The Gospel of Christ for Every Culture

Is your understanding of the Gospel one-dimensional?

Having introduced you to the world’s three dominant cultures in the previous post, we concluded with a vital question: 

How does the good news of Jesus Christ provide the remedy for sin for those in each of these cultures?

The God and Father or our Lord Jesus Christ is the God of all Creation. To reclaim His sinful and rebellious Creation and its inhabitants (including you and me), He sent His Son to open the way for forgiveness, freedom, and honor.

The message of this “opening the way to God” is called the good news or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul could not keep this message to himself—nor should we. He writes (1 Corinthians 9:16b-17):

Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.

For sure, Paul did not proclaim a one-dimensional gospel.

Two matters before we begin

Before digging in, there are two matters to be aware of:

1.         This post features material from The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures by Jayson Georges.[1]

2.         When I write about a three-dimensional gospel, I affirm that there is only one gospel of Christ (Galatians 1), but it can be presented in different ways.

The Gospel is not one-dimensional

The most common example of a one-dimensional presentation of the Gospel is rooted in European Christian theology and practice and is predominantly guilt-based. This gospel emphasizes Jesus Christ as God’s righteousness for the forgiveness of sins. Of course, this is a vital dimension of the gospel, but it is not the only one.  

Throughout the New Testament, we encounter the three dimensions of the gospel, but we in the West tend to gloss over those parts that do not deal with guilt-righteousness. As we learned in the previous post, there are also shame and fear-based cultures, and God’s good news is also for those people.

Paul proclaimed the Gospel as three-dimensional. For instance, he relates his conversion before Agrippa, including what Jesus told him (Acts 26:17-18):

“I [Jesus] will rescue you [Paul] from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God [fear-power], so that they may receive forgiveness of sins [guilt-righteousness] and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me [shame-honor].”

An illustration from Philippi

Paul and his companions journeyed from Asia Minor to Greece. When they came to Philippi, they encountered three people from different cultures (Acts 16). Before you go further, read Acts 16 and see if you can identify the dominant culture of each of these people.

For the sake of brevity, let me summarize what I found.

1.         Lydia: 

In a Jewish “place of prayer,” Paul spoke to some women, and “the Lord opened the heart” of Lydia (16:13-15). I propose that Lydia was part of a guilt-based culture, and she received God’s righteousness in Christ.

2.         A spirit-possessed slave girl:

Then, Paul was hounded for days by a slave girl, who, under the influence of a spirit, was used by her masters to make them money by fortune telling (16:16-21). “In the name of Jesus Christ,” Paul expelled the spirit from the girl.

As an abused slave, the unnamed girl lived in a fear-based culture and experienced freedom by the power of God “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

3.         A jailer:

Paul and Silas were then thrown into prison. During the night, an earthquake opened the doors of the prison. The jailer—probably a retired Roman soldier—as a matter of honor (lex talionis) “drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.” Learning that all the prisoners were still present, he heard the Gospel from Paul—with the invitation:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

The jailer appears to be a member of a shame-based culture. The Gospel gave him God’s honor, and “he was filled with joy.”

The 3D Gospel

In The 3D Gospel, Georges shows the three dimensions of the indivisible gospel of Christ with numerous examples.

How might the gospel of Jesus Christ most effectively be communicated to those in each of these cultures?

Here is a link to the “Four Spiritual Laws,” which is a helpful way of communicating the Gospel of Christ to those in a predominantly guilt-based culture. But what about other cultures? What would the Four Spiritual Laws look like if they were written to those in fear and shame-based cultures? 

Following is an adaptation from The 3D Gospel that compares how this message can be biblically adapted to those in guilt, shame, and fear-based cultures.

You can also download and print a copy of this chart (below).

Some modern examples

Through the years, I have made friends with people from other cultures who now believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Each has their own story or testimony of how they became a follower of Jesus. Here are two.

An Indo-Fijian man who had been a Hindu.

B. spoke of the kindness of a Christian with whom he worked.

At one point, B. paid a large sum of money to a Hindu priest to come and heal his sick mother—but she did not get any better.

When he spoke with his Christian workmate, the Christian told him of Jesus Christ and his power. He and another Christian came to B.’s house and prayed for the healing of his sick mother in the name of the Lord Jesus. The next day, B.’s mother was well. Through this incident, B. and his family trusted Christ Jesus as their Lord.

A person from Iraq who had been a Muslim.

M. related a dream or a vision in which Jesus appeared to him. He was ashamed that his upbringing and religion denied who Jesus is and that Jesus was raised from the dead.

When he fled to a bordering country, M. met a Christian and asked about Isa (Jesus). When he heard the Gospel, he believed in Jesus Christ.  He told how Jesus’ honor had replaced his shame, and he was received into the family of God.

People from every culture have similar experiences. One example of an incredible testimony of conversion to Christ by a devout Muslim is told by Nabeel Qureshi in his book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.[2]

Summing up

Here are three recommendations for you:

1.         Get a copy of The 3D Gospel and read it. It is short (80 pages) and inexpensive.

2.         As you regularly read the Bible, recognize the language and actions linked with guilt/righteousness, shame/honor, and fear/power. They are more prevalent than you might think.

3.         As you share the good news of Jesus Christ with others, be aware of their cultural perspective. Be sensitive and informed about how the other person hears and understands the Gospel.

Let me know what you can add. You can write me using this link.

BACK TO How You Can Understand What Makes Different Cultures Tick

Notes: 
[1] Jayson Georges, The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures (Timē Press, 2017).
[2] Nabeel Qureshi, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, 3rd edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

Photo credit: Cover photograph of the featured book by Jayson Georges, The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures (Timē Press, 2017).