Be Separate

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 "Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

I ran across a small study of the doctrine of separation that I found to make clear the gray areas of compromise in the Christian life. IT states that the doctrine of separation from “the unclean thing” may be neglected today by professing Christians, but it is still here in God’s Word and God is Lord. The context iof the above Bible passage ndicates that Paul is warning against Christians being “unequally yoked together with unbelievers” and urging us to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”.

1 Corinthians 5:9-10 “When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.”

Such separation does not mean having no contact at all with unbelievers, whereas Jesus commanded, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”. He also prayed to the Father, “not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one”.

1 Peter 1:15-16 “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “holy” as: 1. Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character; and man is more or less holy, as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions. We call a man holy, when his heart is conformed in some degree to the image of God, and his life is regulated by the divine precepts. Hence, holy is used as nearly synonymous with good, pious, godly. 2. Hallowed; consecrated or set apart to a sacred use, or to the service or worship of God; a sense frequent in Scripture; as a holy priesthood. 3. Proceeding from pious principles, or directed to pious purposes.

Almighty God does demand, however, that we are not to compromise with unbelief or with the unclean thing. We are “born again” (meaning born anew; reborn of the Spirit/reborn from above) into the family of God through simple faith in the person and saving work of Jesus Christ; but the full manifestation and fellowship of our relation with the heavenly Father as His spiritual sons and daughters is evidently, in this passage, conditioned on the vital principle of separation from all unbelief and filthiness of the flesh, with Jesus as our example.

Hebrews 7:24-26 “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”

We are specially warned to “turn away” from those who, “having a form of godliness,” attempt to accommodate the naturalistic viewpoint of modern scientism within the Scriptures, thus “denying the power thereof” God. “Be ye separate, saith the Lord.”

Blessed in holiness