Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away, and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. Ezra 9:4
Ezra was in shock. Not until the evening sacrifice could he bring himself out of the state of astonishment and shock at the report he received regarding the sin of Israel and its leaders. What sin was so great that it would have such an effect on this ready scribe of God? Had the people slipped back into idolatry? No, that was no longer a problem for them. Were there gross immorality problems or shameful business practices going on? It doesn’t seem so. So why was Ezra so upset and shocked? The sin that was reported to him was the lack of separation between God’s people and the godless people living around them. By today’s standards, that doesn’t seem such a great deal. But by God’s standards, it was a great sin and a reproach on Israel, and was responsible for their pathetic lack of spirituality. The same sin is also responsible for much of the failure among Christians today.
Intermarriage with the world was common, and was even being practiced by the leaders in Israel. This tragic situation was destroying even the identity of Israel. It destroys our identity today. We know, of course, that Christians should never marry unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Such unions cannot and will not be blessed by God. But there are other ways in which we become associated with the world, to our spiritual detriment.
Many Christians forge friendships with unbelievers, through work or neighbour connections and events. While we need to be friendly in order to be a good testimony, we also need to protect ourselves from the things that unsaved people bring into our lives. Their talk, their associations, the places they go, the entertainment they enjoy (this is a huge one), and the situations they can lead us into, will all have a contaminating impact on our own souls. The devil has a horde of people and things out there to draw us away from our fellowship with our Lord.
There is also a real need for us to be aware of problems with our associations with other Christians who fail to recognize the truths concerning God’s Assembly. Yes, they are our brothers and sisters in the Lord, but their lack of spiritual discernment can have serious effects on our hold on New Testament Assembly principles.
The doctrine of separation is a huge topic, and is found throughout Scripture. It is important, even vital. Let us come out from among them. -Jim MacIntosh