This specific post isn't arguing which passages/commands in the Bible we should apply today and which were directed to address a cultural problem, only that the authors of the Bible wrote within specific cultures, and those cultures influenced what and how they wrote. This is not to take away from the inspiration of God nor his authority, nor does this argument state that God himself changes (although it would be interesting to consider how Jesus changed in the incarnation). This is also not to say that nothing from the Bible is applicable to our culture today. In fact, everything is applicable in some way, although not all can follow a one-to-one correlation. (Notice these are broad remarks. We're not yet discussing specifics, such as the passage of which you speak.)

Following posts in this series delve into how our culture affects our understanding of the Bible, how the culture of the authors affect their writing, and how we can approach the Bible in a manner that we can seek to understand who God is and what his Story is as well as how we are to live it today in our culture(s).

For now, I'd like to consider things in our culture that affect how we read and apply the culture. For example, do you greet your brothers and sisters in Christ with a holy kiss? Do you have an opinion on abortion or evolution or nuclear war? None of those are spoken about directly in the Bible because they aren't issues faced by the authors or people in the Bible. However, our opinions on these matters can be guided by what we learn about God and how he acts.