Let me make one other point about separation from a denomination. Besides the matter of apostasy and a denomination’s drift away from the essential doctrines of the Christian faith is how to carefully handle a situation where both sides believe they are following Scripture. In my experience the situation was different because it seemed to us that the denomination in question was not particularly concerned about whether their view was in the Bible or not. The issue was really one of whether we were going to be faithful to God or listen to the word of men.
As I said at the beginning, the context of the second half of 2 Corinthians 6 has to do with the relationship between Christians and unbelievers, and not between Christians and Christians. Yet sometimes separation takes place between Christians if we are put in a situation where we have to decide between obeying God rather than man.
The second principle is that separation is to be unto God before it involves separation from either people or things. This is in the text as well because what Paul is talking about here is our being temples of the living God, as he says in verse 16. God declares that He is going to dwell with us and that He will be our God and we will be His people. So before we think of separating, whether that is a separation from other people, who at that point we judge to be unbelievers, or whether it is a separation from things, which we would judge to be antithetical to our Christian profession, there must be a separation unto God.
The reason for that is that if we forget that the separation we are called upon to have is unto God, we become narrow, critical, self-righteous, and judgmental where other people are concerned. Furthermore, we have an exalted opinion of ourselves because we think that we are a better Christian because do not do certain things that other committed Christians do, and if they were as spiritually mature as we are they would not do them. And sometimes we focus on certain specific practices or avoidances, and fail to practice love toward other believers as we are called to do.
When separation is spoken of in Scripture, it is generally spoken of as being separated unto God. This is really what sanctification is all about. Sanctification is not a list of things we do or not do. Sanctification is consecration. It is being God’s man or God’s woman. And when you become that, you see other things fall away from your life that should not be there. But as that happens you do not find yourself being proud about it, or making judgments about why other Christians are not as far along spiritually as you are. There are lots of things I do not do and lots of trouble I do not get into, not because I am not capable of getting into it but because I am just too busy in the Lord’s work. When you are set apart for God’s service, if you avoid something that you see another Christian doing, you do not look at them and say, “Well, they’re a poor specimen of Christianity. Look what they do.” You are not even thinking about those things because what you want to do is please God, and you are glad when they try to please God, too.
The apostle Paul was criticized by his Jewish kinsmen because he sat down and ate with the Gentiles. He defended that by saying on one occasion he had learned to be all things to all men (1 Cor. 9:19-23). By this he does not mean he compromised in a sinful or inappropriate way. Rather, what he meant is that he is concerned about serving God and ministering to others. He did not allow people’s list of what they considered proper or improper to get in the way of his ministry to Gentiles.
