Kapag naniniwala ka kay Jesucristo, magsisi ka na, at maging ipinanganak na muli, na nangangahulugan na ikaw ay namatay kay Jesu-Cristo, at ang iyong espiritu ay nabuhay mula sa mga patay, sa pamamagitan ng kapangyarihan ng Banal na Espiritu, there shall be a change in your life. Because everything that happens in the spiritual realm will become visible in the natural realm. That includes the birth of the new creation; ang bagong tao. Kapag ikaw ay ipinanganak ng Diyos, you have become a son of God and you have God’s nature. Ibig sabihin,, that your old devilish carnal nature will be replaced by a new Godly nature. How long the transformation process takes place, depends on your love for God. It depends on how much time you spend with God, how fast you renew your mind with His words, apply His words to your life, and if you are willing to lay down your old life, including your culture. Because all old things, including your culture disappears in Christ. Let’s have look what the Bible say about culture.
When you are circumcised in Christ, you belong to God’s people
Kapag ikaw ay tuli kay Jesucristo, you belong to God’s people, and not to the people of……. (pangalan mo na). You can have a nationality on paper, pero yun na nga.
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Mga Taga Roma 10:11-13)
Sapagkat kayong lahat ay mga anak ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya kay Cristo Jesus. Sapagkat kasing dami ninyo na nabinyagan kay Cristo ang nagsusuot kay Cristo. Walang Hudyo o Greek, Walang bono o libre, Walang lalaki o babae: Sapagka't kayong lahat ay isa kay Cristo Jesus (Mga Taga Galacia 3:26-28)
Many times believers use their nationality and culture as an excuse to stay carnal and keep living after the flesh. But nationality and culture are no excuse for God, to keep living after the flesh and keep living in sin.
Culture is part of the old man
Culture is part of the matanda na ba. Kung ikaw ay naging isang bagong paglikha then culture doesn’t matter. Because as a new creation, you are created after the image of God. Sa pamamagitan ng pananahan ng Banal na Espiritu, natanggap mo ang kalikasan ng Diyos. Ngayon na, that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and through the process of sanctification, magbabago ang iyong pagkatao, lalo na sa moral.
Sa kasamaang palad, hindi ito palaging nangyayari. Because many people cannot lay down the old and cannot say goodbye to something that is part of them and is familiar. That’s why many believers hold on to their culture, customs and habits. Pero kung gusto mo talaga sundin si Jesucristo, it also means to lay down your culture and its customs and habits.
The demonic activities in a country become visible in its culture. When you look at the lives of the people and their customs and habits, you will see, with what kind of principalities, Mga Kapangyarihan, and rulers you’re dealing with.
In some cultures, it is customary to have idols and images in houses and practice certain rituals. For example sacrificial rituals, ang pangkukulam, white or black magic, voodoo, Indian rituals, remembering and honoring the death, rousing dances, orgies, sexual rituals, drugs and/or alcohol use, at iba pa.
A culture can also have an influence on the character and moral aspects of a person. The character has been developed with all the aspects, characteristics, and morals of a culture, that often goes against the Word of God. For example lying, Pagnanakaw, pagdaraya, pangangalunya, pakikiapid, pagmamalaki, always being too late, pagkamakasarili, no respect for others, kabastusan, Murmur, slander, mga tsismis, atbp.
A Christian speaks the truth and doesn’t lie
Let’s have a look at the characteristic of lying. In some cultures lying is a normal habit and is not considered as evil. Lying and manipulating the truth is considered as something that just happens to be part of the culture. But according to the Word of God, lying is part of the matanda na ba:
Huwag magsinungaling sa isa't isa, Nakikita na tinanggal mo na ang matandang lalaki kasama ang kanyang mga gawa (Col 3:9)
Kapag ikaw ay naging isang bagong nilikha, you shall no longer lie. You shall not lie and speak little white lies. You shall not make a promise, which you cannot keep, because then you’ll also lie.
There are no big or small lies or little white lies. Ang kasinungalingan ay isang kasinungalingan.
