SEPARATE
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”
John 14:15
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:7 & 8
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” John 15:10 & 11
“You are My friends, if you do what I command you.” John 15:14
These words of our Lord Jesus Christ teach us that even though we have the “free gift” of eternal life and can “never” lose it (John 10:28), the Lord Jesus still wants us to be obedient Christians. Loving Him, having our prayers answered, bearing fruit, having joy, and being Jesus’ friend, all depend on “if you keep” His commandments.
This booklet teaches us about the Lord Jesus’ commandments to Christians concerning SEPARATION. From Genesis to Revelation, the Lord has wanted His people to be separate. In Genesis 6:2, when God’s people stopped being separate, the whole world became corrupt. Only eight people remained separate, and that was Noah and his family.
In Luke 18:8, Jesus wonders if He will find anyone faithful on the earth when He returns. In Revelation 3:4, there are only a “few” in the church that will walk with Jesus in white. In the last church of the last days, Revelation 3:16, there is NO ONE. The Lord says He will spit (vomit, in the original Greek) them out of His mouth.
In Revelation 18:4, during the seven year tribulation period, some of the believers do not stay separate, but are involved with the Harlot, Babylon, the false church of that time. The voice from heaven warns them to “come out of her” (the Harlot false church) “MY PEOPLE” (the true believers) to avoid the discipline of their disobedience.
You may be in a “Christian” church that has a false gospel, no gospel, or unbiblical doctrines right now. Or, you may know other believers who are in error. You must be faithful and gracious to provide the biblical information exposing their errors, and explain why you must obey God’s commands and separate from them if they continue in error. If they are reasonable and teachable, you need to be willing to spend the time necessary to correct them, in obedience to the following verses:
“And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God will grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:24 & 25
“And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” 2 Thessalonians 3:15
We pray this bible study will help you understand your responsibility as a Christian to obey God’s commands in this area of SEPARATION.
GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE
Read 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17
In vs. 16, what does “All Scripture” refer to?
Who gave the Scriptures to man?
The bible teaches that Jesus is God in flesh. Could we say that the whole Bible is Jesus’ words?
In vs. 16, what is the purpose of the Scriptures?
In vs. 17, what do Jesus’ words equip us for?
Read John 14:21-24
Do you love Jesus?
In vs. 21, what will a person be doing if he loves Jesus?
In vs. 23, if you love Jesus what will you do?
What does it mean to “keep His word”?
In vs. 24, what if you do not “keep His word”?
Read James 1:22-25
In vs. 22, if you know what the Bible says and refuse to do it, what kind of person are you?
In vs. 25, if you do what the Scriptures say, what will happen to you?
SEPARATION FROM UNBELIEVERS
UNBELIEVERS - those who do not believe that Jesus is Creator God, equal to His Father, or they do not believe that forgiveness from hell is a one time, irrevocable free gift of grace, by faith in Jesus’ suffering alone.
Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
These Scriptures give us commands in regard to our relationship with unbelievers. Vs. 14 says, “Do not be (what) with unbelievers.”
What do you think this means?
In vss. 14-16, list the five words used as examples of being “bound together.”
These are some of the people or groups a Christian should NOT be bound with: unsaved fiance, unsaved business partner, public school, A.A., Catholicism, and Mormonism. Can you think of any others?
Are you involved in any of those?
In vs. 17, what does the Lord command you to do when you are in one of those situations?
What will the Lord do if you do this in vss. 16 & 18?
What happens if you refuse to obey these commands?
What does the Bible call disobedience to the Lord’s commands?
SEPARATION FROM SINNING CHRISTIANS
Read Luke 17:3
What should we do with a Christian who sins?
If he repents?
If he doesn’t?
Read Proverbs 27:5 & 6
What is better?
What is faithful?
Read Matthew 18:15-17
If a Christian continues in sin and will not listen to you, your brothers nor the church, according to vs. 17, how does Jesus tell us to treat that brother or sister?
What does that mean?
In 2 Thessalonians 3:14, what should we do about a sinning Christian?
What is true about YOU if you refuse to do what the Lord commands in Matthew 18:15-17 and 2 Thessalonians 3:14?
What must we also do in 2 Thessalonians 3:15?
Read John 5:7-14
What is Jesus’ warning in vs. 14?
In John 8:11, what is Jesus’ warning to the adulterous woman?
What do you think Jesus would warn us?
