Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my ninety seventh episode. In this episode I want to contend with a Christian idea which I believe is commonly misunderstood. It occurred to me that I should address this idea with Halloween approaching because I’ve heard many Christians speak rather harshly against costumes and candy. The idea is that Christians should shelter themselves from the world and from people who are given over to sin. Many Christians who believe this won’t even watch television shows or movies that depict sin or violence. Parents who believe this tend to guard their children with various restrictions in an effort to protect their innocence. Of all the misunderstandings held by the modern church, bubble-wrapping yourself and your family against the reality of the world is probably the most dangerous. This form of sheltering results in deep misunderstandings of human nature, the inability to relate to the lost, and a naivete that puts a person at risk of permanent psychological damage. Christians must stop hiding from the world. Instead, Christians must learn how to exist in the world in such a way as to be salt to preserve that which is good and light to guide the lost.
I’m going to work from Scripture to take apart this idea along four different dimensions. I want to explore why so many Christians hold to this idea. I want to explain why I think it’s wrong as well as the risks associated with it. I want to lay out the proper mode of being for the person who chooses to live in the world. And I want to show you the benefits that the proper mode of being will have on yourself, your family, as well as the other people in your life. So first let’s figure out why so many Christians believe they need to shelter themselves from the world. Two of the most common proof-texts for this behavior are found in 1st and 2nd Corinthians. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, this is Paul writing to the church in Corinth:
1Co 5:9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—
1Co 5:10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
1Co 5:11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
1Co 5:12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?
1Co 5:13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
When it came to holy living, early Christians thought it would be easier to just remove themselves from the outside world. This is in part what motivated the monastic movement late in the 3rd century. Paul is crystal clear about how believers should refuse to associate with people who practice sexual immorality, greed, theft, idolatry and all the rest. But the people he’s saying to disassociate with are other Christians who practice these things. Paul even goes to the trouble of explicitly saying that he does not mean outsiders here. In fact, he advises the Corinthian Christians against even expecting godly behavior from those who are on the outside. As Christians, we should not be surprised or offended when outsiders are covetous, swindlers, or revilers. This is exactly the behavior of a person who does not know Jesus. Being surprised, offended, or judgmental of outsiders who fail to act Christlike is similar to making an accountant play one-on-one basketball with LeBron James – and then being shocked, offended, and accusatory when the accountant loses. It’s impossible for a person to be holy if they do not have a relationship with Christ. Paul tells us that judgment on such people is reserved for God alone. Yet how many Christians will have nothing to do with outsiders unless it’s to be offended by them or to judge them? No. It’s our job to get out there and help them by teaching and living the gospel.
So who are the people Paul is warning us to avoid? In a word, these are false teachers. If a person understands the gospel, is theologically well-grounded in Scripture, and yet continues to take pride in and identifies with their sin – this person is a false teacher. There are two types of Christian sinners. One is the person who struggles with their sin, hates their sin, and is waiting on God to help sanctify them from their sin. The other is the person who accepts their sin as part of their identity. This person is committed to their sin and wouldn’t repent even if God gave them the power to. The only option left for this Christian is to deceive him or herself into believing that their sin isn’t actually a sin at all. And that makes them a false teacher. Paul tells us not to continue in Christian fellowship with such a person. This person needs to either change their belief regarding their sin and begin taking up the struggle with it, or else be removed from the fellowship. There is an eternity of difference between the person who struggles with sin over against the person who embraces it. The next proof-text commonly cited for removing oneself from the world is 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – again this is Paul to the church in Corinth:
2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Co 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
2Co 6:18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
On first reading this appears to be clear instruction for Christians to separate themselves from the world and from outsiders. But let’s go a little deeper and find out if that’s what it actually means. First, let’s explore this idea of being unequally yoked. Being unequally yoked means being bound or mixed together in such a way as to be inseparable. This idea has symbolic precursors that can be found in the Mosaic Law. For example, listen to Deuteronomy 22:9-11:
Deu 22:9 “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard.
