God doesn’t endorse any particular culture for (with exception of course) matter. He meets people were they are and works with them. The ancient Middle Eastern Culture is far more alien to us now that the culture of the Apostle Paul’s. Both are ancient and should be taken in their correct context. The notion that we should dish out capital punishment for someone for murder based on passages in the OT can get you into trouble. What happens in the case of adultery then? Should we kill people that are found guilty for that as well?
We cannot enforce all the laws of the Old Testament now because many are tied to the Temple, which was destroyed in 70 A.D., and tied to the Rabbinic priesthood which was scattered to the winds then. We can still keep the Commandments, though, like keeping the Sabbath, not bowing down to other gods, the food laws, and so on. That is what the true Israelites did in the captivity in Babylon.
I bet you think animal sacrifices are all over, outdated, right? Well, if you will search the Old Testament you will see that in the Millenium, the really "modern" age to come, when the Temple is restored in its glory, animal sacrifices will be reinstituted. YHWH, aka God, never changes. He spoke the 10 Commandments at Mt. Sinai, audibly. The Bible says He "will not alter" what goes out of His mouth.
I bet you think the food laws are all over now too, right? First of all when Peter had his meat on the sheet dream he protested that he had never eaten anything unclean. This shows Messiah never changed the food laws. (When He talked about food, He did not mean pig and lobster, which were not considered food by those in Israel anymore than road kill is considered food to us.) In Scriptures the interpretation for dreams is given. In Peter's case we are told more than once "This means...." There is zero mention of food, only of "unclean" gentiles being brought into the Kingdom.
Notice that in prison with Joseph, both Pharaoh's baker and butler had dreams about food. The interpretations for their dreams were given also. Once again, the interpretations had zero to do with food.
Also notice that in Acts 15 NON Jewish converts are told to refrain from blood, per Mosaic Law, and not to eat the meat of strangled animals. Strangled animals still had all the blood inside. Later you see in Acts 15 that - as was the custom at the time - the new converts were assumed to be going to the Synagogues on the Sabbaths (not Sundays) to learn the rest of the Laws of Moses.
We can't stone those caught in adultery because we don't have a Rabbinic system in this country to go by. Messiah did not stone the woman caught in adultery but He was not changing the Torah. The Torah says that both the man and woman should be brought forth, but only she was brought forth. The Torah says there must be two witnesses. When He wrote in the sand (maybe the sins of the witnesses, maybe even some of them with her?) the would be witnesses disappeared. The Torah was not being followed, and He showed her mercy, but told her, per the Torah, "Go and sin no more."
There is much in mainstream Christianity that is missing it. There are many traditions of men there, which our Savior hated and berated the Pharisees for
Again, you cite "culture." Cultures that go contrary to the Word lead to all kinds of problems for their populations. And that includes all cultures in one way or another. Again, I am not saying that we should disobey the laws of the land, unless we have to in order to be true to our Savior - as you agree. I was not directing anyone to do this or that. I was simply commenting. Commenting. I pointed out the problems of our penal system which thinks it has a better idea than what is taught in the Word. I said that it is not what "cultures" do that the Lord wants to agree with. He wants us to do what HE told us to do - where possible in the dispersal - and He "changes not."
