Living as a Christian in Culture Without Belonging to It

“In this world, not of this world.” This often-repeated paraphrase of Jesus’ words can help us remember our place. But it also risks losing an important direction: we are set apart from the world in order to be sent back into it.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Sent Into the World, Not Of the World

We are to live in a foreign land while clinging tightly to our true identity.

What does that look like? I was in traffic the other day and noticed a “Jesus fish” sticker on the back of the car in front of me. I understand the early Christian use of the symbol—and its use today—but for all the fish imagery in Scripture, I started wondering whether the fish is the best symbol for Christians.

The Dolphin: A Better Symbol for Christians?

A more telling ocean creature for the “in the world, not of the world” idea might be the dolphin.

A dolphin lives in the same ocean as all other sea life, yet it cannot obtain life-sustaining oxygen from the water the way fish do. It must come to the surface regularly to breathe.

Taking the analogy further: if we think of the ocean as “the world,” then what sustains the dolphin is not found in that world. The air above the surface is always present—even while the dolphin swims below—and without returning to it, the dolphin cannot live. In the same way, if we are in Christ, we cannot live by drawing our life from the world around us. We must regularly “surface” to receive what only God can give—setting our minds on the things above.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Living in Culture: The Danger of Making Faith “Relatable”

“Our job is to make the Gospel relatable to culture.”

A pastor once told me that. Here is the problem: the Gospel is not naturally relatable to culture any more than “air” is relatable to fish. This is a challenge for the modern church—when we strive to find a place in culture, we can lose the home that already belongs to us.

Imagine a dolphin extolling the value of being “in the air” to a fish. First, the fish would barely grasp the concept of “air.” Second, being in the air has a long track record of ending poorly for fish. And if the dolphin tries to live like the fish—swimming too deep, staying down too long—it also ends in death. Same physical reality; two very different kinds of death. What saves one can kill the other.

We know the death that comes from turning our back to God and existing only in culture. But without transformation, there is no value in the air.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

Living Dependent on a Different Source

A dolphin still gets food from the ocean. It needs the ocean to survive in this moment of its earthly life. But real life—the sustaining substance—comes from above. All the food in the world means nothing without the breath of life.

The next time you see a “Jesus fish,” think of the life of a dolphin: living in the same waters as others, yet dependent on a different source of life—set apart, with a purpose.

Image created using ChatGPT. ChatGPT and/or Claude may have been used for editing and research.