The words that resonate with our generation are inclusion, tolerance, and diversity. We don’t like the idea of excluding anyone from anything, so we have a hard time digesting (or even understanding) verses in the Bible like these:

“Come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18, NLT)

“You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.” (Leviticus 20:26)

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” (1 John 2:15)

How does God want us to separate from the world? Is He asking us to stop wearing jewelry or makeup? Does he want women to wear long skirts and men’s shirts to have no buttons? Or … maybe He’s talking about where we live and with whom we interact. Does He want His people to carve out enclaves where we can live separate from everyone else in society, lest we become defiled by them?

In the history of the church, we’ve adopted at times these kinds of external trappings. But the “holiness movements” of yesteryear were relatively short-lived and weren’t very effective. Mostly, they created anxiety in His people and did little to impact the world. Today, the pendulum has swung far in the opposite direction. Many who profess to be Christians have so immersed themselves in the world, there’s nothing that distinguishes them from their pagan counterparts. They share the same appetites, amusements, dress, manners, priorities, and goals. We can applaud their desire to reach out and identify with their neighbors, but unfortunately, we haven’t seen much spiritual fruit from their approach either. Few are won to Christ through accommodation.

So, what’s the answer? In what way does God want us to be separate?

When we think about the word “separate” we’re likely to think of the synonyms sever, divide, disconnect, and break from, and these sound negative to our “inclusive” ears. But the word separate has other meanings too. It can also mean to distinguish, sort out, to set aside for some particular purpose.

In the beginning of human history, Genesis 1 tells us that God separated light from darkness and water from water. Why? So He could provide a place that would be hospitable for mankind and the animals He would create. If He had not separated the waters above from the waters below, dry land could not have appeared. In these acts of separation, He gave us lights to order our day and night, manageable sources of water, and vegetation (trees, plants) to feed us. God called all of it GOOD.

After man’s Fall, however, our quality of life changed drastically. Shame, blame, hatred, murder, selfishness, power struggles, and exploitation filled the earth. “Every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings … and his heart was deeply troubled.” (Genesis 6:5-6) Fortunately, one man (Noah) found favor in the eyes of the Lord and survived the catastrophic flood.

But how would God restore the world to its original purpose? As we read on in Genesis, we see that He chose to perform another act of SEPARATION … setting apart for himself a godly line through which the Rescuer would come—the One who could defeat sin and death, restore righteousness, and enable mankind to live in harmony again. Beginning with Abraham, God established a covenant with His “called-out” people. He prescribed the conditions for interacting with a holy God and gave them commandments that would keep them separate from the sin and corruption of the world.

Those of us who know Jesus Christ have been grafted into this godly line. We bear His name and represent Him to those around us. Because we’ve been born again by His Spirit, we have the power to live as He did—a life filled with goodness, generosity, compassion, wisdom, and sacrificial love. Unlike the Pharisees—who were mainly concerned with outward appearance and not doing anything “wrong”—followers of Jesus are to exhibit a holiness that brings God’s abundant life into the society around us. As Watchman Nee put it, “Many people think we become holy by the eradication of something evil within. No, we become holy by being separated unto God.”

What does this separated life look like? We deal honestly and fairly in business; we extend mercy and forgiveness to those who wrong us; we share with those in need; we comfort the afflicted; we advocate for those with no power; we joyfully share the Good News of Jesus with all who hunger and thirst after righteousness; and our appetites and goals are shaped by Jesus’ teachings, not by the latest fads. I like what Spurgeon said about our separated life: “Do not go about the service of God as slaves to their taskmaster’s toil, but run in the way of His commands because it is your Father’s way.” The apostle Paul understood this so well. He wrote, “I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls” (2 Corinthians 12:15 NASB).

God saw the value of separation in bringing about lasting good, and we should see our holiness in that light as well. It’s not a separation for separation’s sake; it’s a separation that will result in reconciliation between a holy God and sinful man. As we live for His glory, not our own, we can look forward to the beautiful future that awaits those who have allowed Him to separate them from the world for His own purposes. 

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. … There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. … Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” (Rev. 21:3-4, 7)