Be Ye Holy
Chapter 5: The Spirit of the Separatist
Prayerfulness
Scripture
exhorts the separatist to diligence in praying. Prayer is
one of the means by which the Christian keeps himself in
the love of God (Jude 20). In I Timothy 1:18-20 Paul exhorts
Timothy to a "good warfare" (v. 18) and warns him of
those who have "concerning faith made shipwreck"
(v. 19). He then states that the first priority in the life
of the warrior for the Faith is "supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks" (2:1). He says
plainly that this must come "first of all" (v.
1). To protect oneself from false doctrine and to stand
against it for the Faith, prayer must be the preacher's
priority.
Compassion
Paul's
instructions to Timothy in II Timothy 2:16-25 imply a genuine
compassion for the false teachers from whom Timothy had
to separate. The clear instruction "yet count him not
as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (II Thess.
3:15) makes it obvious that the separatist is to have a
genuine concern for the erring brother from whom he must
separate. Paul warned the Philippians about the "enemies
of the cross of Christ" and said that he did it "even
weeping" (Phil. 3:18). Perhaps Paul wept as he thought
of the reproach brought on the cross by its enemies. Perhaps
he wept for the enemies of the cross who had professed faith
in Christ and now were "recreant followers of Christ."10
His separation was accompanied by deep emotion and was not
harsh, unfeeling, and insensitive.
The Theme of
Holiness
The
theme of holiness weaves its way through this part of the
study also. The separatist is to build himself upon his
"most holy faith" (Jude 20). Meekness, gentleness,
and love are required in the practice of separation. Those
virtues are produced by the Holy Spirit in the believer
and reflect God's holiness. The holiness of God is the foundation
of all separation, and the separatist who has the right
spirit will reflect the holiness of God in his practice
of separation.
Conclusion
Perhaps
the Bible constructs a model of the separatist which many
who embrace separatism have never fully considered.
- The
separatist is a man who is first concerned about holiness.
His separatism flows from an understanding of God's holiness
and a desire to reflect that holiness in his personal
life and in his ministry.
- The
separatist is a man of absolute militancy in a day when
militancy is out of vogue.
- The
biblical separatist sees evangelism inseparably tied to
separation and consistently works to get the gospel to
lost people everywhere.
- The
separatist understands that purity of life and purity
of doctrine go hand in hand and that he must maintain
his daily walk with God.
- The
separatist realizes that in his militancy and refusal
to compromise he must display the fruit of the Holy Spirit
in his life. He knows that fruit is only produced in a
life surrendered to the Spirit of God. Love, gentleness,
and meekness mark his conduct.
- The
separatist knows that while he can have nothing to do
with false doctrine and must not cooperate with false
teachers in doing God's work, he must yet patiently instruct
them and hope for their repentance.
- The
separatist makes prayer a priority as he wages his warfare.
- The
separatist has real compassion for those whose doctrine
or lifestyle he must oppose.
May
God's Spirit use His sword (Eph. 6:17) to convict a generation
of separatists where they have failed and to make them militant
in their stand and meek in their spirit!
Be Ye Holy: The Call to Christian Separation. By Fred Moritz. ©1994.
BJU Press. Reproduction prohibited. This work is available for purchase at the
Bob Jones University Campus Store (phone: 1-800-252-1927; web address:
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