The world wants you to believe that there are different kinds of lies, but that’s a lie of the devil. All lies, even the smallest lies, are lies. When you even say, that you are Ipinanganak na Muli, but don’t walk as the new man pagkatapos ng Espiritu, then you also lie.
Kung sasabihin natin na mayroon tayong pakikisama sa Kanya, at maglakad sa kadiliman, nagsisinungaling kami, At huwag ang katotohanan (1 John 1:6)
Kung patuloy kang magsisinungaling, sinungaling ka. Your life is unchanged in that area, and you are still the old creation, with the devil’s character. Because the devil is a liar, and lying is part of his character and nature. Therefore if you keep lying, your character is unchanged, and you still obey the devil and give him power. No lie is part of the truth.
I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth (1 John 2:21)
That’s why it’s important if you have become a new creation; isang anak ng Diyos, to put off lying. Don’t give any heed to this lying spirit, who’s casting all kinds of lies into your mind. But rule over this lying spirit and ignore his lies. Kumuha ng awtoridad sa iyong mga saloobin and your mouth. Think twice before you speak. Don’t speak as soon as a thought, isang kasinungalingan, pumapasok sa isip mo. Dahil bago mo pa alam, you will say something that isn’t true. You will lie to cover up something or you will make a promise, which you won’t or can’t keep.
Remember that God is trustworthy because He speaks the truth and doesn’t lie. Kung ikaw ay ipinanganak ng Diyos, At ang Banal na Espiritu ay naninirahan sa iyo, then you shall also be trustworthy and shall speak the truth. That means that you won’t lie anymore, and manipulate the truth. Because the father of lies is the devil; he is a liar. If you habitually keep lying, you prove, who your real father is and that you possess his lying spirit.
A Christian is on time and not late
Always being late is also a well-known phenomenon, that is part of many cultures. Many people are always running late, but if a church service or any other gathering is a little bit overtime, or if something takes too long, then all of a sudden they take time seriously.
If you are always running late then you don’t consider something as important, dahil kung hindi, you would be on time. When you’re running late, it proves that your own things had a higher priority than the place you had to go to. If you are always late, it proves that you are selfish and prideful and have no respect for others. Because you consider yourself important and don’t want to yield yourself to time. But if you are always being late, you dupe others.
May mga Kristiyano, who confess that Jesus is the most important Person in their lives and that they can’t live without Him and the faith. But they are chronically late for church services and other gatherings, such as bible studies, prayer meetings, outreaches, atbp. And let’s not forget the leaders of the churches and congregations. Because it often happens that church services and other gatherings are scheduled at a certain time, but never start on time. Indirectly they’re lying to the believers, by saying that a service starts at a certain time, but they don’t keep their promise.
Oo nga naman, it can happen once in a while, that you’ll be too late, due to unexpected circumstances. But if it chronically happens, then it proves, who the most important person in your life is, na ang pangalan ay: you and your own life. You can confess all you want. But your actions speak louder than your words. Your actions prove what’s important in your life.
Bukod sa na, if you always run late, it proves that the devil still has power in your life and you are an instrument in his hand. Because by running late, you not only dupe the believers, who are on time and do take the things of the Kingdom of God seriously but by being late, you also dupe God. You show Him, that He is not the most important Person in your life. Even when you say that He is, your actions prove otherwise.
When you are late for a meeting, you create disruption and chaos. We all know that the devil is the author of disruption and creating chaos. Oo nga, the devil wants nothing more than to disrupt gatherings. Because of the fact that many believers are spiritually not awake, they don’t have a clue of what’s really going on and therefore his tactics still work.
A Christians is faithful and doesn’t commit adultery
In some cultures, cheating and infidelity are considered normal, especially for men. You don’t have to live monogamous and be loyal and faithful to one woman, but you can have other sexual relationships outside of the bonds of marriage. In some cultures, even polygamy is accepted. But what is considered normal in these cultures isn’t considered normal for God. God created man and woman and has joined them together, to become one flesh. Jesus says in Mark 10, that a man shall leave his parents, and cleave to his wife and become one flesh. Hindi sinabi ni Jesus, men and wives.
