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So in my studies of scripture, and understanding I've been wondering. Is culture awareness needed to have an understanding of some parts of scripture.
Now before I go into this, what I am stating here is just the understanding that I have come to know. I am not telling anyone else that their way is wrong, and I am not telling people that they need to follow or understand as what I've come to follow or understand. I am simply just explaining my thoughts on this.
I have posted on a thread about this, but I really didn't go into detail.
This thread will be rather long, so if you are going to reply without reading through the whole post, then please save time and not reply/post.
So the scriptures we're looking at I'll split into 2 parts.
First
Colossians 2
[SUP]1[/SUP]For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, [SUP]2 [/SUP]that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and[SUP][a][/SUP] of Christ, [SUP]3 [/SUP]in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [SUP]4 [/SUP]Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. [SUP]5 [/SUP]For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, [SUP]7 [/SUP]rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it[SUP][b][/SUP] with thanksgiving.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. [SUP]9 [/SUP]For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; [SUP]10 [/SUP]and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins[SUP][c][/SUP] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, [SUP]12 [/SUP]buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. [SUP]13 [/SUP]And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, [SUP]14 [/SUP]having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [SUP]15 [/SUP]Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, [SUP]17 [/SUP]which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. [SUP]18 [/SUP]Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, [SUP]19 [/SUP]and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
[SUP]20 [/SUP]Therefore,[SUP][e][/SUP] if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— [SUP]21 [/SUP]“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” [SUP]22 [/SUP]which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? [SUP]23 [/SUP]These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
So in a summary Paul is basically stated to not chase after man's traditions. Which I whole heartedly agree with. God's ways are the only ways.
So here is where culture awareness comes in.
In Colossae, at that time in history there was a religous group called Gnostics, or also called Proto-Gnostics. Basically this religous group believed in all doctrines from multiple different religons if you want to put it this way. They worshiped angels, not God or gods, they follow a specific strict diet, they followed man's philosphies oppose to God's ways. They followed mainly the teachings of Plato, and other philosophers like him. Another one of the things they did is they took the feasts from Torah, and the appointed times from Torah and "pganised" them.
Now not only this, but the Gnostics/Proto-Gnostics also judged and persecuted those who did not believe in their ways. They are very much like a major cult that would have been accepted at the time period, and would attempt to force their ways on others (very much like we see in today's culture on different topics/situations).
So again, overall my understanding is Paul would be warning and teaching against the Gnostics because there had been a church set up in Colossae. Paul knew that they church/christians would come under scrutiny from the Gnostics. Paul was teaching not to fall into their man-made doctrines/teachings/philosophies, but to keep their eye on the salvation and grace that Yeshua has brought us. He's not saying do not follow the feasts of God, but not to follow the ways of man.
Now with this said I'm not saying you have to follow/observe the feasts, that is your own conviction on whether to observe or not. I'm stating that Paul direction was not towards Torah, but man-made doctrines.
Part 2
Galatians 4:8-11
[SUP]8 [/SUP]But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. [SUP]9 [/SUP]But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? [SUP]10 [/SUP]You observe days and months and seasons and years. [SUP]11 [/SUP]I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.
Now I know this is a short exerpt from the passage of Galatians 4.
Here we see Paul starts off talking about how (whoever he is speaking to) before they knew God they basically worship nature. Then the next sentence Paul refers to after the Galatians became known by God, he asks them why they are turning away from God, and going into practices of elemental worship (going back to their old ways).
Who were the Galatians?
Well if you look at where they came from, the people in Galatia came from Gaul which their religous beliefs were Celtic beliefs. Well as well all know from movies and what not and history, the Celts worshipped nature. They had montly/seasonal/yearly festivals. Days the set to worship their nature gods.
So with knowing this, I would believe it is safe to say that Paul was referring to the early Christians in Galatia returning to their pagan roots, and worshipping the elements. Again like in Colossians, I do not believe that Paul is referrencing to the feasts in Torah, but to traditions of man.
Overall with these 2 passages, Paul is teaching against man's traditions. Not traditions that God set up.
Again I am not saying I'm right and others are wrong and I'm right, this is simply just my understanding on what I've learned in studying.
So with this, my question is; Does understanding culture help with studying scripture?
I am not saying or disreguarding the Holy Spirits guidance, I'm just asking a simple question.
.
Blessings
Now before I go into this, what I am stating here is just the understanding that I have come to know. I am not telling anyone else that their way is wrong, and I am not telling people that they need to follow or understand as what I've come to follow or understand. I am simply just explaining my thoughts on this.
I have posted on a thread about this, but I really didn't go into detail.
This thread will be rather long, so if you are going to reply without reading through the whole post, then please save time and not reply/post.
So the scriptures we're looking at I'll split into 2 parts.
