Applying Eternal Truths to Cultural Shifts in Modern Society
The concept of applying eternal truths to cultural shifts in modern society is rooted in the understanding that while human generations and societal forms change, certain divine principles remain constant [1, 2, 3]. This perspective acknowledges the transient nature of the world and its inhabitants, contrasting it with the enduring character of God and his revealed will [5, 6].
Biblical texts frequently highlight the impermanence of human existence and worldly structures. Ecclesiastes observes that "one generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever" [2, 3]. This passage emphasizes that while the physical earth remains, the people who inhabit it are constantly changing, leading to a questioning of lasting profit from human toil [3]. Matthew Henry, commenting on Ecclesiastes 3:1, notes that "we live in a world of changes," where events and conditions of human life are vastly different and constantly shifting, like the ebbing and flowing of tides or the turning of a wheel [1]. This constant flux means that "the fashion of this world change[s], ever did, and ever will" [1]. John Gill, in his commentary on 1 John 2:17, similarly states that "the world passeth away," referring not to its material substance but to its "fashion, form, and scheme" [5]. He explains that kingdoms, cities, families, and estates are continually changing hands and forms, and that "one generation goes, and another comes, new faces are continually appearing" [5]. This transience underscores that "everything is upon the flux, nothing is permanent" in the worldly sphere [5].
In contrast to this worldly impermanence, biblical theology posits an unchanging God and his eternal truths. The psalmist declares, "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end" (Psalm 102:25-27). This passage, referenced by John Gill in his commentary on Hebrews 1:12, illustrates that even the heavens and earth, though seemingly permanent, will eventually be folded up and changed like an old garment by God, who himself remains constant [6]. The implication is that God's nature and his revealed truths are not subject to the same decay and alteration that characterize the created order and human societies [6].
The application of these eternal truths to shifting cultural landscapes involves discerning what aspects of human experience are subject to change and what principles remain steadfast. The Puritan theologian Matthew Henry, in his commentary on Ezekiel 18:21, discusses God's equitable government, noting that while individuals and families may change, God's judgment is based on the "change made in the person himself, whether for the better or the worse" [4]. This suggests that moral and spiritual principles, such as repentance and righteousness, are consistently applied by God regardless of generational or cultural shifts [4]. The "time of trial lasts as long as the time of life," implying a continuous standard of accountability [4].
The "exceeding riches of his grace" are presented in Ephesians 2:7 as a divine purpose to be displayed "in the ages to come" [7]. This suggests that God's grace is not confined to a single era or cultural context but is a timeless truth that unfolds across different historical periods [7]. The concept of "ages to come" implies a dynamic interaction between God's unchanging character and the evolving human story, where his grace is continually manifested and understood in new ways [7].
Therefore, applying eternal truths to cultural shifts requires a recognition of both the constancy of God's character and word, and the fluidity of human culture. While the "fashion, form, and scheme" of the world change, the underlying principles of God's justice, mercy, and grace do not [5, 7]. This means that ethical and theological frameworks derived from scripture are considered applicable across different cultural contexts, even as the specific manifestations of those cultures evolve. The challenge lies in interpreting and articulating these eternal truths in ways that are relevant and understandable to each new generation, without compromising their inherent stability and authority.
Sources
- Ecclesiastes (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 3:1: The scope of these verses is to show, 1. That we live in a world of changes, that the several events of time, and conditions of human life, are vastly different from one another, and yet occur promiscuously, and we are continually passing and repassing between them, as in the revolutions of every day and every year. In the wheel of nature (Jam 3:6) sometimes one spoke is uppermost and by and by the contrary; there is a constant ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning; from one extreme to the other does the fashion of this world change, ever did, and ever will. ”
- Ecclesiastes (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Ecclesiastes 1:4: "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: and the earth remaineth for ev." The meaning is not that the earth remains standing, and thus (Hitz.) approaches no limit (for what limit for it could be had in view?); it is by this very immoveable condition that it fulfils, according to the ancient notion, its destiny, Psa 119:90. The author rather intends to say that in this sphere nothing remains permanent as the fixed point around which all circles; generations pass away, others appear, and the earth is only the firm territory, the standing ”
- Ecclesiastes (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ecclesiastes 1:4: earth . . . for ever-- (Psa 104:5). While the earth remains the same, the generations of men are ever changing; what lasting profit, then, can there be from the toils of one whose sojourn on earth, as an individual, is so brief? The "for ever" is comparative, not absolute (Psa 102:26).”
- Ezekiel (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 18:21: We have here another rule of judgment which God will go by in dealing with us, by which is further demonstrated the equity of his government. The former showed that God will reward or punish according to the change made in the family or succession, for the better or for the worse; here he shows that he will reward or punish according to the change made in the person himself, whether for the better or the worse. While we are in this world we are in a state of probation; the time of trial lasts as long as the time of life, and according as we are found at last it ”
- 1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 2:17: And the world passeth away,.... Not the matter and substance, but the fashion, form, and scheme of it, Co1 7:31; kingdoms, cities, towns, houses, families, estates, and possessions, are continually changing, and casting into different hands, and different forms; the men of the world, the inhabitants of it, are continually removing; one generation goes, and another comes, new faces are continually appearing; the riches and honours of the world are fading, perishing, and transitory things; everything is upon the flux, nothing is permanent; which is another argument why ”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 1:12: And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up,.... In order to lay them aside, and make no use of them in the manner they now are; just as clothes, when they are grown old, or out of fashion, are folded up, and laid aside from use at present, or are put into another form. In the Hebrew text it is, "as a vesture shalt thou change them"; but the sense is the same, for a garment is changed by folding it, or turning it; agreeably to which Jarchi interprets the Hebrew phrase thus, "as a man turns his garment to put it off;'' the Vulgate Latin version reads as the Hebrew do”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 2:7: That in the ages to come,.... This is the end of God's permitting sin, in which men are morally dead; and of his suffering them to go on in sin, in a state of unregeneracy; and of his quickening them with Christ, and raising them up, and causing them to sit together with him: namely, that he might show the exceeding riches of his grace: riches being added to grace, denote the valuableness of it, as well as its plenty and abundance; and also the freeness and liberality of God in giving it; and likewise the enriching nature of it: and these riches are exceeding; the”