Monday, August 4, 2008

"What is Biblical separation?"

Biblical separation is the acknowledgment that God has called believers out of the world to maintain a personal and corporate purity in the midst of sinful culture. Biblical separation is usually considered in two divisions: personal and ecclesiastical.

Personal separation involves an individual’s commitment to a godly standard of behavior. Daniel practiced personal separatism when he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meats, nor with the wine which he drank” (Daniel 1:8). His was a biblical separatism because his standard was based on God’s revelation in the Mosaic law.

A modern example of personal separation could be the decision to decline invitations to parties where alcohol is served. Such a decision might be made to circumvent temptation (Romans 13:14), to avoid the “appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22), or simply to be consistent with a personal conviction (Romans 14:5).

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