The Bible Speaks to All Cultures

Does God’s Word speak only to one culture? “Guilt, shame, and fear are present in every person and every culture, but to differing degrees.” In Genesis 3, we find the story of the first sin and the consequences of guilt, shame, and fear. Like Adam and Eve, we’re all sinners in need of salvation. The Bible speaks to all of us in the language of our culture.

The Bible Speaks to Guilt/Innocence Cultures

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and ate the forbidden fruit, they were guilty of breaking the only rule God had given them. Their sin resulted in open eyes, but they had lost their innocence; they knew right from wrong. (Innocence = righteousness or being right.) They experienced guilt because of their wrongdoing. They suffered spiritual death because they had broken their relationship with God and would face eventual physical death. In his mercy, God clothed them and then banished them from the garden so they wouldn’t have to live forever with the consequences of their sin. 

Sharing the news of God’s love and forgiveness in guilt/innocence cultures often involves using legal or courtroom language. We may refer to the “Roman Road” or the “Four Spiritual Laws.” 

The Bible Speaks to Honor/Shame Cultures

When Adam and Eve realized they were naked, they sewed fig leaves together to cover their shame. Before they sinned, they were naked, “and they felt no shame.” (Genesis 2:25) But afterward, they hid from God, knowing both they and he had lost face; they had dishonored him. Consequently, God expelled them from the garden, but, in mercy, he made garments to cover their nakedness.

The word “shame” and its synonyms occur more than twice as often as “guilt” and its synonyms in the Hebrew Scriptures and over four times as often in the Christian Scriptures.

The most effective faith-sharing in honor/shame cultures comes out of a relationship. Once we have built a friendship with someone, we can use metaphors of family or community to communicate the good news that God invites us to share his honor. We have all dishonored our heavenly Father. To dishonor or shame your father can result in exclusion from the family. Restoration of relationships often requires the work of a mediator, someone who can bring the two sides together.

The Bible Speaks to Fear/Power Cultures

What did Adam and Eve do when they heard God walking in the garden? They hid. Why? They were afraid. They had failed to resist the power of evil. But in his mercy, God searched for and found them, proving we can never hide from God.

Often the verses and stories that speak to a fear/power culture are those that refer to warfare and combat, those that describe the spiritual battle taking place and God’s power over evil. People in fear/power cultures want to see God’s power in daily life. Jesus’ followers have access to his divine power.

God’s Solution to Guilt, Shame, and Fear

Although Adam and Eve’s sin introduced guilt, shame, and fear into the world, God provided a solution through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God restores believers’ innocence, honor, and power through their relationship with him.

Culture does not limit God’s ability to speak. His good news is for every person and every culture. To make disciples in honor/shame and fear/power cultures requires more than repacking our guilt/innocence evangelistic presentations. Culture should determine both the content and means of sharing faith, but the underlying message is the same.

Reading the Bible through the eyes of diverse cultures revealed many facets of God’s message I’d not seen before. The Bible speaks to more than my guilt/innocence culture. Why don’t you try reading God’s Word through the lens of another culture? You may find new depths of meaning and a new awareness of God’s love for all people in all cultures.