Deu 22:10 You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
Deu 22:11 You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.
In all of these examples the contents are unequally yoked. The classic application of this idea is warning Christians against marrying non-Christians. I think this is good advice because marriage causes two people to deeply connect and influence each other. There can only be three outcomes when a Christian marries a non-Christian and all three are painful. The first is that the Christian drifts away into apostasy. The second is that the Christian bears the lifelong burden of worrying about their spouse. The third is that the unbelieving spouse converts to Christianity. Given how painful and difficult it is to change a person’s worldview – I would urge all single Christians to avoid the risk of trying it. Now, if you are already married to someone who is not a Christian – don’t leave them because of that. Listen to 1 Corinthians 7:12-14:
1Co 7:12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.
1Co 7:13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.
1Co 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
So we know that being unequally yoked means being bound or mixed together in such a way as to become inseparable. We know that relationships become this way when you are deeply impacted or influenced by them. Therefore, when it comes to outsiders and worldly things, we are to avoid being bound to or influenced by them. Understanding this allows us to qualify the remaining part of the passage in 2 Corinthians. Paul’s saying righteousness should not be influenced by lawlessness. Light is not influenced by darkness. Christ is not influenced by Satan. Believers are not influenced by unbelievers. Paul goes on to say that idols should not be allowed to influence your worship of God. In the context of the Corinthian church, the Christians had warped their own worldview in an effort to say that sinners were not actually sinning. Listen to 1 Corinthians 15:33-34:
1Co 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
1Co 15:34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
Paul can see that the Christians have gone beyond just associating with sinners – they themselves have become sinners. So instead of leading the outsiders to Christ, they’ve allowed the outsiders to lead them into sin. This is what happens the moment you turn away from God as the anchor of your moral absolutes. Everything becomes relative and there is no standard by which to determine good and evil. In the modern world this moral relativism has led to a kind of radical subjectivism where even biologically grounded aspects like gender have lost the objectivity of truth. In that kind of worldview facts take a back seat to personal beliefs and desires.
Okay so let’s recap what we know so far. We should not expect godly behavior from outsiders, we should not be offended when they act ungodly. It’s impossible for a person to be godly apart from Christ. Christians who embrace their own sins rather than struggle with them are dangerous for us to be around. If they have the power to repent and are unwilling to, they should be removed from the fellowship. We should not put ourselves in situations or relationships that influence us away from God. In all of this, I don’t see any instruction to shelter ourselves from the world or worldly things. I do see warnings against being influenced by the world and by worldly things.
So we have to ask ourselves the question: How do we prevent from being influenced by the world or by worldly things? There are actually two answers to this question and this ambiguity is what lies at the heart of the widespread misunderstanding. One way to answer it is to say, Well I’m not going to be influenced by worldly things because I’m going to do my best to make my surroundings a refuge from these things – avoiding them at all costs. This is the answer many Christians choose. They only listen to Christian music. They only watch Christian movies. They only read Christian authors. They only hang out in Christian clubs. You get the idea. But I would argue this is just a variant of the “safe-spaces” these same Christians criticize millennials for building. And we’ve all seen the dramatic effects safe-spaces have made in sharpening individuals’ sensitivities, increasing their anxiety, and motivating their authoritarian tendencies. You’re not allowed to say that because it offends me.
Overprotecting children and hiding the fallen nature of reality from them is one of the more dangerous mistakes you can make. If you want to give a person PTSD, keep them naive until a malevolent actor comes into contact with them. The world is not safe. If you want your child – or yourself for that matter – to do well in this world then they need to be prepared for it. A good person isn’t someone who’s naive and nice. A good person is someone who is aware of the monster inside of them and who takes control of it. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself why all of our superheroes are violent. Ask yourself why we consider veterans, first responders, and law enforcement officers to be modern day heroes. If you were stuck behind enemy lines, who would you want coming to rescue you: the kid who’s never been out in the world or the trained soldier? Cultivating resilience, wisdom, and strength of character in our youth is the key to keeping them safe in a fallen world.
