Come out from among them

Albert Barnes wrote,

2Co 6:17 -
Wherefore - Since you are a special people. Since God, the holy and blessed God, dwells with you and among you.
Come out from among them - That is, from among idolaters and unbelievers; from a frivolous and vicious world. These words are taken, by a slight change, from Isa_3:11. They are there applied to the Jews in Babylon, and are a solemn call which God makes on them to leave the place of their exile, to come out from among the idolaters of that city and return to their own land; see my note on that place. Babylon, in the Scriptures, is the emblem of whatever is proud, arrogant, wicked, and opposed to God; and Paul, therefore, applies the words here with great beauty and force to illustrate the duty of Christians in separating themselves from a vain, idolatrous, and wicked world.
And be ye separate - Separate from the world, and all its corrupting influences.
Saith the Lord - see Isa_3:11. Paul does not use this language as if it had original reference to Christians, but he applies it as containing an important principle that was applicable to the case which he was considering, or as language that would appropriately express the idea which he wished to convey. The language of the Old Testament is often used in this manner by the writers of the New.
And touch not the unclean thing - In Isaiah, “touch no unclean thing;” that is, they were to be pure, and to have no connection with idolatry in any of its forms. So Christians were to avoid all unholy contact with a vain and polluted world. The sense is, “Have no close connection with an idolater, or an unholy person. Be pure; and feel that you belong to a community that is under its own laws, and that is to be distinguished in moral purity from all the rest of the world.”
And I will receive you - That is, I will receive and recognize you as my friends and my adopted children. This could not be done until they were separated from an idolatrous and wicked world. The fact of their being received by God, and recognized as his children, depended on their coming out from the world. These words with the verses following, though used evidently somewhat in the form of a quotation, yet are not to be found in any single place in the Old Testament In 2Sa_7:14, God says of Solomon, “I will be his Father, and he shall be my son.” In Jer_31:9, God says, “For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.” It is probable that Paul had such passages in his eye, yet he doubtless designed rather to express the general sense of the promises of the Old Testament than to quote any single passage. Or why may it not be that we should regard Paul here himself as speaking as an inspired man directly, and making a promise then first communicated immediately from the Lord? Paul was inspired as well as the prophets; and it may be that he meant to communicate a promise directly from God. Grotius supposes that it was not taken from any particular place in the Old Testament, but was a part of a hymn that was in use among the Hebrews.

 

If a person really wanted to live seperated from the world they wouldn't be on the world wide web, the internet.

 

I know what you eman Dr. Bob, I get some of the most ugly junk in my email everyday. And some pretty bad pop ups, with actual nudity.

 

American Family Association offers a great filter, filters out all kinds of filth. They also have a filter for email.

 

Amen

 

As to the WWW: It is the Web World Wide, the world, good and bad. There are a lot of good things on it, as well as an awful lot of bad. There is a way to filter everything out on my internet provider: BLOCK ALL. But that is rather like the wheat and the tares problem in the sense that such action will block everything good too. What I do is delete everything from a sender I don't know.

As for opinions, I am not disagreeing with you Dr. Bob. But I do think there is such a thing a circumstance case. Even Paul expressed opinion now and then: "I, not the Lord." Some may have very good opinions. Women in miniskirts, or a man with a nose ring; Some may have no problem with either of these, others are of a differing opinion. (Myself, to these two cases-NO!)

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
1Cor. 6:2&3

The problem, as I see it, is that there is a line somewhere between sound biblical ethics and legalism. When is it crossed? Now the answer to that is the real problem.
Just, well, my opinion!

 

Oh, I do hope this doesn't show up as a buncha-posts...I pray I do it right. Just some thoughts of a ignorant offscoured...

Gracious Walls~you leaving da granny after she just got back??? I really do understand, tho'. It was soooo easy to give away my other 'puter & I would NEVER have bought myself another. When this "gift" came in the mail, I asked the Lord "is there a reason for this?"

After returning to my beloved BB, I have sensed a BIG change...haven't quite got it figured out yet, but am working on it. I fight the flesh daily as I see so much one-sidedness.

The conflict has always been between light and darkness. How our hearts should break over the power of satan in human lives. What possible scriptural reason could any true believer give for "staying in" instead of "coming out" as God commands?

Dear SisWalls and yes, SisHcl, I know y'all have a burden to make the truth known to those who are blinded. I've never once seen you "push" your beliefs on anyone, and both of you have shown nothing but pure grace. Even tho' we may not agree on everything, I've never been offended by anything you had to say.

Yes, those who try to stop us have "their" threads-lots of them-on things that are of interest to them. But be assured there is a remnant of women(& men) who seek the road you travel.

I choose not to sit on the fence, so I jump in with my kicking-shoe on & I'm well aware there is an eject-button always ready to eradicate...but at least I can say I gave it my best shot.

The things that have happened lately on the BB remind me of how it is out on the streets. We see our 1st amendment taken away daily when we hold our scriptural signs, but the 'christians' who hate us have the freedom of their "sign" language.

EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS!

"No man is safe when freedom fails,
And good men rot in filthy jails,
And those who cried appease appease,
Are hanged by those they tried to please."

 

I never get any of this stuff. I don't even get spam. I wonder what I am doing wrong?

 

They don't want to!

 

Why do you think that someone dislikes or hates you because they disagree with your beliefs?

Haven't you seen "debaters" or "lawyers" who are the best of friends, but one might not know it when they are in the courtroom or debating?

Discussing the different thoughts, opinions, and beliefs help me learn more by studying my Bible.

Walls, I really am sorry to see you leave the Board. But of course, you must do what your pastor expects of you and encourages you to do the Will of our Lord God.

I can not understand why we are given such wonderful things such as computers and our spiritual leaders do not want us to use them in learning more about our Savior. Computers are a wonderful teaching tool. Television are wonderful teaching tools. Our children are so fortunate to have these available to them with the guidance of their parents. Parents can sort out the good from the bad.

I can say this because I learned to type on a typewriter that was not even electric. There was only one Television in our town when I was in school. Oh, yes, that is another subject, isn't it?

We will miss you, Walls.

 

I never get any of this stuff. I don't even get spam. I wonder what I am doing wrong? </font>[/QUOTE]You must be doing something wrong, your goung to have to figure that out and fix it.