“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.”
II Corinthians 6:17-18 KJV
Parents greatly delight in knowing that their children have chosen to follow in their footsteps, especially when those decisions guide them into a successful career, financial independence, wise decision-making, a healthy marriage and responsible children… We attempt to set our children on the right path for life and to be a good example. Only problem is – we’re fallible. We make mistakes.
Now God is the perfect Father. He doesn’t make mistakes, and He also delights in knowing that His children have chosen to follow in His footsteps. However, God is holy. Therefore, His footsteps are holy.
I Peter 1:15-16 say, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
If we are to be separate and not touch anything unclean as God has commanded us then we are to separate ourselves from anything that is unholy; from anything that would defile us – a bad attitude, ungodly associations, sins of the spirit such as hatred, envy, bitterness, or greed. If we choose to separate ourselves from that which is unclean, and follow in His holy footsteps, then God promises to receive us as His children.
In verse 17, Paul quotes God when he says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord…” Come out from among whom? From whom are we to separate ourselves?
To answer that question, we need to review verses 14-16, which say, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?…”
We are to separate ourselves from the world, all its ungodly activities, and the people who participate in those activities. We shouldn’t look like the world, act like the world, dress like the world, or resemble the world in any way. Satan is the prince of this world, and he has a lot of influence in the world system.
Our influence should come from God Almighty.
Verse 16 continues, “…for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
God promises to dwell in us, to walk in us, to be our God; and if we separate ourselves from the world and refrain from touching the “unclean thing” then He will receive us as sons and daughters.
Leviticus 19:2 says, “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.”