Jesus Fulfills the Cultural Heritage
Coming home to Christ is not about becoming someone else—it’s about realizing who you were always meant to be.
Devotional Credit: E. Stanley Jones, In Christ
Photo Credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones reminds us that Christ did not come to obliterate the cultural identities of people across the globe. Rather, He came to fulfill the deepest longings woven within them. Christianity is not a Western export or a foreign framework to be imposed on other cultures—it is the unveiling of a Person who perfectly embodies what every culture has, in its own way, longed to see.
When Jesus said He came “not to destroy but to fulfill,” He was speaking not only of the Law but also of the inner groanings of nations and tribes and peoples throughout history. He fulfills the Greek hunger for wisdom, the Jewish longing for righteousness, and even the Hindu pursuit of sanctification. Each of these cultural expressions, though flawed in execution, contains an echo of eternity—a desire for what only Christ can truly give.
In Hindu culture, sanctification is often outward—ritual separation from what is unclean. But Jesus brings sanctification from the inside out, not leading to pride or exclusion, but to union with Himself. He does not abolish the noble aims of cultures; He completes them. Wherever you are from, when you meet Christ, it feels like coming home. Not because He takes away your heritage, but because He redeems it in Himself.
🕊️ Personalized Journal Entry — Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have been stirring in the hearts of all people throughout all ages. Even when they could not name Me, they longed for Me. They built temples, performed rituals, searched for wisdom, practiced righteousness, and sought to be set apart. But these efforts remained hollow without Me.
Now that I dwell within you, you no longer need to search for a way to make yourself clean. I have made you clean. Your sanctification is not earned by separation from the world but received by union with Me. I sanctify not through outward rituals, but through the renewing of your mind and the indwelling of My life.
Do not despise the heritage I allowed to form you. I have not discarded it—I fulfill it. The hunger for truth, beauty, and holiness that pulses through the background of your culture was always pointing toward Me. I came not to erase it, but to breathe My life into it.
Wherever you go, know that I am already there. I am the true homeland of every soul. I am the wisdom the Greeks sought, the righteousness the Jews pursued, and the sanctification the Hindus desired. And in Me, you are home.
Scripture references: John 10:10, Matthew 5:17, Romans 8:3–4, Colossians 1:27, 1 Thessalonians 5:23
🔑 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like walking into a house you’ve never seen before but instinctively knowing where everything is. Your hand reaches for the light switch without looking. The layout feels familiar, the scent reminds you of something long forgotten, and you feel at ease. That’s what meeting Jesus is like. Cultures may use different blueprints, but the true home is only complete when He steps into it.
🙏 Prayer of Confidence
Lord Jesus, thank You for being the fulfillment of every longing—not just in me, but in every culture You created. You have not erased my story; You have redeemed it. I rest in the truth that You are the desire of the nations, the completion of every search, the home I didn’t know I was missing. I walk with You today knowing I already belong—fully sanctified, fully loved, and fully known in You.