Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20010729.htm

2 CORINTHIANS: OVERCOMING WHEN GOD'S SERVANT FACES RESISTANCE
Part X: Motivation For The Faltering To Practice Biblical Separation
(2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)
  1. Introduction
    1. Love is the hallmark of a believer in Christ. Jesus Himself told His disciples, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another." (John 13:35)
    2. However, God's true love withdraws from evil, 1 John 2:15, for God is also righteous, 1 John 5:2-3.
    3. Paul gave reasons to the Corinthian believers who were hesitant to separate from the ungodly as to why they should so separate -- reasons we can use today if we falter to heed God's Biblical call of separation:
  2. Motivation For The Faltering To Practice Biblical Separation, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1.
    1. Paul confronted his readers about their need to stop entering ungodly relations, 6:14a: the subjunctive negative adverb, "not" appears here with the present imperative of ginomai, translated "to become," so Paul's readers were entering ungodly relationships, and were to stop doing so! (UBS Grk. N.T., p. 632)
    2. Such unions included ungodly "marriage, business, and . . . ecclesiastical (church group) and intimate personal relationships," (parentheses ours) Ryrie Study Bible: KJV, ftn. to 2 Corinthians 6:14.
    3. Paul then gave negative and positive PRACTICAL reasons why this separation should occur, 6:14b-18:
      1. First, he supplied negative reasons for Biblical separation from the ungodly, 2 Cor. 6:14b-16:
        1. If the godly is yoked to the wicked, the godly must perform a one-sided task to make the union work ("fellowship" [metoche] is "participation"), Ibid.; Arndt & Ging., A Grk.-Engl. Lex., p. 516.
        2. The godly and ungodly have nothing spiritually in common with one another ("no communion" in 14c [koinonia] is "association," meaning righteousness and unrighteousness have nothing in common for there to be a basis for their unity (Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; Ibid., Arndt & Ging., p. 439).
        3. The godly and ungodly do not together produce a harmony that edifies others ("no concord" in 6:15a = "no symphonesis, no agreement" of the spiritual realm, Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T., p. 633; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 788).
        4. The godly and ungodly have no common spiritual heritage ("part" in 6:15b [meris] is a "share" of a whole entity, Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 506).
        5. The godly and ungodly do not share the same religious practices ("agreement" in 2 Cor. 6:16a [sugkatathesis] is "approval, assent" on an issue; here, the approval regards where one worships, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 781).
      2. Second, he supplied positive reasons for Biblical separation from the ungodly, 2 Cor. 6:17-7:1:
        1. If the believer separates from the ungodly in accord with Scripture's guidance, GOD receives him in terms of intimate spiritual fellowship, and FATHERS him in close communion that rewards, comforts and provides security to the believer, 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.
        2. With this fact as a promise both quoted in the Old Testament (2 Cor. 6:17 refers to teachings in Lev. 26:11-12; Isa. 43:6; 52:11; Ez. 20:34, 41; 2 Sam. 7:14, etc.) and here again affirmed in the Church era, the believer is urged to separate in his associations for blessing, cf. 1 John 2:15-17.
    4. Paul also urged his readers to separate from godless unions in the FEAR of accountability to God, 7:1. God's sovereignty over believers along with His absolute righteousness leads to a fear of not separating!
Lesson: If we or those we disciple hesitate to separate in their associations in accord with Scripture's calling, we can HURDLE this HESITANCY by (a) recalling the PRACTICAL problems uniting with the ungodly yield as well as the blessings separation produces in relating to God, and (b) by recalling our fearful accountability to an Almighty, perfectly righteous God Who calls us to separate this way!

Application: (1) From merely the human perspective, we must realize the trouble a believer invites if he unites with the ungodly and the great blessing separating correctly from the ungodly and uniting in fellowship with God brings. (2) From GOD'S perspective, there must be an awakening in the believer's realization that he must give an account to an all-sovereign, Almighty, infinitely loving but also infinitely righteous, Holy God for his associations! (3) Putting these two major concepts together leads rather strongly to urging the believer to Biblical separation in his walk!