First, Paul applies this text to the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The “gifts” he mentions most probably refer, in the first instance, to the spiritual gifts by which believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, do the work of seeking and advancing the Kingdom of God.

But though these are “spiritual gifts” their use is not restricted to what we might think of as “spiritual activities” – whatever those are. The gifts of the Holy Spirit – of teaching, helping, administering, giving, and so forth – apply to every situation in which believers are seeking to advance the rule of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit, which is the Kingdom of God.

Thus, we should expect to see these supernatural endowments come to expression in such everyday activities as working at a marriage, managing a home, carrying out our daily work, enjoying a quiet evening together, writing a poem or an email, or working in a political campaign.

Jesus Christ is Lord of all of life, and He has sent His followers, like salt, light, and leaven, into every nook and cranny of society and culture, fitted with special spiritual endowments from God, in order to bring renewal and transformation into a world darkened by unbelief and sin.

The presence of Christians in any particular cultural situation or activity should, therefore, ensure that a power for righteousness, peace, and joy will be at work there which otherwise that cultural arena might not know. The spiritual gifts God gives to His followers thus become cultural resources for creating and transforming the artifacts, institutions, and conventions of our lives, so that these can fulfill their potential to define, sustain, and enrich us and our neighbors.

Thus, by the operation of divine power in and through those who believe, the various forms of culture become themselves gifts of God to benefit the people He loves.

Gifts all around

But there is a second curious aspect to Paul’s use of this quote from Psalm 68.18. Paul chose to quote, not the Hebrew text in this case, which reads “receiving gifts among men,” but a version of the Septuagint version, which, in the mind of pre-Christian interpreters, seemed to make better sense of what the Hebrew intended.

So Paul uses “gave to men” rather than “receiving among men” because in his mind this Greek translation captured David’s meaning more precisely. The text then goes on to read (in the ESV), “He gave gifts to men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there” (emphasis added).God, in other words, has given gifts for making culture, not only to His redeemed people, but to all human beings, even those who despise Him!

And this is a very good thing, for if we had to depend on Christians to invent and perfect all the forms of culture we need, we’d still be waiting for things like computers, the Internet, and, of course, much, much more.

God gives human beings abundant cultural gifts and abilities – and since the day of Christ’s ascension, those endowments have been multiplied manifold over what the world knew in the days before the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Now, in giving human beings gifts for culture, we can be sure that, since He intended that His glory should dwell in the midst of their cultural activities, God wants those gifts used according to His truth, for the good of all His creatures, and as a reflection of His beauty, goodness, and truth in infinite and wondrous ways.

God has a purpose for human culture, but human beings have not always used their cultural gifts to honor God and benefit their neighbors. When culture departs from its God-given purposes, those who discern this must take up the task of renewing and redeeming culture to the glory of God.

Next steps

If Christians regarded all aspects of their cultural lives as a gift from God, and an opportunity for glorifying Him, do you think the people we encounter each week would notice? What would they notice? Talk with some Christian friends about these questions.

Additional Resources

Download this week’s study, Redeeming Culture.

Sign up for ViewPoint Leaders Training and start your own ViewPoint discussion group.

Want to go a little deeper with culture? Order T. M.’s book, Christians on the Front Lines of the Culture Wars from our online store.

Men, download our free brief paper, “Men of the Church: A Solemn Warning,” by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.