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        "Public Separation"
        II Corinthians 6:16-17
        Theme:         The holiness of God mandates that the church be kept pure and sound in doctrine.

      I. The Premise for Public Separation

        A. God Is Interested in a Pure Church

          1. It must be understood that we are now speaking about a level of separation that is very specific – ecclesiastical or "relational" separation.
          2. To separate or "draw lines of discrimination" – a process that carries extremely negative connotations.
          3. However, "discrimination" simply means "to make a clear distinction" and in some settings is a very positive reference to drawing a line between good and evil, truth and error, or right from wrong – cp. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22
          4. In this sense, God is the great separatist – described as "a God of truth and without iniquity, just & right is He." Deuteronomy 32:4
          5. It is the holiness of God that serves as His fundamental attribute – one that is required of all who would know fellowship with Him – cp. 1 Peter 1:14-16; Hebrews 12:14
          6. So far, we’ve only discussed the issue of holiness and sanctification with reference to individuals, but God’s holiness demand sanctification & separation not only by individuals from sin, but by congregations from sin and error as well.

        B. God Is Intolerant of Perverse Doctrine

          1. Perversion in doctrine perverts the purity of the body of Christ.
          2. How can a congregation that exists in cooperation with and in an interdependent association with other congregations, many of whom are led by modernists or compromisers, hope to be pleasing to God and to maintain a witness of holiness?
          3. How does God view those who pervert or deny the truths of God’s Word?

            4. a) Obedient believers are told "to turn away from them" – Romans 16:17

            b) Obedient believers are told "to keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life" – 2 Thessalonians 3:6

            c) Obedient believers are told to "not associate with him [the one who lives in an unruly way toward biblical instruction] so that he will be put to shame" – 2 Thessalonians 3:14

            d) Obedient believers are told to "’come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what is unclean’." – 2 Corinthians 6:17

            e) In fact, we are admonished that we tolerate no deviation doctrinally from the established, received, fundamental truths of "the faith" – cp. Jude 1:3.

            f) The question is then appropriately asked: "What issues then mandate that separation occur?" or "How far does one have to go before separation has to occur?"

         

      II. The Prompting for Public Separation

        A. The Fundamentals of the Faith

          1. Originally, when the fundamentalist – modernist controversy occurred, the fundamentalists were not separatist.
          2. Instead of being separatist, they felt that it was only appropriate to attempt to rescue their denominations and schools from the modernists.
          3. It began subtly, with merely a tolerant view toward evolution, which demonstrated a degenerating view of the authority of God’s Word.
          4. Read the article from World Magazine, May 17/24, 1997 entitled: "Stemming the drift"
          5. This happens all over the country in schools that begin to compete for academic excellence – they compromise on two levels – theologically in order to attract faculty, and on a commitment to excellence in the standard of the school in order to attract students.
          6. In the early decades of this century, the argument was indeed over the authority of God’s Word as some cardinal doctrines were being denied in the mainline denominations

            7. a) The Inspiration of the Bible – as the infallible, inerrant Word of God - (Sola Scriptura);

            b) The Deity and Virgin Birth of the Lord Jesus;

            c) The Vicarious Atonement for the sins of men;

            d) The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ; and,

            e) The Visible, Physical Return of Jesus Christ.

          7. These became the "Fundamentals" that defined whether or not you were a modernist or a fundamentalist.
          8. However, the fundamentalists began to realize the same thing that the Reformers realized finally realized – you cannot coexist with error within the body of Christ – cp. Revelation 18:4-5
          9. Thus, fundamentalists became separatists – in many cases not by choice, but were forced out of the denominations – to the glory of God.
          10. Gradually there arose a group of believers who instead of being obedient to the command of Scripture to separate from modernists (liberals), they felt the need to attempt to bridge the gap and bring unity between the fundamentalists and the modernists – calling themselves the "New Evangelicals"
          11. The key features of these disobedient brothers or "New Evangelicals" include:

            12. a) Tolerance for doctrinal diversity

            b) Friendliness toward or acceptance of evolutionary theories

            c) Toleration or espousal toward questionable views concerning the Scriptures

            d) A devotion to the social agenda of the liberal’s "Social Gospel" – as a point around which to unite Christendom

            e) Enthusiasm over cooperative evangelism

            f) Emphasis on the unity of the church in preference to its purity

            g) Criticism of the fundamentalists for the narrow and strict adherence to the absolute authority of God’s Word.

          12. This is the position that formed the National Association of Evangelicals – an organization of churches that true fundamentalists will not embrace at all.

        B. The Fallacies of the Apostates

          1. The repudiate the organized system of revealed truth the faith we are told to contend for 2 Timothy 3:5
          2. They are motivated by a demons – 1 Timothy 4:1
          3. They are not truthful – 1 Timothy 4:2
          4. They are deceptive – 2 Peter 2:13
          5. They are They oppose divine authority – Jude 8
          6. They are spiritually dead – Jude 12
          7. They have a form of religion without power – 2 Timothy 3:5.

      III. The Priority of Public Separation

        A. The Faithfulness to the Word of God

          1. In its ultimate motivation – it is the holiness of God that motivates the separation from apostate and ecumenical bodies and organizations.
          2. The primary point of focus is a defense of the Scriptures from attack and subversion.

        B. The Fellowship by the People of God

          1. It is not that fundamentalists are able to cooperate or fellowship with no one – as completely self-sufficient. (IFCA – "I Fellowship Completely Alone")
          2. Fundamentalists are interdependent with other believers – but they are concerned that those fundamentals of the faith are clearly embraced – believing that unity is because of truth, not despite it as the ecumenist would claim.

        C. The Fruitfulness of the Gospel

          1. It is only when churches and organizations stand for the truth of the Word of God without apology against the compromise of those truths that the Gospel can be "held forth" – Philippians 2:15-16.
          2. Even as the Reformation demonstrated, and the Fundamentalist/Modernist Controversy demonstrated, the current evangelical movement will also demonstrate that there is a desperate need for a clarion call back to the Gospel of justification by faith as revealed in the inerrant Word of God.

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