Separation

[KenH]

"For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding." 1 Chronicles 29:15

If you possess the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and, Jacob, you, like them, confess that you are a stranger; and your confession springs out of a believing heart and a feeling experience. You feel yourself a stranger in this ungodly world; it is not your element, it is not your home. You are in it during God's appointed time, but you wander up and down this world a stranger to its company, a stranger to its maxims, a stranger to its fashions, a stranger to its principles, a stranger to its motives, a stranger to its lusts, its inclinations, and all in which this world moves as in its native element.

Grace has separated you by God's sovereign power, that though you are in the world, you are not of it.

...

The first effect of grace is to separate. It was so in the case of Abraham. He was called by grace to leave the land of his fathers, and go out into a land that God would show him. And so God's own word to his people is now, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty," (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

Separation, separation, separation from the world is the grand distinguishing mark of vital godliness.

- excerpt from J.C. Philpot's Daily Portions for September 21

 

[JonC]

Most of today's churches have separated from the idea of separation.

 

[Salty]

Most of today's churches have separated from the idea of separation.

and some have went to the extreme of separation.
For example - two Christian schools were playing a game of girls volleyball.
the home team was wearing culottes. The coach of the visiting team (A) told the other coach if team B came to Team A church to play a game - they would have to wear skirts - as shorts (aka culottes) are not acceptable!

 

[Martin Marprelate]

One stage, two stage or three stage separation?

 

[Wesley Briggman]

2Cr 6:14 KJV - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2Cr 6:15 KJV - And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

2Cr 6:16 KJV - And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2Cr 6:17 KJV - Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

1Ti 6:3 KJV - If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

1Ti 6:4 KJV - He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

1Ti 6:5 KJV - Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

2Jo 1:9 KJV - Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

2Jo 1:10 KJV - If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:

2Th 3:6 KJV Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

 

[Dave G]

"For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding." 1 Chronicles 29:15

If you possess the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and, Jacob, you, like them, confess that you are a stranger; and your confession springs out of a believing heart and a feeling experience. You feel yourself a stranger in this ungodly world; it is not your element, it is not your home. You are in it during God's appointed time, but you wander up and down this world a stranger to its company, a stranger to its maxims, a stranger to its fashions, a stranger to its principles, a stranger to its motives, a stranger to its lusts, its inclinations, and all in which this world moves as in its native element.

Grace has separated you by God's sovereign power, that though you are in the world, you are not of it.

Amen.

 

[Dave G]

As I've come to see it, the Lord's commands regarding separation from this world are tied directly to His work of redemption for His beloved children;
To the effort that He made in giving His Son and sending Him to die on a cross to satisfy His justice.

It speaks of His great love wherewith He loved us...
Even when we were dead in trespasses and sins.

How can we, as believers in Christ and as the objects of both His love and His sacrifice for us, not want to be like our Saviour...
Not love the things that God loves and hate the things that He hates?
How can we, that are born again and given a new "want to" in the inner man, not desire true godliness, not hunger and thirst after righteousness, and not acknowledge that this world's unrighteousness does not begin to grieve our spirit as time goes by?


My friends, separation from this world and its ways is only admitting, for those who are born again, what we have come to feel deep inside when we look out upon this world:
At the ugliness... the constant war, oppression, starvation, greed, poverty, and many other problems that are but symptoms of who we are ( as a race ) without Christ and without the power of God to change us.

I once asked similar questions about the need for separation when I was a teen and even far into my 30's;
Now, many years later, I no longer wonder why He commands His children to have no part of this world and its ways...


For it was from it that He rescued us.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

One stage, two stage or three stage separation?

The reason I asked this question is that it's a very pertinent question for churches in the UK and I should have thought, also in the USA. With what other churches should your church have fellowship?
In England, every fair-sized town or city will have several churches, and there is an organization called 'Churches Together in England' which encourages all those churches to come together in various ways Home Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Quaker, most Baptist Union churches, most Charismatic denominations and many free churches are tied into it.
My church, which is part of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches fiec.org.uk does not take part and we are regarded as unfriendly and holier-than-thou as a result. But we take the view that we cannot in good conscience treat liberal and Roman catholic churches as if we were brothers in Christ or pray with them.
But our separation in 'one-stage.' We will fellowship with other Bible-believing churches even if they are part of Churches Together or in mixed denominations. Those who believe in two-stage separation separate with all churches in CTE and mixed denominations whether or not they are Bible-believing. Three-stage separation is boycotting all churches who are not in their particular holy huddle. "Us four; no more; shut the door!"

 

[KenH]

2 John 1:9-11
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.