Paul wrote about this very concept in several passages of scripture. To the Christians in Corinth, he wrote, For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20) and Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men (1 Corinthians 7:23). We all know the price that was paid for our salvation: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us (Romans 8:32-34). Knowing the price that was paid and understanding the concept of what it means to buy something, Paul continued in his letter to the Christians in Rome: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1-2). In other words, in light that the salvation offered to us freely came at a high price to the Lord, it is only right and reasonable that we conform ourselves to His standards and not maintaining our place within the world.
The just do not compromise with the world
In the book of Proverbs, Solomon wrote, Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil (Proverbs 4:27). This is not the only time this concept is given to us through scripture; in the history recorded about Josiah, the Bible tells us, And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left (2 Kings 22:2). In an age where the David’s kingdom had been divided into two, in a time of great pressure to conform to the way kings lived and ruled around him, and in an age where spiritual darkness surrounded Judah, Josiah chose not to compromise with the darkness. At the leading of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14). Again, we see the concept that we are not to conform ourselves to the standards of the world. Each time we unequally yoke ourselves, it is not the lost that conform to our standards and expectations, but we that conform to theirs.
As our society continues to come unraveled at the seams and we see it embrace what God has told us is evil, we must begin to check where we stand in our faith. Are we willing to accept God’s standards? are we willing to do everything that we do as if we are doing it for the Lord? Are we ready to give ourselves completely to Him and to accept Him as our Lord and Master without any reservation? Are we ready to do these things simply because of the great price He paid to buy our souls? If we find ourselves unwilling or unable to adopt these three standards, we must reevaluate our relationship with Jesus.
