2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
The doctrine of separation from the “unclean thing” is lost or ignored by most Christians today. There are few churches that teach or practice Biblical separation. In a technological world and work place, it is not easy to always discern our separation. In the context of the text Paul is warning about being unequally yoked together with unbelievers and urges us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor 6:14; 7:1).
The Bible speaks of “unclean things” in various verses and referring to different matters. Although often times they refer to literal unclean things – things that are dirty, contaminating or actual garbage or waste – they are representative of spiritual uncleanness.
Passages dealing with uncleanness: Leviticus 5:1-2 “ . . . if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
Leviticus 7:19-21 And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. 20 But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 21 Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. Uncleanness that pertains to contamination by reason of germs, bacteria, etc. are types of spiritual uncleanness – pollution as that from evil.
In the early church the question of the Gentiles and their obeying all the regulations of Moses’ law was considered and the believers issued the following: “. . . that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. The uncleanness they wanted the Gentiles to avoid was spiritual in nature but was related their daily living.
Paul tells us to cast off the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph 5:11) which is also involved in living a separated life. In Rom 13:13, 14 Paul tells of some of these works (rioting – half drunken partying; chambering – cohabitation; illicit sexual activities; uncontrolled lust, shamelessness; envying – excitement that leads to rivalry). We are to cast these off and openly rebuke them. We are Christians and should walk as such, not as unbelievers – “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” This appears to be the result of denying God when they once knew Him and leads to darkness in life “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. “ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened”.
In these days of moral confusion and doubt, with the perversions once outlawed by society being protected, Christians are being pressured to accept them as proper and good. Living a separated life will mean being ridiculed and even persecuted someday. Our separation may be stricter than others, but what God says to avoid and eliminate, we must do in order to be His children (2 Cor 6:17-18)