. However, as Christians living in a world that hates God, we recognize that we always end up back in the same place—there will be a cost for following Christ.

The Philippians were wrestling with the price they paid for their faith:

• They faced Persecution (1:27-30)—their life did not get easier or more comfortable when they turned to Christ for salvation.

• They faced Pseudo-Christian teaching (3:2, 18-19)—the influence of false teaching and cultural lies threatened their church.

• They faced Poverty (cf., 2 Corinthians 8:1-5)—their faith in Christ certainly did not enrich them with any earthly treasures or wealth.

  
  

The Philippians were Christians living in an unchristian age. They were trying to figure out what it means to live like Christians (2:12) in a crooked and wicked generation (2:15). They were proud Roman citizens, and at the very same time they were also redeemed citizens of the Gospel (1:27). They had a vested interest in the good of the city in which they lived, but the city in which they lived frequently misunderstood, maligned, and marginalized them for their faith in Christ. In all of these ways, their situation was not all that different from what we encounter today. Thankfully, Philippians 2:14-18 provides some simple insights into how we should live as believers in a culture that has rejected our faith. Paul doesn’t say everything that could be said about this subject, but what he does say is very instructive. Specifically, Paul outlines three characteristics of the Christian life that are particularly important in an unchristian age, which we’ll explore in the following articles: living a content life, a compelling life, and a cheerful life.