The third principle I want to give is that separation, where it does occur, must be radical. You can hardly miss that because the text itself states it: “Therefore come out from them and be separate” (2 Cor. 6:17a). That is a radical statement, as the verse goes on to say, “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” Furthermore, you see the radical nature of separation in the preceding verses, where Paul clearly says that there is no common ground between righteousness and wickedness, light and darkness, or Christ and Belial.
But while there is to be a radical separation from the world, the problem we have at this point is that we do, nevertheless, live in the world. We desire to be instruments of righteousness, even as we live in a world of wickedness. We want to be light in the midst of dwelling in a world of darkness. We want to be vehicles of truth, while we know all around us is a world marked by falsehood and error. Consequently, because we do need to live in this world, it is not possible to be completely separate. What, then, does separation mean? How can you have a radical separation from the principles of wickedness, unrighteousness, and darkness while at the same time be in the world as the Lord Jesus Christ wanted us to be? How can you be radical and in the world at the same time?
Let me suggest that the degree to which we are radical in our separation must depend upon the intimacy of the relationship. Of all the relationships we have in life, the most intimate is marriage. If we take this principle of radical separation, it must certainly mean without any compromise whatsoever that a Christian is not to marry a non-Christian because what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? One cannot say, “Well, you know, it’s okay to marry an unbeliever in this case because they’re on the way to becoming a Christian.” If the person is going to be converted, they have got to be converted before the marriage. And if they are not converted, do not get married.
Sometimes God is gracious and saves the person afterwards. But you cannot count on that, and it does not justify going against what Scripture teaches. And for every example that a minister can point to where the unbeliever does get saved, there are many more that go the other way where instead the unbeliever drags the Christian down, and life becomes a miserable thing, indeed. Let me say to those of you who are single, and who have thought about marriage, and would prefer to be married, it is much better to be single than to be in that kind of a relationship because, among other things, in remaining single you are at that point at least being obedient to the Lord in not being unequally yoked.
In other words, there are different levels of relationships with unbelievers, and you are not called to eliminate all of them, or else you would never be able to talk to an unsaved person about the Gospel. The nature of the relationship, that is, how intimate it is or will become, determines how radical the separation will need to be. Consider a worship service, for example. You do not want to exclude unbelievers from a worship service because you want them to hear the Bible preached. On the other hand, when it comes to the Lord’s Supper, it must be made clear than it is only for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
