“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
The Bible insists that God’s nature and character are unchanging. This is to emphasize the fact that God is perfect in all His attributes; any change in God would be a downward change, a move away from perfection. God is, among many other wonderful things, morally perfect. The beloved disciple John states that in Him there is only light; there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). He is the very foundation and standard of moral goodness. David understood this well (Psalm 16:2). It is God’s morally perfect character that prevents Him from having fellowship with that which is imperfect. He is of purer eyes than to look upon evil (Habakkuk 1:13). Two cannot walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3); we cannot have fellowship with God unless we are perfect as He is perfect. The good news is that Christ came into the world to bear away our sin that estranges us from God (John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21). We who have received the new birth and imputed righteousness also have a God-given moral obligation to walk in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). The rewards for obeying God do not always come immediately, however. On the contrary, we will in all likelihood suffer in the short term for following and obeying Jesus (2 Timothy 3:12). Narrow is the road that leads to eternal life, said Jesus, and there are few that find it (Matthew 7:14). Our commitment to Jesus will not make us popular; friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). Predictably, evil has often infiltrated, poisoned and even dominated not only government systems, but the professing church as well. In 1539, Anna Jansz stood against the theological error of the professing church, which had control even over government at that time. For her faithfulness she was arrested and sentenced to death by drowning. Her final words to her young son are instructive, especially in the present hour: “Therefore, my child, do not regard the great number, nor walk in their ways. But where you hear of a poor, simple, cast-off little flock, which is despised and rejected by the world, join them; for where you hear of the cross, there is Christ. Flee the shadow of this world.” May we exhibit similar faith, purity, and courage in these last of days.
God bless you, dear saints!
Pastor John
English