Secular vs. Sacred
Sometimes I’ve had various people in my life check in to see how I’m doing. I appreciate that, but the question they ask is, “How are things in your spiritual life going?”
I know what they mean, but what it implies is that there is a secular/sacred divide. In other words, there are some things that are considered secular and other things that are considered sacred or spiritual.
But is that true? In this blog post let’s look at the secular vs. sacred dichotomy.
SACRED
What comes to mind when you hear the word sacred?
My guess is that a lot of us would immediately think about things like the Bible, church buildings (with a steeple on top), priests, pastors, or missionaries. Some of us might think of sermons, Bible studies, prayer, or evangelism. A few might even think of hymns, southern gospel music, or modern praise and worship songs.
In other words, we think of objects and activities that are considered religious. Things associated with God and the spiritual realm.
SECULAR
If those things are associated with the word sacred, then what comes to mind when you hear the word secular?
Probably things like work, sports, grocery shopping, public school, social media, vacations, working out, movies, TV shows, and music (that’s not labeled Christian).
In other words, everything that we may not associate as being religious or spiritual is considered secular.
SACRED/SECULAR DIVIDE
But is there really a secular/sacred divide? Are some things secular and other things sacred? Are some activities considered spiritual and others not?
The problem with this line of thinking is that it implies that God is involved in about 5-10% of what we do on a daily basis and in the other 90-95% of life, He’s not.
We don’t have two lives – a spiritual life here and a secular life there.
If you have put your faith in Jesus for salvation, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you (Ephesians 1:13) and joined Himself to you in a forever spiritual union (1 Corinthians 6:17).
If you are united to the Lord at all times, then that means there is never a moment you are apart. Wherever you go and whatever activity you are doing, Jesus is there with you. This means that all of life is sacred.
As we make ourselves available to participate with Jesus in what He is doing in us and through us, all of life becomes spiritual. Our work, social lives, sports, budgeting, and everything else we do matters to God.
We are created by God for the good works He planned long ago to do in us and through us (Ephesians 2:10). He expresses His life through us and produces these good works at our jobs, in the gym, on the courts/fields, at school, in our neighborhoods, and on our vacations.
In other words, things like Bible reading, going to church, listening to sermons, and spending time in corporate worship are not the only spiritual parts of our lives. Everything is spiritual.
DON’T GET TRAPPED IN THE SPIRITUAL BUBBLE
When we see the world through the lens of secular and sacred, not only do we miss out on the Life of Christ in most of our activities, but we can also get trapped in a spiritual bubble.
If we view some spaces as secular, sometimes we grow fearful of them. We think that we might get infected by sin in those secular places. We look down on the people out in the world in those spaces.
Therefore, we begin to build a bubble around us. We close ourselves off from the world and only relate with those people and things we define as sacred.
When we do this, we miss the opportunity to be salt and light in the world. We miss the opportunity for Jesus to use us to reach the lost, shape culture, and push back the darkness in the world.
CONCLUSION
God didn’t rescue you from your sin and come to dwell in you just to be involved in a small portion of your life. He came to be involved in all of it.
He didn’t come to isolate you from the world. He came to put Himself in you so that He could use you as His instrument in the world.
Don’t fall for the lie that you have a spiritual life and a secular life. All of life is spiritual.
Allow Jesus to guide and shape your work life, social life, school life, sports life, financial life, and all other areas of your life. To Jesus, it’s just life. He knows how all things work. He knows how He created you to function and work best.
He wants to enjoy His relationship with you and be involved in all areas of your life. He wants to produce things of eternal value through you and use them to impact the world He created and is actively involved in.
All of life is spiritual.