Doctrinal pointers by Gerald B. Stanton, Th.D. Prof, of Systematic Theology, Talbot Theological Seminary Separation (Part Two)
T he extent of separation. Having in dicated the nature of Biblical sep aration, which must be unto God as well as away from sinful pleasure, it is now important to inquire how far the principle of separation should extend. John sets the answer before us as clearly as any in 1 John 2:16, “ 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.” The world, as used here, speaks of the godless cosmos world system, alien ated from God and crucifier of the Lord of glory. It includes all the wickedness which the fallen sons of Adam desire for their own gratifica tion and pleasure. The term flesh ex presses all that is evil within man, both sinful motives and degraded lusts (Gal. 5:19-21,24; Rom. 8:8). Prominent too is wickedness caused by the eye, which, unless single to the glory of God, will aid the flesh by seeking out forbidding scenes. The pride of life speaks of the vain glory of one who has never bowed in volun tary subjection to the will of God. Is it out of place to mention under the extent of separation those famil iar entertainments which fill the ho rizon of the unregenerate, but never cease to lead astray those who are bom into the family of God? One might begin with the cards, called the devil’s Bible —stained with hu man blood. A kindred vice is gam bling, with its ill-gotten gains and frequent violence. There must be mentioned the stage and the movie screen, with their major themes of violence and lust. There is the mod ern dance with its debasing intimacy and deliberate sensuality, together with her handmaiden, liquor, calcu lated to dull the thinking. The partaking of wine and strong drink are sins expressly forbidden in the Bible (Prov. 20:1; 23:20,21,29, 30; Isa. 5:22; Eph. 5:18). But the Bible does not categorize every sin; indeed, some were not yet invented when it was written. Rather, the Bi ble sets forth those principles which shall, if heeded, safely steer our steps around the pitfalls of iniquity. It is
all right when a ship is in the sea. It is all wrong when the sea is in the ship. Wise is the captain who guards against leaks, seeking the greatest safety of his vessel! J. Wilbur Chapman said wisely, “The rule that governs my life is this: Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.” There are, however, some addition al methods for testing a doubtful practice. Briefly, the most important of these are as follows: (1) Is it ex pressly forbidden by the Word of God, or does it violate any plain teaching of Scripture (1 Thess. 5:22)? (2) Would participation dull the keen edge of my spirituality or rob me of fellowship with my Lord (Col. 3:2)? (3) Recognizing that I have within me two opposing natures, which one does this practice feed, the old or the new (Col. 3:5-10)? (4) Do the best Christians I know participate in this thing? Even more important, could I imagine Christ doing it (2 Thess. 3:6)? (5) Can I confidently ask God to bless it (2 Tim. 2:4)? (6) Would I like to be so engaged when Christ returns (Titus 2:12-14; 1 John 3:3)? (7) Might it cause me to be a stumbling block to some weaker brother (1 Cor. 8:9, 13)? (8) W ill it involve a waste of God’s money or talents invested in me? (9) How will it affect my testimony? Would I be willing for my friends to know all about it (Phil. 2:15)? (10) Is it one of the world’s typical amusements? However, the sin problem is not the real heart of the doctrine of sep aration. It is essentially a positive walk of fellowship with God and with the people of God. The inferior pleasures of sin have been replaced with the better things of a Christ- honoring life. Thus, walking day by day with our faces to the Light, the shadows of sin will automatically fall behind us. Not, then, a negative creed, but a positive walk with the Lord—this is Biblical separation. END.
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