CHRISTIANS WITH FALSE DOCTRINE
Read Romans 16:17 & 18
What are the sins of “those” Christians in vs. 17?
List four or more examples of teachings in Christian churches today that are “contrary to the teaching you have learned” from the Bible.
In vs. 17, what two things are we told to do about a brother or sister who continues in these sins?
In vs. 18, what are these Christians slaves of?
And what will they do if you do not obey vs. 17?
What could happen to you, if you do not obey this command of God?
Read 1 Timothy 4:1-6
How does vs. 1 apply to the command we just read in Romans 16:17?
What are the false doctrines in vs. 3?
Some churches teach these false doctrines by demanding abstinence from alcohol and forbidding marriage to those whose spouse divorced them, contrary to God’s word. List other examples of false doctrines.
How does vs. 6 encourage us?
Do you consider yourself a “good servant”?
Read Colossian 2:16, 20 & 21
What should we NOT do?
Read 2 Timothy 4:1-4
What are we commanded to do in vs. 2?
What does God predict will happen in the end times in vs. 3?
What will they also do in vs. 4?
How does this apply to what we saw earlier in Romans 16:17-18?
How does 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 apply to Christians with false doctrines?
IMMORAL CHRISTIANS
Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
In vs. 1, what is the sin of this Christian in the Corinthian church?
In vs. 3, what had the Apostle Paul already done with this man?
What else had the Apostle done in vs. 5?
What word is used for sinning Christians in vss. 6-8?
What should we do about it in vs. 7?
Who should we NOT associate with in vs. 11?
List the sins a Christian should not be involved with in vs. 11.
Is this a complete list?
What other sins might a Christian fall into?
What are we NOT to do with a sinning Christina in vs. 11?
What are we to do with a sinning Christian in vs. 13?
JUDGING
Read 1 Corinthians 5:12
Who are Christians supposed to judge?
What had Paul already done in vs. 3?
Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-5
What was the shame of the Christians in vs. 5?
Why must we learn to judge correctly now in vss. 2-3?
Read 1 Corinthians 11:13-15
What should we be able to do?
Read Matthew 7:1-5
According to vs. 4, when should we not judge?
In vs. 5, when can we judge?
How do we get the log out of our eye? (John 1:2, Galatians 6:1)
Read Luke 12:57
What does Jesus question?
Read John 7:24
How does Jesus command us to judge?
UNRULY CHRISTIANS
Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6
How are we told to respond to an unruly brother?
What does that mean?
What does “unruly” mean?
What should Christians live according to?
What are the traditions received from the Apostles?
Read 2 Thessalonians 3:14
Why should we obey the instructions of the Apostles’ letters?
How should we treat a Christian who does not obey the Apostles’ letters?
For what purpose?
What is the balance in vs. 15?
Read 2 Peter 1:20 & 21
Where did the Apostles get their information for their letters?
Read Titus 3:9-11
What are we to avoid in vs. 9?
Why?
In vs. 10, what are we to do with a Christian who continues to argue about these things?
In vs. 11, what is that Christian’s real problem?
ASSOCIATING WITH UNBELIEVERS
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, we are commanded to “NOT be bound together with UNBELIEVERS”. That means to PARTNERSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, HARMONY, COMMON, or AGREEMENT with them. Yet, in 1 Corinthians 5:9 & 10, we are told we can associate with them; because to get away from them we would have to (what)?
ASSOCIATION represents a shallow, casual, mixing or mingling with the unbelievers while not compromising, bringing doubt or reproach to your Christian testimony and Biblical principles.
List some situations where you may be associating with unbelievers, but not fellowshipping or being bound together with them.
NOT ASSOCIATING WITH SINNING CHRISTIANS
The earlier verses we studied concerning sinning Christians, makes it very clear that GOD COMMANDS US to NOT associate with them. We re to reject them, keep aloof from them, remove them from your midst, and turn away from them. Yet if they are teachable, we are to “...NOT regard them as an enemy, but admonish them as a brother”.
Many Christians refuse to obey the Lord Jesus Christ’s commands concerning SEPARATION. How about you? Perhaps you didn't know these verses before, but now you do. I pray that you would be an obedient Christian so God can bless you with answered prayers, bearing fruit, having joy, and being Jesus’ friend.
If you have questions or would like more information about this topic or others,
or you would like to receive free bible study booklets, please contact us:
GOOD NEWS BIBLE CHURCH
718 Riverspring Dr.
Prentice, WI 54556
(715) 428-2075