Cultural vs Timeless

How to Determine if a Bible Passage is Cultural or Timeless

Is a Bible passage is cultural or timeless?

As you read the Bible, you may run across verses that make you wonder, “Well that’s fine for them back in Biblical times, but does that really apply to me today?” And you’re not wrong to ask that question! Because the Bible was written thousands of years ago the stories, expressions, and actions of the characters can often leave us confused.

So how do we know if a Bible passage is cultural or timeless? This is actually a question we encourage you to ask from the CHARA Bible Study Guide. As you Apply any passage, you should be asking yourself, “What was expected of the original audience and what principles make sense for us now (is it a cultural or timeless truth)?”

What’s the Difference Between Cultural and Timeless?

Let’s first start by defining the difference between Cultural and Timeless truths.

Cultural truth = it is meant for those people, in that time period, and not for us today.

With us being thousands of years removed from the Biblical world, and likely living in a different part of the globe than the original audience, there are going to be things addressed that are specific to those people in that time period. 

Timeless truth = it is a message that transcends time and is applicable to us today.

Although the Bible was written for us, it was not written to us. So while many of the instructions and stories are directed toward the original audience, there are truths about God and how to have a relationship with Him that apply to us today. 

Deciphering between if a passage is cultural or timeless can often feel like the hardest part of studying the Bible. So let us break it down with three guidelines that can help you easily identify if a Bible passage is cultural or timeless.

3 Guidelines to Determine if a Passage is Cultural vs Timeless

When studying a passage to determine if it’s cultural or timeless, ask yourself these three questions:

1. CULTURE – Is it tied to the customs or culture of their day?

 

2. COMMON – Is the concept repeated throughout the Bible?

 

3. CONSISTENT – Is the concept consistent throughout the Bible?

 

1. CULTURE – Is it tied to the customs or culture of their day?

KEY PRINCIPAL: Before you understand it today, understand it back then. Practice exegesis (think exit), to pull out how the original audience would have heard its message. Avoid eisegesis, which is reading into the text with your own bias’.

IT MAY BE CULTURAL IF IT REFLECTS HISTORICAL CUSTOMS & CULTURE
It may be CULTURAL if it reflects the original audience’s customs, culture, worldview, norms, or expressions of their day and we are unlikely to find modern day comparable situations. 

 EXAMPLE OF A CULTURAL TRUTH (REFLECTS CUSTOMS): 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about eating food that was sacrificed to idols and sold in the open market (1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1). Purchasing food on the open market that was sacrificed to pagan gods was common in their community back then, but is not something we run into in our modern era. So when Paul is providing instructions on how to handle meals that involve food offered in sacrifice, we can consider it a cultural truth. 

IT MAY BE TIMELESS IF IT APPLIES TO PEOPLE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
It may be TIMELESS if the message is not tied to a specific custom or cultural norm of that historical period.

EXAMPLE OF A TIMELESS TRUTH (FOR PEOPLE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE): 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

There is a timeless truth found in 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, where Paul says, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” 

Here Paul is instructing that just because people have freedom in Christ, it doesn’t mean they should do anything they want, but instead consider what is good for others around them. As we’ll see in the next few tips, we confirm this is a timeless truth because it’s repeated across scripture in places like in Romans 14:14-23, Galatians 5:13 and 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

 

HOW TO IDENTIFY CULTURE

  • DESCRIBED VS PRESCRIBED – Determine if that passage is descriptive or prescriptive. Remember that the Narrative writing style (found in 40% of the Bible) often describes a person’s life and actions (descriptive), but that does not mean the actions are condoned or meant for us today. If the actions are being prescribed and instructed (prescriptive), then we need to look back to see if the concepts are based on their customs or are timeless instructions.
  • WHO – Who was this written to?
  • HISTORY – What was going on in history at that time?
  • CULTURAL PRACTICES – What were the cultural practices at the time? Hint: Use Study Bible notes, commentaries, and trusted historical resources to learn more about the culture of the day.

2. COMMON – Is the concept repeated throughout the Bible?

KEY PRINCIPAL: Don’t shout where the author whispers or whisper where the author shouts. Be careful not to proof-text or cherry-pick Scripture, by turning something mentioned in a single spot into a belief or doctrine the author never intended. Always consider how a passage fits within the author’s overall purpose throughout the book and across the full context of the Bible.

IT MAY BE CULTURAL IF ITS RARELY MENTIONED
It may be CULTURAL if it is mentioned once or rarely found in the Bible (whispered). 

EXAMPLE OF A CULTURAL TRUTH (NOT REPEATED): Leviticus 19:28

“‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”

Included in a list of Old Testament laws given to the Israelite people, the command to not tattoo your body is only found in this passage. 

When paired with the first question “Is it tied to the customs or culture of their day?” and with help from historical resources and Biblical commentaries we learn that lacerations, disfigurement, cutting of one’s body was common practice to the surrounding pagan communities, so God’s instruction in this specific moment was addressing something specific to the Israelite people of that time period, so they would set themselves apart and look different than the surrounding nations.