First
Colossians 2
[SUP]1[/SUP]For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, [SUP]2 [/SUP]that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and[SUP][a][/SUP] of Christ, [SUP]3 [/SUP]in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [SUP]4 [/SUP]Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. [SUP]5 [/SUP]For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, [SUP]7 [/SUP]rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it[SUP][b][/SUP] with thanksgiving.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. [SUP]9 [/SUP]For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; [SUP]10 [/SUP]and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins[SUP][c][/SUP] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, [SUP]12 [/SUP]buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. [SUP]13 [/SUP]And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, [SUP]14 [/SUP]having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [SUP]15 [/SUP]Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, [SUP]17 [/SUP]which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. [SUP]18 [/SUP]Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, [SUP]19 [/SUP]and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
[SUP]20 [/SUP]Therefore,[SUP][e][/SUP] if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— [SUP]21 [/SUP]“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” [SUP]22 [/SUP]which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? [SUP]23 [/SUP]These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
So in a summary Paul is basically stated to not chase after man's traditions. Which I whole heartedly agree with. God's ways are the only ways.
So here is where culture awareness comes in.
In Colossae, at that time in history there was a religous group called Gnostics, or also called Proto-Gnostics. Basically this religous group believed in all doctrines from multiple different religons if you want to put it this way. They worshiped angels, not God or gods, they follow a specific strict diet, they followed man's philosphies oppose to God's ways. They followed mainly the teachings of Plato, and other philosophers like him. Another one of the things they did is they took the feasts from Torah, and the appointed times from Torah and "pganised" them.
Now not only this, but the Gnostics/Proto-Gnostics also judged and persecuted those who did not believe in their ways. They are very much like a major cult that would have been accepted at the time period, and would attempt to force their ways on others (very much like we see in today's culture on different topics/situations).
So again, overall my understanding is Paul would be warning and teaching against the Gnostics because there had been a church set up in Colossae. Paul knew that they church/christians would come under scrutiny from the Gnostics. Paul was teaching not to fall into their man-made doctrines/teachings/philosophies, but to keep their eye on the salvation and grace that Yeshua has brought us. He's not saying do not follow the feasts of God, but not to follow the ways of man.
Now with this said I'm not saying you have to follow/observe the feasts, that is your own conviction on whether to observe or not. I'm stating that Paul direction was not towards Torah, but man-made doctrines.
Part 2
Galatians 4:8-11
[SUP]8 [/SUP]But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. [SUP]9 [/SUP]But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? [SUP]10 [/SUP]You observe days and months and seasons and years. [SUP]11 [/SUP]I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.
Now I know this is a short exerpt from the passage of Galatians 4.
Here we see Paul starts off talking about how (whoever he is speaking to) before they knew God they basically worship nature. Then the next sentence Paul refers to after the Galatians became known by God, he asks them why they are turning away from God, and going into practices of elemental worship (going back to their old ways).
Who were the Galatians?
Well if you look at where they came from, the people in Galatia came from Gaul which their religous beliefs were Celtic beliefs. Well as well all know from movies and what not and history, the Celts worshipped nature. They had montly/seasonal/yearly festivals. Days the set to worship their nature gods.
So with knowing this, I would believe it is safe to say that Paul was referring to the early Christians in Galatia returning to their pagan roots, and worshipping the elements. Again like in Colossians, I do not believe that Paul is referrencing to the feasts in Torah, but to traditions of man.
Overall with these 2 passages, Paul is teaching against man's traditions. Not traditions that God set up.
Again I am not saying I'm right and others are wrong and I'm right, this is simply just my understanding on what I've learned in studying.
So with this, my question is; Does understanding culture help with studying scripture?
I am not saying or disreguarding the Holy Spirits guidance, I'm just asking a simple question.
.
Blessings
Any TRUE seminary or TRUE pastor teacher will teach "I.C.E." The "I" in "I.C.E." is called Isagogics, it is the historical background of the bible. Hermeneutics would incomplete without this knowledge. And more than a few verses can be bent to our liking if we do not understand the culture in which the text was written in.
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R
while many texts in scripture are more or less culturally universal with meanings obvious to virtually anyone regardless of culture...there are sections of scripture where the correct meaning is connected with some aspect of culture from the writer's time...
for example there is the old testament law that says you cannot boil a goat in its mother's milk...centuries after the fact jewish rabbis thought that this was a prohibition against eating meat with milk in general...when in reality it was a prohibition of a specific canaanite fertility practice that existed in moses' time but no longer existed in the time of the talmudic rabbis...
for example there is the old testament law that says you cannot boil a goat in its mother's milk...centuries after the fact jewish rabbis thought that this was a prohibition against eating meat with milk in general...when in reality it was a prohibition of a specific canaanite fertility practice that existed in moses' time but no longer existed in the time of the talmudic rabbis...