The doctrine of separation

1. We are commanded to separate from certain types of carnal believers. There are certain types of carnality that encourage scar tissue and any kind of a sin that produces scar tissue in any believer who is habitually involved with that type is obviously the type for separation — 1 Corinthians 5:10,11.

2. Separation from believers who reject doctrine. If there is anything that will take you down in a hurry it is to make your associations with those who are indifferent to doctrine or whose exposure is sporadic — 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14,15.

3. Separation from believers who make emotion the criterion for life. These people always enter into some form of pseudo spirituality, and the best illustration is tongues — Romans 16:17,18.

4. Separation from the fast crowd — 1 Peter 4:4; Proverbs 1:10-19. The fast crowd destroy your norms and turn you into an animal. You have perception minus norms.

5. Separation from human viewpoint thinking. This is often called ‘worldliness.’ Romans 12:1,2.

6. Separation from unbelievers when doctrine is compromised — 2 Corinthians 6:14; Hebrews 13:13.

7. Separation from religion and apostasy — 2 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Timothy 3:5.

8. Separation from anything that destroys norms and standards in the frontal lobe — Jeremiah 2:24,25.

The doctrine of separation

1. Definition:

a) Separation is a decision or an action which stems from the control centre of the soul. The control centre is composed of whatever doctrine is resident in the soul. In other words, it is a decision or an action that comes from the altar.

b) The decision or action of separation demands the balance of residency in the life of the royal family. The filling of the Spirit with no doctrine means the believer is off-balance. The filling of the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean a thing as far as function is concerned until you have doctrine in your soul. You must be balanced. The filling of the Holy Spirit functions in the intake of doctrine but the Holy Spirit does not produce any significant action in your life until you have balance of residency. The decision or action comes from balance of residency in the royal family of God. Separation comes after the doctrine, then the doctrine does all of the dictating as to how you separate.

c) Separation, therefore, is produced by the activation of the altar in the soul.

d) Separation, therefore, must be related to the construction of the altar of the royal priesthood. Separation must be based on doctrine. Perspicacity precedes separation.

2. The first place where you learn to separate is from other believers. You love [RMA] all believers but you don’t associate with all of them. There are several categories:

a) There are certain types of carnal believers from whom you must separate or become involved in their carnality. 1 Corinthians 5:10-11 is the classical illustration.

b) Separation from reversionistic believers — 1 Samuel 22:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14,15.

c) Separation from religionism, emotionalism, and legalism.

d) Separate from religious types — Hebrews 13:13.

3. Separation must also be related to social life. Basically there are two areas: separation from the fast crowd — Proverbs 1:10-19; 1 Peter 4:4; the superficial social crowd — Jeremiah 15:17.

4. Separation from the unbeliever. The believer is in the world but not of the world, therefore we live with and among unbelievers. The principle of separation which applies is very simple. We don’t separate from all unbelievers, far from it. We work with unbelievers, we work under unbelievers, we have some social life perhaps with unbelievers, we have friends who are unbelievers, parent who are unbelievers, children who are unbelievers. You don’t separate from them. You never separate from an unbeliever unless doctrine is compromised. That is when you separate from an unbeliever. Example: a believer should never marry an unbeliever. Doctrine says no!

Cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14; Hebrews 13:13.

5. Separation from worldliness. Worldliness is not something you do. It is not going to a night club, it is not having a good time and laughing and playing, it is not enjoying life. Worldliness is actually lack of Bible doctrine in the soul producing human viewpoint. Worldliness is something you think, not something you do. Romans 12:1,2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice [rebound technique], holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable worship. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, namely that it is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Being transformed from the world or from worldliness is the renewing of the mental attitude. Worldliness is a mental attitude human viewpoint. You can be worldly doing a lot of things: reading your Bible, going out in the morning to get the paper, having a good time, having a bad time. You can be worldly and miserable at the same time. Worldliness is not sophistication, dancing, etc., worldliness is something you think. It is what you are thinking, not where you are. Separation from worldliness can only be accomplished by all building an altar. The altar of the royal family is maximum doctrine resident in the soul, or in terms of the sixth chapter of Ephesians, putting on the full armour of God. Both of these are tantamount to following the colours to the high ground of supergrace. Worldliness is lack of doctrine in the soul and the answer to worldliness or separation is maximum doctrine resident in the soul so that you think divine viewpoint.

6. Separation from religion and apostasy — 2 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Timothy 3:5; Hebrews 13:13. These passages all demand that the believer separate from any group that separates him from his right pastor and the ministry of his right pastor. Separation from religion and apostasy comes from staying under the ministry of your own right pastor.

7. Separation from members of your own family over doctrine. Doctrine resident in the soul is more important than family relationships. Matthew 10:34-39 — “Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth, I come not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”