What Does Being "Seperate" From the World Look Like?

[Reformed Guy]

First, some relevant passages:

Jas_1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Jas_4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1Jn_2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Granted, I know that some seek to apply the principle and do it less than perfectly.  "Seperation" is sometimes defined, or marked, by "standards" that are nor always helpful and/or needed. and conformity to these "standards" can become a substitute for genuine holiness.  Legalism can creep in.

My consideration, however, has to do with the other extreme.  It has to do with the tendency of much of American Christianity to forsake "separation" altogether, or at least in any visible way.  "Standards" become relative to, and defined by the culture, or the world around us.  We dress like the world, worship like the world, entertain ourselves like the world, educate ourselves like the world, train our children like the world.  Other Christians, more careful in these things, are mocked, ridiculed, and contradicted-- as not living according to the "freedom" that we have and as being legalistic and self-righteous.

My question has to do with this type of attitude.  That "seperation" is required is beyond question-- it is clearly commanded.  How then, does one apply this principle and still retain so many elements and rudiments of the world around us?  What, exactly, is one who behaves himself like a worldling being separated from?

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=Reformed Guy]My question has to do with this type of attitude.  That "seperation" is required is beyond question-- it is clearly commanded.  How then, does one apply this principle and still retain so many elements and rudiments of the world around us?  What, exactly, is one who behaves himself like a worldling being separated from?
[/quote]

From an earlier post...

[quote author=rsc2a]
I'll dump a lot of Scripture on you showing what is opposed to "the world". Instead on focusing on how Christians shouldn't live, I'll focus on how Christians should live (through which there will be obvious corollaries about how we shouldn't live).

[size=7pt]

 

[The Real Bob]

First, some relevant passages:

Jas_1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Jas_4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1Jn_2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Granted, I know that some seek to apply the principle and do it less than perfectly.  "Seperation" is sometimes defined, or marked, by "standards" that are nor always helpful and/or needed. and conformity to these "standards" can become a substitute for genuine holiness.  Legalism can creep in.

My consideration, however, has to do with the other extreme.  It has to do with the tendency of much of American Christianity to forsake "separation" altogether, or at least in any visible way.  "Standards" become relative to, and defined by the culture, or the world around us.  We dress like the world, worship like the world, entertain ourselves like the world, educate ourselves like the world, train our children like the world.  Other Christians, more careful in these things, are mocked, ridiculed, and contradicted-- as not living according to the "freedom" that we have and as being legalistic and self-righteous.

My question has to do with this type of attitude.  That "seperation" is required is beyond question-- it is clearly commanded.  How then, does one apply this principle and still retain so many elements and rudiments of the world around us?  What, exactly, is one who behaves himself like a worldling being separated from?

The first thing you ought to do is learn how to spell it.

HAC grad by any chance?

 

[BALAAM]

First, some relevant passages:

Jas_1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Jas_4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1Jn_2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Granted, I know that some seek to apply the principle and do it less than perfectly.  "Seperation" is sometimes defined, or marked, by "standards" that are nor always helpful and/or needed. and conformity to these "standards" can become a substitute for genuine holiness.  Legalism can creep in.

My consideration, however, has to do with the other extreme.  It has to do with the tendency of much of American Christianity to forsake "separation" altogether, or at least in any visible way.  "Standards" become relative to, and defined by the culture, or the world around us.  We dress like the world, worship like the world, entertain ourselves like the world, educate ourselves like the world, train our children like the world.  Other Christians, more careful in these things, are mocked, ridiculed, and contradicted-- as not living according to the "freedom" that we have and as being legalistic and self-righteous.

My question has to do with this type of attitude.  That "seperation" is required is beyond question-- it is clearly commanded.  How then, does one apply this principle and still retain so many elements and rudiments of the world around us?  What, exactly, is one who behaves himself like a worldling being separated from?

The first thing you ought to do is learn how to spell it.

HAC grad by any chance?

I am a hac grad and misspelled words are like nails across a blackboard for me. I do it sometimes myself but usually when I'm in to much of a hurry to spell check. One thing about the fff is that I look up a lot more words than ever in order to make sure they are spelled korektly.

 

[brianb]

Like this?

 

[Reformed Guy]

First, some relevant passages:

Jas_1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Jas_4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1Jn_2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Granted, I know that some seek to apply the principle and do it less than perfectly.  "Seperation" is sometimes defined, or marked, by "standards" that are nor always helpful and/or needed. and conformity to these "standards" can become a substitute for genuine holiness.  Legalism can creep in.

My consideration, however, has to do with the other extreme.  It has to do with the tendency of much of American Christianity to forsake "separation" altogether, or at least in any visible way.  "Standards" become relative to, and defined by the culture, or the world around us.  We dress like the world, worship like the world, entertain ourselves like the world, educate ourselves like the world, train our children like the world.  Other Christians, more careful in these things, are mocked, ridiculed, and contradicted-- as not living according to the "freedom" that we have and as being legalistic and self-righteous.

My question has to do with this type of attitude.  That "seperation" is required is beyond question-- it is clearly commanded.  How then, does one apply this principle and still retain so many elements and rudiments of the world around us?  What, exactly, is one who behaves himself like a worldling being separated from?

The first thing you ought to do is learn how to spell it.

HAC grad by any chance?

Not a chance.

But, we seperated folk like to spell things our own way.

 

[Agent P]

My question has to do with this type of attitude.  That "seperation" is required is beyond question-- it is clearly commanded.  How then, does one apply this principle and still retain so many elements and rudiments of the world around us?  What, exactly, is one who behaves himself like a worldling being separated from?

Much like Spamderson, actually.

But seriously folks,  we're still IN it not OF it.  The early church separated itself by their love and care for each other, not by dressing differently and trying to see how far out of it they could be while attempting to be in it.