10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:10-12 NIV It is vital we read the bible rightly. For years now, some of the Church's orientation can give the impression that the Word of God is a tool for propagating convenient cultural ideologies and established indoctrination instead of it being the 'go to' standard for discovering Truth. The West may project into it the prevalent culture of hedonistic (lustful), humanistic or liberal thinking while Africa could decipher from a mindset of control, fear or greed. Brethren, we have to WATCH carefully that our life-giving 'Life guide' (the bible) does not become only as good as our theological and cultural orientation. It must stand alone; supreme, as man's ONLY template for truth and right. Anything short of it's complete, obviously stated truth, is a lie and is death. 💢 Take a simple statement like "God is Love" (1John 4:16), while it seems plain enough, the 'Love' is immediately understood as liberal no holds barred, God- accepts-everything-you-do love to many Western teachers and readers, while to the African, love is innately mostly understood as obedience and total submission to rule with no intimacy in consideration. The question right now should not be "is there any merit to both sides of cultural thinking?" The point is that when it comes to the Bible, we have to discard our cultural orientations and allow the word of God clear our minds to assimilate divine truth - God's mind - as the ultimate Truth. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword—piercing right through to a separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions(attitudes) of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 We should not solder or stitch on his truth to our opinions. No matter how uncomfortable, with humility of spirit as disciples, we must drop our preconceptions and submit to his complete truth as our ultimate reality. We say as Jesus said : "Yet not My will, but Your will, be done." Luke 22:42b 💢 In conclusion, God is not trying to conform to our western or ethnic cultural standards, neither will he try to fit in with our individual theological exposures. He is GOD: HE leads us, we do not lead him. He is ALL he said he is in the bible. And HE is ALL Jesus was and did in the scriptures. Know then that “neither do I condemn you,” is as much a declaration of His Love as “Go now and leave your life of sin.”(John 8:11-12) So, " Eat the whole scroll"*, allow Christ (the Word) be Lord (sovereign) over the mind, body and soul.
And as we ultimately grow out of our worldly wiring, let us patiently extend grace to others as we do ourselves.
Amen . ❤ For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 KJV