There is no question that America is religious. Even those who don’t attend church regularly often have some sort of connection to the church. Our church attendance is much higher than other parts of the Western world.
Yet when you look at large swaths of American culture, one might question whether we are religious at all. You can watch television for hours without any sense that God has anything to do with life at all.
Some of this is based on a secular view of culture. The secularist believes that religion should never touch the public square. Religion should be relegated to the private world of the individual.
We must admit that some of the reason for the rise of secularism is the sectarianism of so many religious people.
Religion can be a blessing, but religion can also be a curse. The pride of man easily turns faith in the absolute into a belief that our own finite, limited view of things is absolute. This can lead to conflict worse than any pride of power.
It is understandable that people are cautious about religion in the public sphere.
For many of us, the problem is not a lack of belief in the applicability of religion to all spheres of life. It’s a lack of effort. It’s a challenge to apply our faith to every sphere of life, and we just don’t want to take it up.
We also may simply not know how to do it. Lack of clarity on what it means to be a Christian artist or economist or husband can easily cause us to give up any attempt.
But the attempt needs to be made. It needs to be made with humility, patience, and wisdom, but it needs to be made.
Why? Because Christ is Lord of all of life. As Dutch theologian and Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper put it, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
The book of Colossians gives us one example of the principle that Christ is Lord over all of life as well as some examples of how we are to apply this principle (see these passages set in comparison here).
First, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (1:16). Everything that exists is created for Jesus. The highest goal of all things is to glorify God in Jesus Christ.
Second, the eternal Son of God became man in order to restore all things to Himself: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:19). Jesus has come into this world to make all things new, to restore this world to what He intended it to be and more.
What does this look like? It means that there is nothing we do, whether it’s going to the gym or cruising the mall, going to work or resting at home, riding a car or jumping from a plane, that is outside the purview of Christ’s Lordship and redemption. So, we should do everything with a sense of this authority of Christ: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).
Our relationships can’t remain the same. Wives need to show respect to their husbands. Husbands need to love their wives like Christ loved the church (Col. 3:18–19). We can’t use people or take them for granted. We need to honor and love them. This is how we honor Christ.
Our work matters to God. Even a bad boss (or slave-owner) doesn’t change that. We must view honest labor as something that God values, blesses, and will reward (Col. 3:22–25). Work is no longer just work. It is service to God.
These are just a few examples of how Christ calls us to serve Him in the various areas of life. It’s not always easy to know how to apply our faith, but this is the call of God. Whatever you do . . .