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*This is a follow-up post to my article Can Christians Listen To “Secular” Music? My thoughts here will make more sense if you read that post too.

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As Christians, most of us understand that we’re supposed to be set apart for Jesus and live differently from the world. I can tell you from observation and from my own personal mistakes, though, that this language/concept isn’t always used by Christians correctly. (Did you also know the language “in the world, but not of it” actually isn’t even in the Bible? Not quite in that way, at least.)

In this study, we’re going to look at what the Bible really means when it calls God’s people to be separate from the world and why being involved in the world is so much more important for Christians than you might think.

What Being “of the World” is Not

I’ve noticed that sometimes when Christians say someone is “acting like the world,” what they usually mean is that someone is behaving in a way that doesn’t fit their own personal style or preferences. Don’t believe this is an issue? Here are a few real-life scenarios where sincere Jesus followers didn’t quite hit the target on evaluating worldliness.

• I read a Facebook comment once by a guy who said he loved the music of a certain Christian worship band, but he would have never known they were Christians by the way they dress–pointing out their tattoos, ripped clothing, and earthly style. That’s a problematic viewpoint because there’s no verse in the Bible that defines which fashion trends are “earthly” and which ones aren’t.

• I had a Christian friend’s dad (also a Christian) confront her because he thought she shouldn’t have non-Christian friends. That doesn’t make sense to me either because last I checked Jesus interacted with people who didn’t believe in Him all the time and in doing so was able to bring salvation and restoration to them. He’s called us as His followers to do the same. (Mark 2:13-17 // Mark 16:15 // Romans 10:13-15) If we’re hiding from people who don’t share our faith, we’re probably not being very effective witnesses of Jesus to people.

• I mentioned to a family member once that I was going to a friend’s birthday party to which he responded, “Christians aren’t supposed to go to parties.” I find that odd because Jesus went to parties all the time. Of course, He never did anything inappropriate or sinful, but socialization and celebration were a part of His life.  (Mark 2:13-17 // Luke 7:33-35 // John 2:1-11)

• I’ve seen videos of Brian “Head” Welch from the band Korn and WWE wrestler Shawn Michaels talking about how Christian people discouraged them from and even criticized them for returning to their careers in “secular” entertainment after they had given their lives to Jesus. Doesn’t the Bible say, though, that we should glorify God in everything we do, not just church things, and that it’s by letting our light shine in dark places that others see our deeds and are pointed to God? (1 Corinthians 10:31 // Matthew 5:14-16)

What Exactly Is Worldliness, Then?

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you… (1 John 2:15-17) 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think… (Romans 12:2)

In his book, Imagine: A Vision For Christians in the Arts, Steve Turner breaks down the biblical usages of the words world/worldliness. He writes, “On the one hand, there is the created world that God deemed ‘good,’ which is contrasted with the rest of the universe…On the other hand, there is the rebellious system of thinking we might contrast with the kingdom of heaven. ‘Love not the world’ means neither ‘Don’t care for the planet’ nor ‘Drop out of society’ but ‘don’t embrace anti-God thinking.”

He goes on to say, “we become worldly not by engaging with the world but by allowing it to shape our thinking.” “The world” refers to this world’s way of thinking and living as opposed to God’s way of thinking and living.

So when we read and quote biblical phrases like “come out from among them and be separate,” (2 Corinthians 6:14) “what fellowship does light have with darkness,” (2 Corinthians 6:17) “do not love the world or the things it offers you,” (1 John 2:15) or, “do not conform to the patterns of this world” (Romans 12:2), understand that God isn’t telling us to have an escapist mentality from the culture and people who aren’t Christians.

With these verses, God isn’t saying that we can never enjoy or engage in “secular” entertainment. God is calling us not to allow our thinking and living to be shaped by the ways of this world, which does not know God, and to instead let our thinking and living be shaped by Him through His Word and through His Spirit working in our lives. (Ephesians 4:17-24)

Why Being in the World Matters

Sadly, many of us have done just the opposite: we’ve distorted what the Bible means when it talks about avoiding worldliness and reduced it to an excuse to hide from and condemn “secular” culture, entertainment , and people who are outside of the Church.

Not everything in the culture is bad

I’m convinced that the idea that culture/entertainment is inherently evil and sinful is a lie from Satan. I believe the enemy’s intention is to rob Christians from experiencing and expressing the goodness and glory of God in all spheres of life.

There are plenty of sinful thought patterns and behaviors in this world that don’t agree with God’s Word and that we should avoid, but that doesn’t mean everything in the culture around us is bad. There are also so many good, beautiful things that God has given us as gifts to enjoy as we live in the world He created. It would be a shame not to appreciate the good because we threw out the good with the bad. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

We can’t witness Jesus to a world we’re hiding from

I also think the Enemy wants to twist the concept of separation from the world to make Christians less effective as intercessors, less effective as witnesses of Jesus, and less loving towards our neighbors in this world who are drawn to or repelled by Jesus largely based on their interactions with us as His people.

I can guarantee you and I are not praying for God to move on behalf of who/what we’re demonizing. I can guarantee you and I are not sharing God’s love and His message with who/what we’re demonizing. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Jesus said to go into all the world and make disciples, proclaiming His saving message to every person and teaching those who believe to live by His commands. (This is commonly called The Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20) All the world means all the world. Every geographical place, every people group and demographic, every language, every sphere of society, every person.

As Christians, we can’t justify completely removing ourselves from certain spheres of society and culture and from certain demographics of people as if we are more godly for doing it. We are not more godly for doing it, we’re just less effective at fulfilling the Great Commission. (Again, I’m not talking about participating in sin but rather being involved in the world around us.)

Jesus has empowered us by His Holy Spirit–individually and as the corporate people of God–to take His message to people who need to know Him in every sphere of society. Why would we “bottle up” that power inside ourselves and inside our church ministries only when Jesus has called and empowered us to represent Him to others inside our church communities and beyond?

I love Acts 8:4, which talks about how believers in Jesus were scattered from Jerusalem because a wave of persecution started. “But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.”

Wherever they went. Wherever life led them, whatever friendships and communities they ended up in, whatever career fields they pursued, whatever hobbies they enjoyed etc. They simply lived their normal lives with intentionality and shared the Good News of Jesus with people in the midst of it. You and I are called to do the same and stay faithful to godly belief and lifestyle as we do it.

Finding Balance 

You and I are called by God not to let the ways of this world shape our hearts, minds and lives. However, we are equally called by God to be present and actively participate in this world. Actively engaged. Loving people. Enjoying the goodness of God in all the world He made, not just the church part of it. Expressing the glory of God to a world that needs to know Him.

*For tips on practical application of these concepts, read these blogs:

• How Christians Should Handle Personal Convictions and Gray Areas
• Can Christians Listen to ‘Secular’ Music?
• 3 Simple Keys to Living a Godly Life

Let’s Talk: Is there some part of society or culture you believed it was wrong to engage in because of a wrong definition of worldliness? How did you discover the truth? Discuss this post in the comments below.

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