2 Corinthians 6:17–18 The Lord says, “Get away from unbelievers. Separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.” The Lord Almighty says, “I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters.”
Separation—Adoption: the third call is for believers to come out from unbelievers and be separate. These two verses are a quote from the Old Testament (Is. 52:11–12). When God led Israel out of the Babylonian captivity, He told them to leave everything behind. They were to take nothing out of the defiled land, for they were to begin a totally new life under His leadership. Note two significant points.
a. First, believers are to come out from among unbelievers and be separate. What does this mean? Of course, it does not mean that believers are to leave the cities, communities, and work places of the world. Believers are not to isolate themselves from unbelievers. It does not mean that believers have nothing to do with unbelievers—never talking, sharing, or associating with them. Both believers and unbelievers are in the world; thus they have to share the world together.
What God means is at least two things.
1) God means what has just been discussed in verses 14–16, that is, that believers differ from unbelievers. They differ radically. Therefore …
• believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. They are not to be yoked, be intimately involved, in a relationship with unbelievers.
• believers are not to be in fellowship with unbelievers. They are not to share or participate in the worldly, ungodly functions and events of unbelievers.
• believers are not to be in communion with unbelievers. They are not to be closely bound in partnership with unbelievers. They are not to be so united with unbelievers that there is the need or expectation to be a part of worldly or ungodly activities and behavior.
• believers are not to be attached to or in covenant with unbelievers. Believers must not follow the worthless leader, Belial (Satan), of the unbelievers.
• believers are not to move about in the sphere, the realm, the life and position of the infidel, the person who has rejected Jesus Christ.
• believers are not to worship with unbelievers.
2) God means what He says in this verse: believers are not to touch the unclean thing (v. 17). Believers are no longer to live as the sinners of the world do. They are not to participate in the sins of unbelievers.
3) God commands that believers live separate from the wicked unbelievers of the world (v. 17). “Be ye separate, saith the Lord.” There is to be no questioning, rationalizing, twisting, or ignoring of the command. God demands separation. In fact, separation is so important to God that it is one of the essentials in order to be received by God (see next point, point 2).
“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Ro. 1:29–32).
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Co. 6:9–10).
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Ga. 5:19–21).
Thought 1. Very simply stated, believers are in the world, but they are not to be of the world. They live in the world, but they are not to take part in the sins of the world.
b. Second, the results of separation are phenomenal.
1) If we separate ourselves and consecrate our lives to God, He receives us. The word means to accept, approve, welcome. Imagine being accepted and approved by God Himself! God cannot receive a person who lives in sin and shame, in worldliness and immorality, in covetousness and idolatry. But if a person comes out from the world and separates himself, God receives that person.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 Jn. 2:15–16).
2) If we separate ourselves and consecrate our lives to God, God will become our Father and adopt us as sons and daughters of His. Note that it is the “Lord Almighty” who adopts us, the only Person who has the might and power to do such a glorious thing. God’s relationship to us is that of a father to his sons and daughters! God favors and nurtures us with …
• love
• affection
• care
• instruction
• provision
• glory
• protection
• reward
• deliverance
• guidance
• direction
• life
• growth
• reproof
• discipline
• chastisement
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (Jn. 1:12).
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Ro. 8:15–17).
“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 Co. 6:17–18).
“To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Ga. 4:5–6).
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM