Student Connect

Choose a passage of Scripture and think of two different cultures in the world today. How would you apply this passage to each culture?

John 3:17 NIV - For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

Two cultures:

Western Europe – Germany

John 3:17 could very easily be seen that because God doesn’t condemn, He allows to total freedom to totally make our own choices and decisions. The Scriptures are inspired and God has standards. Sin and death are in play for not receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is eternal separation from God. People who say “God doesn’t condemn” often incorrectly mistaken His mercy, grace and love for a God with no standards. This is the state of the German churches. The Protestant churches chose a liberal path that denied the Scriptures first place and elevated the ideas found in the Enlightenment to church doctrine. Suddenly, humanism, a man-centered world that emphasized human reasoning were considered greater than to Word of God. These viewpoints suddenly sounded like scientific inquiry.

Simple obedience to God and devoting time, effort and prayer to studying Bible and living for God.

Conservative Islam-dominated culture - Saudi Arabia

A Saudi might see this scripture as God giving too much grace and not enough hard obedience to a demanding god. Suppression is used to control people and in light of the problems that Paul had to deal with in the church at Corinth, some strong control from a strong god might have worked. The Saudi society might reacted differently because of their societal characteristics.

Because of the wonderful blessing of grace, man CAN approach the Living God and ask for and receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ. His love is open to all whether a conservative Saudi or liberal German culture.