The Separation of God's People (by David Hartsell)

The Lord is pure, �God is light and in Him is no darkness at all� (I Jn.1:5). His righteousness only highlights man�s sinfulness. Our Savior�s love outshines man�s sins by washing them all away through the blood of His precious sacrifice (Rom.3:23-26). Each person accesses the forgiveness of their sins through the special faith God provides.

One that obeys, it doesn�t just talk (Jas.2:19-24). This purity of heart makes people God�s children (Matt.5:8). He wants saints to remain His own special possession. One way The Lord keeps His disciples close to Him is by separating them from the impure influences surrounding them.

Obviously Noah would be one of the first to be separate from evil influences of the world. He lived during a time when every thought of men�s �heart was only on evil continually� (Gen.6:5-6). God isolates Noah and his family on an ark that floated above a titanic flood which destroyed that wicked world.

The same Lord commands Abraham to leave his idolatrous father, Terah, and move to a land that would one day belong to his descendants, Israel (Gen.12:1-5 and Jos.24:2). Obedient Abraham became the �father of the faithful.� When Joseph brought Jacob, his father, and his family into Egypt he understood they could not be immersed into the Egyptian culture because of the spiritual dangers that involved. Joseph, second in authority only to Pharaoh, instructs his family to state clearly to Pharaoh their lifelong occupation, shepherds. The Egyptians saw shepherds as unclean to them and separate Joseph�s family into the Land of Goshen (Gen.46:31-34). The Lord knows that when His people openly reveal their staunch faith in Him evil people will often avoid them. They will separate godly people from themselves. Sadly throughout Israel�s history they spent much of their time compromising their convictions and losing their relationship with God.

It�s not surprising God�s message for Christians is the same in relation to having close fellowship with evil people. �Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?� (2 Cor.6:14) Some things are clearly wrong, like the Corinthian brother who was living with his father�s wife. The apostle Paul commands the church to withdraw their fellowship from him that he might be ashamed and turn away from this sin (I Cor.5:1-13). Christians also work to keep themselves out of compromising circumstances which might involve a wide variety of good things: marriage, work, dress, entertainment, and other similar practices. Saints� real home is in heaven and they reflect this by the way they live their lives on earth (Heb.11:13-16). Are you separate from the world?