Back to the question of being influenced. The other way to answer this question is to say, I’m not going to be influenced by worldly things because instead of safe-spaces I am going to take refuge in Christ. I’m going to allow the Holy Spirit to develop me into a person who has the strength of character to prevent being influenced anywhere that I go. So you become like a boat that can go out into the waters without taking any water on board. In my estimation, this is the right answer. Listen to Romans 12:2:
Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
If by the power of the Holy Spirit your mind has been renewed, then you will have the perspective to prevent the outside world from influencing you – even if you go out into it. Christians must have the strength of character that allows them to dine with sinners without becoming one. This is what Jesus did in Luke 15:1-7:
Luk 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
Luk 15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Luk 15:3 So he told them this parable:
Luk 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
Luk 15:5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luk 15:6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
Luk 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Christian. You must go out of the church and into the world because that is where the lost sheep are. You’re not doing God or the lost any favors by hiding the light He has given you. There should be Christians at every bar, every party, and every street corner because this is a rescue mission. How do you expect a person to know the light of Jesus if all they ever get to see is darkness? You would not believe how many people I’ve spoken with who have absolutely zero frame of reference for who Christ is and what the Christian life is like. Most of these people are so desperately confused about their own worldview that you’d be insane to expect them to understand yours from a distance. Am I saying to go out and participate in the debauchery? Definitely not. But if you can’t go into certain places without succumbing to temptation then the problem isn’t with those places – the problem is with you. Some of this is about knowing your limitations. If you’re a recovered alcoholic it would be unwise to put yourself around alcohol. But not every Christian is a recovered alcoholic. We all have some domain where we can be strong enough to walk in and spread our influence. These people need Christ and Christ is working through us. Listen to Matthew 5:13-16:
Mat 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
Mat 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mat 5:15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Mat 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
How do I know that Christians can be salt and light in any environment? How do I know that the light of God is powerful enough to drive off any darkness? Because it’s already been done in a death camp. If you’ve never read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – you really should. It’s a story recounting one man’s time spent in Auschwitz, one of the darkest and most evil places in living memory. I want to read you a few of his thoughts as he faced each day in a place that was engineered to destroy hope and humanity.
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what he should become, he makes these potentialities come true.
You’re only a Christian because God loves you and therefore He sees the potential in you. He sees the potential that was worth being crucified for. That is the essence of agape love – of God’s love. Sacrificing yourself to bring out the best in others. Frankl did this in Auschwitz and he watched others do it. He didn’t consider himself the best of those who suffered there. He said the best never made it out. Love is how you take a sinner and show him Jesus. Do you love the outsiders? Paul did. Listen to 1 Corinthians 9:19-27:
1Co 9:19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
1Co 9:20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
1Co 9:21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
1Co 9:22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
1Co 9:23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
1Co 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
1Co 9:25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
1Co 9:26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
1Co 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
As Christians we must stop hiding from the world and start disciplining ourselves so that we can remain under control and walk boldly into the wild. We should be able to watch the movies and TV shows that everyone else is watching without becoming everyone else. We should stop being petrified of being led off a cliff and start stepping up to be leaders. It’s not okay that we live in a culture where admitting to be a Christian immediately makes you unrelatable. It’s not okay to live in a culture where outsiders believe all they’ll find in a church is judgment. The narrow path to Christian surroundings only runs through making yourself more Christlike. I want to close this episode by reading you a scene in the book of Daniel. This is chapter 3:13-25:
Dan 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king.
Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
Dan 3:15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
Dan 3:17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Dan 3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated.
Dan 3:20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Dan 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
Dan 3:25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
Jesus is with you wherever you go. So don’t be afraid to go where the flames get hot. When He is with you, even the gates of Hell can’t take you away from Him.
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