Dahil dito iiwan ng tao ang kanyang ama at ina, at kumapit sa kanyang asawa; At silang dalawa ay magiging isang laman: kaya nga wala na silang twain, kundi isang laman (Markahan 10:7)
Sa Lumang Tipan, it happened, that a man had multiple wives. But that was the old carnal man, who lived after the lusts and desires of the flesh. They were not the new man, who lived after the Spirit. Therefore using this argument to make it alright to commit adultery makes no sense.
The Bible is very clear about cheating and adultery. If God had approved adultery, then first of all Jesus wouldn’t have spoken about the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. Pangalawa, pagdaraya, pangangalunya, and fornication wouldn’t be considered a sin, and wouldn’t lead to death. Ngunit sabi ng Bibliya:
Sapagkat ito ang kalooban ng Diyos, maging ang iyong pagpapabanal, na kayo ay dapat umiwas sa pakikiapid: Upang ang bawa't isa sa inyo ay makaalam kung paano ariin ang kaniyang sisidlan sa pagpapakabanal at karangalan; Hindi sa pagnanasa ng concupiscence, Tulad ng mga Hentil na hindi nakakakilala sa Diyos (1 Mga Taga Tesalonica 4:3-5)
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body (1 Mga Taga Corinto 6:18)
Ngunit pakikiapid, at lahat ng karumihan, o pag iimbot, wag na lang minsan ang pangalan sa inyo, gaya ng mga nagiging banal (Mga Taga Efeso 5:3)
Mortify samakatuwid ang iyong mga miyembro na nasa mundo; pakikiapid, karumihan, walang pag -iibigan, masamang concupiscence, at covetousness, Alin ang idolatriya: Para sa kung aling mga bagay’ sake ang poot ng Diyos ay nakakasama sa mga anak ng pagsuway (Mga Taga Colosas 3:5-6)
Every culture disappears in Jesus Christ
Every culture disappears in Jesus Christ. Therefore you cannot hide behind your culture anymore. You cannot use your culture as an excuse for idolatry, ang pangkukulam, pagsisinungaling, chronically running late, pangangalunya, Pagnanakaw, gossip etc. Culture derives from the acts and customs of man and oftentimes these acts and customs are derived from ungodly man. Culture belongs to ang lumang nilikha; the old man and the carnal works.
Ngayon ang mga gawa ng laman ay nahayag, Alin ang mga ito; Pangangalunya, pakikiapid, karumihan, kahalayan, Idolatriya, ang pangkukulam, galit na galit, variance, mga pagtulad, galit na galit, alitan, mga sedisyonal, mga erehe, Inggit, mga pagpatay, lasing na lasing na, Mga Revellings, At tulad nito: ng kung saan sinabi ko sa iyo dati, Tulad ng sinabi ko sa iyo sa oras na nakaraan, na ang mga ito ay hindi dapat magmana ng kaharian ng Diyos (Mga Taga Galacia 5:19-21)
Ang mga tao, who keep doing the works of the flesh, shall remain a alipin ng laman, at hindi magmamana ng Kaharian ng Diyos. Because the carnal man cannot see nor enter the Kingdom of God.
When one day, you’ll be standing before the throne of God, then mentioning your culture and using your culture as an excuse for your deeds and works, has no use. You cannot hide behind your culture, because in Jesus Christ you have become a new creation, where there is neither Greek nor Jew.
Because you have become a new creation and possess God’s nature, therefore you shall ipagpaliban mo na ang matanda, including your culture, at ilagay sa bagong tao, na nilikha pagkatapos ng imahe ng Diyos.
At nagsuot na ng bagong pagkatao, na na -update sa kaalaman pagkatapos ng imahe ng kanya na lumikha sa kanya: Kung saan walang Greek o Hudyo, pagtutuli o uncutchumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bono o libre: Ngunit si Cristo ay lahat, At sa lahat (Mga Taga Colosas 3:11)
'Maging asin ng lupa’
