THE SACRED AND THE SECULAR LIFE

Western society draws a strong line between what is sacred and what is secular. The former is regarded as a private matter for individuals, with no implications for their secular life. Thus the sacred is regarded as having no bearing on the morals, ethics and values of today’s world. This type of thinking is rooted in ancient Greek thinking, which understood human beings in terms of a body and soul (or a body, soul and spirit). The sacred is limited to the “soul” and “spirit” realm, while the secular deals with the “body” and the material world.

Such thinking is not only Western, however, for there are also South Asian religions that teach that the goal of human life is to achieve the release of the “soul”, or the “spirit”, from the sinful body.

Thus from their perspective too, the sacred is regarded as far more important than the secular.

This is not what the Bible teaches. It is committed to a holistic view of life that undermines the dualism of “sacred” and “secular”. In the OT God is concerned for the secular realm because he is its creator. He is Spirit, yet he creates a material universe and populates it with human beings whom he invites to enjoy his good creation. After human beings fell into sin, we still see God at work in the “secular” realm, redeeming the people of Israel and giving them laws to live by.

The secular, material world was the arena in which they were to live holy, sacred lives. If they did not do this, they would be punished.

This attitude to the secular world is still part of the Muslim world

view, which has deep ties to the OT and does not distinguish between a secular and a religious realm.

For Christians, the supreme example of God’s fusion of the sacred and the secular is found in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He was God, yet he took on our human nature. He lived a sacred life that was also a fully human life. Through enduring a secular execution by death on the cross, he brought salvation and fullness of life. The proof of what he has done in the secular realm is that God raised him up to life again, as the empty tomb testifies.

Jesus told his followers to be light and salt in society. That is what the early church did as it lived out its new life, turning society upside down through new thinking and the transforming presence of the sacred in secular life. The hope of resurrection gave believers the impetus to live and die without fear, because the secular and sacred were now intertwined. Hence Paul urged the Ephesians to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph 4:1).

The Bible calls us to embrace the fullness of life that Jesus Christ offers. We no longer live under rigid laws but, infused with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to work to transform every area of life, from our homes to the marketplace, to demonstrate that Christ has broken the false dichotomy between the secular and the sacred.

Ashish Chrispal