Additionally, with the laws of the Old Testament, we have to remember that Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament law (Matthew 5:17) – and it’s not applicable to us anymore because of Jesus’ death of the cross.

IT MAY BE TIMELESS IF ITS REPEATED
It may be TIMELESS if it is a concept that is common and repeated throughout Scripture (shouted).

EXAMPLE OF A TIMELESS TRUTH (REPEATED): Leviticus 19:18

“love your neighbor as yourself.”

Another Leviticus law, from the same chapter as above, we may believe that this is just another cultural truth that’s not applicable to us anymore. That said, we see this command repeated multiple times throughout scripture, specifically in the gospels where Jesus is claiming that it is the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:34-39, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:27), and it’s repeated in teachings throughout the New Testament (John 13:34, Romans 13:9, Gal 5:14). This makes “loving your neighbor” just as important today as it was back then, and it’s a timeless truth we can apply to our lives.

HOW TO IDENTIFY IF IT’S COMMON

  • BIBLE CONCORDANCE – Look up the key word(s) tied to the passage in your Bible’s concordance to help you locate other passages where the topic may be covered in the Bible  (For our example above in Leviticus 19:28 look up words like tattoos, marks, etc)
  • CROSS REFERENCES – Leverage cross references tied to your verse or passage, to see if it points to other places in the Bible that speak of that same topic or concept 

3. CONSISTENT – Is it consistent throughout the Bible?

KEY PRINCIPAL: The Bible cannot contradict itself. Your interpretation of a passage cannot be in conflict with what is clearly taught somewhere else in the Bible. When it comes to confusing or seemingly contradictory passages, let clear Scripture interpret unclear Scripture, by turning to passages that make it abundantly clear.

IT MAY BE CULTURAL IF ITS NOT CONSISTENT
It may be CULTURAL if there does not seem to be a uniform and consistent message or application throughout the Bible.

EXAMPLE OF A CULTURAL TRUTH (INCONSISENT): Women’s roles in the church

In some places the Bible speaks of women being silent or not able to teach in the church or have authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:11-12, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35).

Yet across the Old and New Testament it speaks of women leaders and teachers that were called prophets, apostles, deacons and taught men, women, and children (Romans 16:1-3,7, Acts 2:18, Acts 18:18-28, Judges 4, 2 Chronicles 34:22-33).

Because there is inconsistency in how the Bible speaks of women’s roles in society or the church, it’s likely that much of the instruction given was cultural and tied to what was going on in the specific cultures of the day.

IT MAY BE TIMELESS IF IT IS CONSISTENT
It may be TIMELESS if that application and instruction is consistent throughout the Bible.

EXAMPLE OF A TIMELESS TRUTH (CONSISTENT): How one has eternal life

Across the Bible, the topic of how one has eternal life is consistent and repeats the concept from John 3:16 that “whoever believes in him [Jesus] shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 5:24, Romans 10:13, 1 John 5:13, 1 Timothy 1:16, etc). The consistency of the message makes this a timeless truth that we can have confidence in believing.

HOW TO DETERMINE IF IT’S CONSISTENT 

  • BIBLE CONCORDANCE – Look up the key word(s) in your Bible’s concordance to help you locate passages where the topic may be covered in the Bible  (For our example around women’s roles, look up words like women, teaching, leadership, etc)
  • CROSS REFERENCES – Leverage cross references tied to your verse or passage, to see if it points to other places in the Bible that speak of that same topic or concept.

What if it’s not super clear if it’s Cultural vs Timeless?

There will be times when it may not be as clear as you want to know if a passage is cultural or timeless. When we apply the Bible to our life, we should always be careful to not build our theology, doctrine, or core beliefs on anything that is not a primary or core message that the Bible teaches. 

We should be asking ourselves:  Is it central to the Bible’s core message?

The Bible was intended for audiences long-ago AND for us today. Its core message is to communicate who God is, how much He loves us, and how to have a relationship with Him. It is packed with timeless truths we should understand and apply to our lives that tie to this core message. But we need to be careful of making a small (whispered) passage into something we believe as a main part of our core beliefs.

Often we can break up the Bible’s teaching into three categories:

    • Primary (or Core) – foundational to the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. (Examples: the triune nature of God, the humanity and divinity of Jesus, the Bible as God’s Word, the death and resurrection of Jesus, salvation through faith, etc.)
    • Secondary – while important and may impact the type of church you may attend, these issues don’t impact your eternal relationship with God and right-standing with Him. (Examples: the method of baptism, communion practices, church governance, women’s role in the church, spiritual gifts, etc.)
    • Tertiary – believers can agree to disagree without it impacting their relationship with God or others. (Examples: timing and beliefs around the end times, views on predestination, age of the earth, views on tithing, worship styles, etc.)

