Most people view the world in categories. Two categories that divide all of life are the sacred and the secular. The sacred refers to all things that have a connection to the spiritual or an ideal higher than oneself. The secular is the opposite, it describes matters relating only to the concrete, that which is present in daily life. There is a huge contrast in the way Christians view these categories and the rest of the world views the categories. A person’s view of the sacred and the secular has a monumental impact on how he lives his life.
In our culture there is an emphasis placed on one over the other. For some the activities of daily living- eating, drinking, working, playing are what life is truly about. In contrast, others view activities of the sacred such as prayer, meditation, church-going, worship, cultivating morals as more important. It is easy to see the distinction but does having a distinction mean that one is better than the other? What should a Christian’s view of this division be?
A huge difference in worldviews comes from one’s perspective of the sacred and the secular. One’s very purpose in life is determined by that view. Atheists might believe there really is no such thing as the sacred. Their worldview is that this life is all there is so we might as well eat, drink, and be merry. The sacred, if it exists at all is intangible and not meant of us to have anything to do with.
Monism, the idea that all is one, views earthy things as something to rise above. In Buddhism, one is asked to focus solely on the spiritual, that other things are meaningless. In Hinduism, the world is trapped in an endless cycle, desperately trying to get back to oneness. The only way to do that is through religious activities like meditation and good deeds, or Kharma.
Ancient Gnosticism sees a much greater value in the sacred as well. "Gnostics assert that matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result of this presupposition, Gnostics believe anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only.”
In contrast to all of those views we have Christianity. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, we are told that “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If everything we do is a means to glorify God, then we are meant to integrate the sacred and the secular. Worship is not just confined to the act of singing in church in the presence of other believers. When thinking about this integration, we are confronted by another verse that tells believers to “pray without ceasing.” Instead of setting aside a small amount of time to focus solely on God, all of life is under the Lordship of Christ. This means we are to be in constant communication and fellowship with God, aware of His presence and our relationship to Him.
The problem that comes from viewing the sacred and the secular as separate is that it places on emphasis on activities from a human perspective. From God’s perspective, we are meant to be evaluating every part of life for “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute,” and told to “dwell on those things.” It also shows us that spirituality should not be one distinct part of our lives but a constant consideration of our fellowship with Him. It means “being transformed by the renewing of your minds.”
Integrating the sacred and the secular does not mean that intentional activities like prayer, church-going, corporate worship, meditation, etc are not valuable. In fact we are commanded to do those things. However, the problem arises when we do not understand that Jesus Christ has redeemed ALL of life. He did not come to save our souls only. He “rescued us from the domain of darkness,” so that we might live as those “alive from the dead.” The concept of the redemption of all of life is what makes Christianity so radically different than other faiths. God did not send His Son that we might be mindless robots that go through the motions of “Christian” stuff, but that we might be fully human. Being fully human means to live in fellowship with God and others, to manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, to walk in dependence on what He has done for us. In his book, “The Green Letters,” Miles Stanford writes, "Our Father is not seeking to abolish us as human beings and have the Lord Jesus replace us. He is seeking to restore us as human personalities so that we may be the vehicle through which Christ will express Himself. Therefore you find that whenever God gets hold of a man, instead of abolishing his personality, He makes it what He intended it to be. Redemption is the recovery of the man, not the destruction of the man. And when the Lord Jesus in us is brought to the place He is aiming for, there will not be an atom of the old life left, but the man will be left— glorified in union with the Lord Jesus Christ."
The significance of one’s view of the sacred and the secular are clear. One’s viewpoint changes how one interacts with this world, views oneself, views God, and treats others. Christianity rises above all other views and religions in this because it clearly recognizes the need for integration. We are not merely matter and we are not merely spiritual. A healthy view of the sacred and the secular will bring one to the understanding that both aspects of humanity are important. Christ has come to redeem who we truly are, every part, the drudgery and ordinariness of daily life and the heights of fellowship with the Triune God.
