Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
August 14, 1983
Come Out and Be Separate
2 Corinthians 6:14 and 7:1 (NIV)
There are things in the world that Christians can have absolutely nothing to do with. There are areas in which we have to be drastically different from the people around us. Becoming a Christian should affect our motives, attitudes, actions and the way we associate with people.
Paul begins by saying -- do not be yoked together with unbelievers. The illustration he uses is a double yoke under which two animals work side by side. It is almost certain he has in mind Deuteronomy 22:10:
"Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together."
It was prohibited because it didn't work -- the stronger ox would end up harming the weaker donkey. Paul may also be thinking of Leviticus 19:19, which forbids cross-breeding animals of different kinds. The whole idea is that there are certain things which are fundamentally incompatible and were never meant to be brought together. A born-again Christian cannot be yoked to a nonbeliever. They don't fit together. This is a crucial principle and Christians have often disagreed on just how to apply it. Paul never really gives any specifics in this passage; instead, he backs it up with five rhetorical questions.
The first two are straightforward. What do righteousness and wickedness have in common, and what kind of fellowship can light have with darkness? The answer, of course, is none. The next phrase is a little more obscure. What kind of harmony is there between Christ and Belial? The obscurity clears up when you realize Belial is another name for Satan.
Paul goes on -- Christians don't have anything in common with unbelievers and God's temple has nothing to do with idols. Now he gives the basis for the difference in our lives. We are the temple of the living God. The word "you" is plural, so Paul is talking about the Church but God can't dwell in the Church if he doesn't dwell in individual believers first. Since God lives in us, this is literally true because when we are saved he gives us his Holy Spirit. Since God lives in us, we can have nothing to do with these other forces (unrighteousness, darkness, Satan, idols and unbelievers).
Paul has warned the Corinthians in a negative way by telling them not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. But since the Kingdom of Christ and that of Satan are so incompatible, positive action is also necessary. In verse 17 he says:
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
This is great advice but just what does it mean for a Christian to be "separate"?
I believe the Bible teaches three things about separation. First, Christians must separate from sin in the world. Second: we have to separate ourselves from sinners. And third, we have to separate ourselves to God, getting rid of all sin so we can be accepted by him and used by him. To separate from what is sinful in the world means to stay away from all the attitudes and practices God forbids. A classic list is found in Galatians 5:19-21. As the NIV translates it:
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like."
This list is very comprehensive because it not only includes big sins like adultery and drunkenness but also subtle ones like jealousy, envy and rage. I find that when most Christians think of separation they emphasize big sins and petty habits. Maybe this makes separation easier -- few people murder on a regular basis and petty habits are fairly easy to control. They're also visible.
Take clothing -- many Christians believe if you are truly separated you have to dress a certain way. I had an interesting experience in college. I was a Bible major and one of my assignments was to visit the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. Big deal, right? Well, the bus ministry of that church covers three states. One Sunday they had 30,000 kids in Sunday school. It's a big church. The sanctuary takes up a whole city block and seats I don't know how many thousands. With a notebook in my hand I attended one of their packed-out evening services. Ten minutes hadn't gone by before I noticed something was different. I've always been pretty straight. I was even straight-laced as a non-Christian. Back in college my hair was a little longer over my ears but that night I had on a nice shirt and pants. What struck me was that every man in that church had a short crew cut, a white shirt and a narrow black tie. It seemed like all 6,000 of them turned and starred at me. They were separated -- I was not. The principle of separation is why the Amish wear big hats and old-fashioned dresses. Some of them even wear hooks instead of buttons because buttons are of the world. Buttons are pagan!
The problem with basing separation on clothes is most people never look beyond them. They never consider the person's spiritual condition. The Bible says that Christians should dress modestly and simply. It never gives much in the way of guidelines. Turn to 1 Peter 3:3. Peter is talking about the way Christian women should dress and he says:
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes."
Now he is going to tell them what they should wear:
"Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit."
Christians should not get their reputation from lavish clothes. They shouldn't pet it from narrow ties or simple dresses, either. Our reputation should be based on our inner man, our souls. External things like clothes and habits have their place but to be really separated from the world, watch your soul.
Christians should be separated from sin. We should also be separated from sinners. This gets tricky. Some Christians think that to be super-spiritual you have to live inside the church and run away from your old friends. Even some of the believers in Corinth had this view and they thought that's what Paul meant by separation. In 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 he tells them:
"I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people -- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world."
In other words, if separation meant total isolation from sinners, you'd have to live on the moon. Separation does not mean isolation -- it means you have contact with non-Christians but you are not influenced by them. You never compromise your Christian principles.
Let's say you are invited to a party where there will be a lot of non-Christians. Should you go? In the 1950's Billy Graham was having a hugely successful crusade in England that lasted several weeks. They had never seen anything like it. One evening a factory worker came up to Dr. Graham and invited him to his favorite pub. Against all advice, he went along. Dozens of reporters followed. Inside the pub Billy ordered a ginger ale and shared Christ with all the people there. I think Dr. Graham used some good biblical sense. He was a witness for Christ and he never compromised his principles. On the other hand, there is a danger in putting yourself in this kind of situation. When you go to that party, weak Christians may be offended. Even worse, nonbelievers may think you have compromised yourself. In this kind of situation, you have a difficult choice to make. Do you know what Jesus usually did? He hung around so many wicked people: his enemies accused him of being a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Luke 7:34). He deliberately hung around these people even after he was criticized for it, so he could tell them about sin and salvation. Want to know why many churches don't grow? Members don't know any non-Christians.
Now, if we can associate with wicked people, what does it mean to be unequally yoked? 2 Corinthians 6 doesn't really give any examples, but Paul's first letter to the Corinthians does. 1 Corinthians 7 says you're unequally yoked if you marry a nonbeliever. It's all right if you're converted after marriage but if you are looking for a partner, he or she should be saved.
1 Corinthians 6 talks about lawsuits. If you have something against a Christian brother, settle it between the two of you or get another Christian to help. Don't take it before a pagan judge. In chapter 10 Paul says Christians who are dining with nonbelievers shouldn't eat meat that has been offered to idols -- this would yoke you with their false religion. You should not yoke with nonbelievers in marriage, Christian service or public witness. This would compromise our faith. On the positive side, we should be yoked with Christians in all these areas. This positive aspect of separation carries over to the third area. We've seen how Christians should be separated from sin. We've talked about how we should be separated from sinners. You have contact with them but you don't compromise.
Finally, we should be separated unto God. To be separated unto God means you should rid your life of sin and selfishness. But more than this, separation unto God involves the positive aspect of consecration. As you move away from the influence of the world, you should be moving closer to God. You shouldn't be avoiding murder, adultery and lust because you are afraid God will zap you. Avoid sin so that God can use you. When you are defeated as a Christian you will be pulling people down, not building them up and giving them confidence in God.
The ultimate reward of a separated Christian life is found in the end of verse 17 and verse 18 of 2 Corinthians 6. God is speaking, and he says:
"I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
If you feel God is far away and doesn't care about you, there may be an unequal yoke in your life. What would it be? What can you do about it? Don't just look at superficial things when it comes to separation but think about how you can separate your inner life to God.
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Typed on March 28, 2007, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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