Come Out From Among Them!

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

God has always commanded His people to separate themselves and be identified differently from the world. From the time He established Israel as a nation to the present day church era, God has required a standard of holiness with a heart dictated and directed by the Word of God. Thus, the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses, instituted laws for God’s people to live by and strictly adhere to (Exodus 20). Consistent with the laws and commandments of God, Apostle Paul instructed the church at Corinth to separate themselves from those who did not believe and rejected the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). Even today, the same rule of faith and righteousness is applicable as God does not change and a glorious church without spot, wrinkle, or blemish must be presented to Him (Ephesians 5:27).

Mankind, in an effort to make the gospel more palatable, has tried to blend world views and ideas inconsistent and non-biblical with the revelation of the unadulterated Word of God. The camouflage is masked by supposedly accepting salvation without rejecting the lifestyles and habits condemned by scripture. God’s word is highly regarded and going to church is in vogue, but worldly venues to enhance and guide one’s life are sought out and exercised. Apostle John explicitly declared “if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15b).

Living a life of holiness is indeed a narrow walk intended only to please God. Examine how stringent Apostle was in admonishing the saints at Corinth to draw the line from being identified with the world. The saints were instructed not to associate and align themselves with unbelievers who would inevitably lead them into a state of apostasy. He posed contrasting scenarios to point up the great divide between the godly and the ungodly; what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness, what unity does light have with darkness, what agreement does Christ have with Satan, and lastly what fellowship does the temple of God have with idols? Rather than open the door for a fall from grace and the enemy to gain the victory, Paul tells the church to “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”.

God is yet calling and reminding His people who have allowed Satan to lull them to sleep, regardless of the strategy, by taking on the the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of the world “that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).