Note: There are often tertiary questions we may have that the Bible doesn’t directly answer (What’s the age of accountability? How old is the earth? Did dinosaurs co-exist with humans?, etc). Remember that the Bible was addressing the questions of the original audience, and our questions today may be different. We need to put ourselves into the mindset of the original audience so we can understand that some of the instructions and stories were meant to address topics that were top of mind for them back then and may not answer questions we have today.

KEY PRINCIPLE: Don’t build your core beliefs on anything that isn’t a primary, consistent message of the Bible.

EXAMPLE: Romans 16:16 “Greet one another with a holy kiss”
Across the New Testament we see instructions to “Greet one another with a holy kiss” So is this a practice that is cultural or timeless? Should we be doing this today? Should this be a part of our core beliefs?

Let’s apply our 3 guidelines from above:

CULTURE – Is it tied to the customs or culture of their day? 

Yes, it was a common cultural greeting at that time to kiss a person on the cheek. There are some cultures around the world that still have this practice, but it is not universally practiced today. So from this alone, we could believe this is a cultural truth.

COMMON – Is the concept repeated throughout the Bible? 

Yes, the idea of greeting each other with a holy kiss is repeated throughout the New Testament letters (Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, 1 Peter 5:14). So from this alone, we could believe this is a timeless truth. 

Up to this point, it’s uncertain if “greet one another with a holy kiss” is cultural or timeless, so let’s keep going.

CONSISTENT – Is the concept consistent throughout the Bible?

In addition to references to a holy kiss repeated in the New Testament letters (as seen above), we also see references across the Old and New Testament that lead us to understand that a kiss was part of greeting and saying goodbye to someone (Exodus 18:7, 1 Samuel 20:41, Luke 7:36-50, Mark 14:44-45, etc.). 

Based on the answers to these questions, it seems like there is some gray area of how to apply this passage to our life. We could come to the conclusion that “greet each other with a holy kiss” could be applicable to us today. And in some cultures across the world, it is still practiced. But many of us in America don’t do this today. Should this be a practice we need to incorporate?

This is where our final question helps us determine how strongly we should be holding onto a belief around this passage.

CORE – Is it central to the Bible’s core message?

No. The idea of greeting a person with a holy kiss is not tied to core doctrines of the Christian faith. Additionally, not giving a person a kiss isn’t mentioned as a sin or something that would separate us from our relationship with God. So this concept should be treated as a secondary or tertiary belief.

CONCLUSION: When applying “greet one another with a holy kiss” it seems it’s more cultural than timeless as it’s tied to culturally acceptable norms – both back then and today. It is also not tied to a core message of the Bible. So implementing this practice can be up to each person to decide, depending on the culture and situation they find themselves in.

Can we gain Timeless Truths from Cultural Passages?

Yes! While there are some passages in the Bible that were meant for specific people in a specific time, that doesn’t mean we can’t pull out a timeless truth as we understand God and His character in the story.

EXAMPLE: 1 Timothy 2:9-10

“I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds,appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”

As Paul talks about women dressing modestly, not adorning themselves with “elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes” (1 Tim 2:9-10), some could look at this verse and believe that it means today women need to adjust how they present themselves. Let’s dive into understanding if this is a cultural truth and if we can determine any timeless truths from the passage.

CULTURE – Is it tied to the customs or culture of their day? 

Yes. This letter was written specifically to the church of Ephesus. According to historical resources and Biblical commentaries, the church of Ephesus was dealing with upper class women showcasing their wealth with elaborate hairstyles and jewelry, so the modesty being addressed is likely tied to having financial modesty, not sexual modesty. 

Additionally, the local pagan temple of Artemis was run by females who were known to dress elaborately, so the instruction could also be tied to not wanting to look like the pagan priestess of the day.

COMMON – Is the concept repeated throughout the Bible?

Rarely. The idea of dressing modestly – financially or other – is not addressed anywhere else in the Bible. 

The idea of beauty not coming from outward adornment “such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes” but from a gentle and quiet spirit is mentioned in 1 Peter 3:3, but it’s not tied to modesty like in 1 Timothy 2:9-10. 

CONSISTENT – Is the concept consistent throughout the Bible? 

While idea of modesty and beauty is rarely addressed in the Bible, the concept of God looking at the heart over what a person looks like or how they act is consistent across scripture (1 Samuel 16:7, Proverbs 21:2, Matthew 6:21, Colossians 3:1, etc).

So here’s what we can take away from 1 Timothy 2:9-10: 

CULTURAL TRUTH – The idea of women not dressing with elaborate hairstyles or jewelry is a cultural truth that was meant for the people in the church of Ephesus. 

TIMELESS TRUTH – The timeless truth we can pull from this passage is that God cares about our hearts, where we are putting our values and priorities, and if we are trying to look like others in our culture, instead of being set apart for Him and His glory.

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