Spiritual Separation! Psalm 28:3

Text:  “Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.”    Psalm 28:3.

Good morning, Spiritually separated Christian!  One of the most important, yet most ignored Christian doctrine today is the doctrine of Spiritual Separation -  separation from the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and from all forms of sin, falsehood, and false, erroneous beliefs.  God commands it - yet those who profess to be God’s people are either totally ignorant of His command, or completely reject His explicitly written instruction.

Thus saith the Lord:  “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?  And what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord (agreement) hath Christ with Belial?  Or what part hath he/she that believeth (believes and continually believes) with an infidel (an unbeliever)?…Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye SEPARATE, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”  (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

Verse 3.  “Draw me not away with the wicked.  They shall be dragged off to Hell like felons of old drawn on a hurdle to Tyburn (a place of public execution), like logs drawn to the fire, like fagots to the oven.  David fears lest he should be bound up in their bundle, drawn to their doom.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 139)

To illustrate the importance of the doctrine of Spiritual Separation, as commanded in the New Testament inspired writing of Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians above - let me revisit a Bible Lesson I sent out almost ten years ago.  Here it is for your enlightenment:

The Importance of Doctrine - Matthew 16:6-12 (Sent out 29/11/2004)

Text: "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrines which is according to Godliness...from such withdraw thyself." (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

Good morning, well-taught Christian! Not enough for you to leave all your Christian instruction to the Pastor’s efforts on Sunday mornings - you have the privilege of an open Bible; access to God the Spirit via instant prayers; and the intercessions of Christ Jesus Himself as High Priest and Mediator. Therefore, all you need to be well-taught in the doctrine of God is close at hand and, praise God, you avail yourself of these important privileges.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Too many professing the Name of Christ today feel no obligation to either fellowship with the Lord in private prayer, nor take time out to study and learn sound doctrines for themselves. Thus, the Pastor is given all the responsibility of teaching his congregation important Scriptural truths. This should not be, dear friend, there are too many dangers in a one-man-teaching-ministry!  If the Pastor goes astray, all will stray also!

Lethal Leaven: (Ephesians 5:6-7) Leaven in the literal sense is yeast, a substance which, when mixed amongst flour whilst baking bread, causes the dough to rise into a loaf-shaped quantity of bread.

Figuratively speaking, leaven is anything which, when mixed with say a person’s character, modifies or influences the whole nature of that person.

In the Spiritual sense, leaven is influence on belief. The doctrinal practice of the Pharisees and Sadducees of today’s selected Bible reading was likened unto lethal leaven by Christ; leaven which, when mixed with true unadulterated, child-like faith, would permeate the whole doctrinal beliefs of the person, and soon corrupt their faith in God.

It was ‘leaven’ such as this that the evil Balaam sowed among the children of Israel - he couldn’t curse them, but he could corrupt them, and did so to his Eternal peril. (Numbers Chapters 22: to 25)

Lethal Lessons: (Galatians 1:6-10) Heresy is belief contrary to the established Scriptural belief of the Christian Church. There have been many otherwise gifted teachers who, like Sabellius (who introduced the ‘Oneness heresy’ into his congregations in opposition to the orthodoxy of Trinitarian belief), have made shipwreck the faith of many of the unlearned. This type of heretic influence has blighted the faith of Christians since the Church was founded by Christ Jesus, over two thousand years ago. Such ‘leaven’ is Spiritually lethal indeed. If the Bible does not teach it - flee fast from it!

Let these lethal lessons of Church history teach us to safeguard the integrity of vital Bible doctrines. The Word of God must inform every belief we hold, otherwise the doctrine and the practice is not worth having. Canonical Scripture is our only infallible authority to teach and practice the Christian faith. “God’s Word alone is truth!”

Thought: Sound doctrine today keeps heretics at bay tomorrow. (2004)

Today’s Thought: “It were better to be shut up in a pit with serpents that to be compelled to live with liars.”  C.H. Spurgeon.  Come out from among them!