TBC Extra

From One Day at a Time by Bill MacDonald

“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” —2 Corinthians:6:17-18 [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
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What should a Christian do when he finds himself in a church that has become increasingly liberal and modernistic? This church was founded by men who believed in the inerrancy of the Bible and in all the other fundamental doctrines of the faith. It had a glorious history of evangelical fervor and of missionary endeavor. Many of its ministers were well-known scholars and faithful preachers of the Word. But the denominational seminaries have been taken over by a new breed, and now the ministers coming out of them preach a social gospel. They still use biblical phraseology, but they mean something completely different by it. They undermine the major Bible doctrines, give natural explanations for the miracles, and scoff at biblical morality. They are out front in advocating radical politics and subversive causes. They speak contemptuously of fundamentalists.

What should a Christian do? Perhaps his family has been associated with this church for generations. He himself has contributed generously over the years. His closest friends are in the church. He wonders what would happen to the young people in his Sunday School Class if he should leave. Shouldn’t he remain in the church and be a voice for God as long as possible?

His arguments seem plausible to him. And yet it vexes his righteous soul to see people coming to the church for bread week after week and getting nothing but a stone. He values his associations there, and yet it grieves him to hear his Savior condemned with faint praise.

There is no doubt what he should do. He should leave the church. That is the clear command of God’s Word. If he removes himself from this unequal yoke, God will take care of all the consequences. God will assume responsibility for those Sunday school students. God will provide new friendships. In fact, God himself promises to be a Father to him in a closeness that can only be known by those who are unquestioningly obedient. The blessedness of true separation is nothing less than the glorious companionship of the great God himself.