Good Morning Mark,
I went back and read shalom's statement, which mostly was from Spurgeon, and I am not sure exactly which part you are speaking of as seperatists, but here are a couple things.
Jesus prays this, as recorded in John 17:
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
James says this:
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
what does he mean by that last line? Does that mean I can't talk to you?
Jesus says again:
John 15:
17 This is my command: Love each other.
18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
Does any of this say I hate? NO. It says the world will hate.IMO to live "IN THE WORLD" would be just to go along with any old thing.....to have no conviction about the promise given to me.
Let me ask you one question. If you were standing in the street talking to your neighbor, and a car came speeding down the street, would you care if I ran out and knocked the fire out of you to keep you from getting hit? I think you would forgive me for that. How much more should I care for your soul?
I don't think I am making my point very well, so look at this.
1 Cor. 5:
5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife.
2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--
10 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.
11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
Seems we are called to live in the world but not accept sinful behavior by our own brothers without action.
What do you make of just this writing by paul to the Cor. church?
d
PS (edit) shalom needs no one to explain him and sorry shalom if that is the way it appears, just my thoughts. |
