Come Out from Among Them

"Wherefore come 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 6:17-18). God is calling to us to be separate from the world so He can be a Spiritual Father unto us. There are many who want to be spiritual and yet enjoy the ways and things of the world. The broad road is full of them, but it leads to destruction. It isn’t the talk, but the walk with God that leads to life eternal. Let us accept this invitation to become His sons and daughters. The world offers momentary pleasures but only disappointment in the end.

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). The impossibility of having more than one loyalty should make us aware that we cannot be a worldly Christian. Mammon represents the deification of money in our lives, as well as any other earthly thing. We humans are so designed that we cannot have more than one focus in our lives. We may work at many different things but we can only have one heart-focus. A careful examination of our lives will reveal that focus.

"The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness" (Luke 11:34-35). This picks up the theme of the previous paragraph. The single eye is a focused eye. The eye that is not focused on Christ and enlightened by the Holy Spirit will naturally be in darkness. Jesus said, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23). We do have the ability to see the light!

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16). That is a very obvious statement. This verse provides a self-check for us. Just what are we doing and why are we doing it? If we are living in sin, then we are the servants of sin and the Devil. If we are living a righteous life then we are the servants of God, for only the servants of God can live a righteous life. How did we live yesterday—or how about today?

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:15-17). We live in this world and we have to do with things in this world, but we must not set our hearts on them. To love them is to exclude God, and He will not be forced into second place. Now, if the love of God is not in us there is no way we can be His child. Many so-called Christians are on the broad way of the world, all the while claiming to be really spiritual people. But it isn't the talk that makes us Christians, but the walk with God. Talking never made anyone a Christian. In the judgment we will be judged by our works, not by our faith. We will be judged by the works of faith (1 Peter 1:17).

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). Because of sin, Adam experienced spiritual death. As the sons of Adam we also are born into this world without spiritual life. When we reject Christ we do not possess spiritual life. In the Scriptures Christ is called the second Adam because He was sinless even as the first Adam was before he sinned. Jesus came as a restorer of life. When we repent and receive Him we truly become spiritually alive. People of the world often think that are really living but they are dead while they live. To know Jesus is to find the real joy of life.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.... For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.... Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Romans 8:1,4-5,12-13).

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). This is not only a call to come out from the sins of the world, but to come out false religion of any sort. Let us faithfully heed the call of God. God has prepared a place for all who love and obey Him.

—Silas Martin