COME OUT, BE SEPARATED, AND HE WILL RECEIVE YOU
SCRIPTURE:
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14—18 NIV)
OBSERVATION:
Paul wrote to believers in Corinth, warning them of the danger of idol worship. Paul gave a strong command against idol worship. He wrote; DO NOT be YOKED together with unbelievers. Paul gave a contrast, saying; What do righteousness and wickedness have in COMMON? Or what FELLOWSHIP can light have with darkness? Paul continues, what HARMONY is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in COMMON with the unbeliever? Or what AGREEMENT is there between the temple of God and idols?
Keywords to understand this are: YOKED, COMMON, FELLOWSHIP, HARMONY, AND AGREEMENT. We are not to be yoking or have anything in common, in harmony, in agreement, or even fellowship with things against the God who lives in us.
Paul clarified this point by drawing a crucial distinction of why we must be careful. And that is, we are the TEMPLE of God. Yoking with unbelievers when we shouldn’t is an insult to God. The distinctions are between righteousness and wickedness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, believer and unbeliever, temple of God and idols.
Paul didn’t suggest to believers to avoid people or not to love people around them. He is saying DO NOT participate in what they are doing that is contrary to the life of God who lives in us. God lives in us and walks among us. We are God’s temple, and the people that we live among do not honor God at all.
The appeal is to COME OUT from them and BE SEPARATED, and TOUNCH no unclean thing. We are to live among the people around us, but we are not to have anything in common nor yoked with them in their worship of idols. We are to be separated and come out and not touch or have anything in common with their activities that honor idols and dishonor the God who lives and walks among us.
There is a clear call for believers to know who we are. We are the temple of God, and he lives and walks within us. He is not to have a rival in our lives. We are not to be involved with any activities that others are doing that will rival God, who lives in us. The appeal to come out and be separated and touched is something we all must take seriously if we desire God to be our God. We belong to God. Period!
APPLICATION:
I need to heed this appeal of not having anything in common with things that seek to lure me into the worship of idols. There are so many things in life that I can easily make into an idol that I can worship. This is a good reminder that I belong to God and am his temple. I must learn not to allow anything that will make itself too important to me, leading me to sin against the Lord who lives and walks with me.
PRAYER:
Jesus, I am yours, and my life belongs to you. Forgive me for making other things more important than knowing and obeying you. Teach me to live in obedience and the fear of you in my life. Please help me to come out, and be separated and not to touch anything that leads me to an idol worshipper. Lead me to the worship of you alone. I look to and desire you and will have nothing to do with deeds of darkness and idol worship. Thank you, Lord, for your grace and mercy. Amen!
