Separation: Safety net or Citizenship. Separation from the World - Part 1 - Kyle Yule

In my walk on the historic faith, there has been one struggle that has prevailed over all the others, and that struggle has been the aspect of the separation from the world. In my view on evangelism prior, it was essentially, "To win the world, I must become like the world."

I was all for this. After all, isn't that the heart behind what Jesus tells us to do in His ministry? To introduce as many people we can to Christ, all for His glory. The lefty saying at the end justifies the means. It doesn't matter how I get people to Jesus. All that matters is that they get to Jesus.

And when I started to look at this topic and I started to have questions, multiple people had sat me down, and they would sit me down and they'd say, "Okay, Kyle, but what about 1 Corinthians 9:19-23?

Doesn't Paul say that we must become all things to all men so that I may win some?" And so today, I'm not going to look at 1 Corinthians 9. Instead, I'm going to look at the exact opposite topic, and I'm going to look at separation in hopes that we can give a framework for how to view what Paul is talking about.

And so my message is separation, safety net, or citizenship. And today, my main point is to kindle a fire of non-conformity if you don't have one, and to give insight on how it was practiced. I want to show that separation from the world is more than just a safety net used to keep us safe from falling into the world, but that it's a tool that can be used to offer freedom and joy under the citizenship that we have in Christ.

And so why is this important? Why is this topic important? Well, I see many people giving up this separation to evangelize, to reach people, and they have the same mindset I did. "Well, if I give this up, I'm going to be able to reach more people."

And so the end justifies the means.

And then on the opposite side, I see people who are being so separate that they're isolating themselves from society and making it difficult, if not impossible, for people to join.

And so today, I want to look for the middle road, the same road that I believe the historic Anabaptists have always found, that third way, the way that the historic faith teaches.

I also want to say that this is coming from my perspective, a 25-year-old who has not witnessed the outworkings of separation very much. There are many who are wiser than I that may disagree, and that's 100% okay. I have some things that I probably need to learn, and this is just my observation and what I find interesting.

So when I first started to attend an Anabaptist church, it was not long until I realized that not conforming to the world was a very big point that influenced their whole lifestyle: how they dressed, what they drove, the words they used to talk, and how they navigated life. I also noticed that this was a major topic for the early church.

However, I saw a different heart behind how it was thought about and conveyed. For one, I noticed that some Anabaptists almost have a fear of the world, that it is by separating from it that they protect themselves, their family, and their church. They have a mindset that separation is important because we cannot become like the world, or else we won't be a Christian.

On the other side, I noticed that the early church had a mindset that we're a Christian, and so by living in accordance to the law of Christ, we become separate from the world. Now, this may sound the same, but I think there is a very big difference in how it's played out.

And so what is the difference? Well, my observation is that separation from the world, or non-conformity, today is seen largely as, I guess it would be called, a safety net, something that prevents people from becoming stained by the world. I noticed that non-conformity was something that was heavily taught and outworked in very specific ways.

There was almost a fear surrounding the world, and so boundaries were set up to prevent drift. And as I started to look into this and question it, I noticed that the mindset of the early church was different. They were separate not because of fear, but because of citizenship.

They saw that the life that they were living was no longer under the reign of Satan.

They had to change their allegiance from Satan's kingdom to God's kingdom under the reign of Jesus the Christ. The two kingdoms permeated deep into their lives and thoughts so that to live a Christian life separated them entirely from the world in thought and desire, and yes, also in the way that they dressed, their forms of entertainment, and much, much more.

So to begin, I'd like to start at looking at some scriptures about the topic. And as I started to think about, "What is a scripture? How many can I think of just off the top of my head that deal with this?" And I started to think, and I got maybe one or two or three. And then as I started looking and reading and researching, I noticed that this is not just a small thing that is taught, but it encompasses the almost majority of the teaching of the New Testament. That separation from the world is all throughout the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of His followers.

And so here are some to just start, and then we can go on, because I believe it shows us how to die to being a citizen here on this earthly kingdom and living as a citizen of God's kingdom and what membership to that kingdom looks like. It's exciting to see that God calls His people out of the deception of Satan and His mindset, and then through the Spirit guides us to live in accordance to His kingdom.

And so to start off, I'd like to—you can open your Bibles if you think you're fast enough. I have a lot that I'm just going to run through, so if you want to test your Bible speed, you can try, but they are up here. So Luke 14:33, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple."

John 15:18-19, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, that you should keep them from the evil one.

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth." Romans 12:2. I enjoyed the whole chapter of Romans, and I thought about putting it in, but that would take a lot longer than I had time for to read through the whole thing. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Philippians 3:20, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 4:7, "For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness." James 4:4, "Adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

Just a couple more. 1 Peter 2:11-12, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from the fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, and that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation." 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away in the lust of it.

But he who does the will of God abides forever."

I think this is my final one I'll read. Colossians 1:13, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." And then there's more. Revelation 18:4, John 18:36-37, Ephesians 2:1-7, 1 Corinthians 2:12, all of these things, all of them, and many more. And so we can see that there is a lot on the topic of separation. And I would say that it is a crucial part of the Christian life. It guides how we walk through life and through this world. It frees us from bondage and sin. It is the kingdom of God being lived out here on this earth.

It's essential to the Christian faith. If Christianity doesn't have separation from the world, is it really Christianity?

I enjoyed this quote from Cyprian. "The one peaceful and trustworthy tranquility, the one solid, firm, and constant security is this: for a man to withdraw from this whirlpool of distracting world and to lift his eyes from the earth to heaven, anchored on the ground of the harbor of salvation.

He who is actually greater than the world can crave nothing or desire nothing from the world. How stable, how free from all shocks that it is that safeguard! How heavenly to be loosed from the snares of this entangling world and to be purged from earthly dregs and be fitted for the light of eternal immortality."

And Tation says, "If you are superior to passions, you will scorn all worldly things."

And when I looked and read through all of these passages, something stands out. The separation I see coming from these is rooted in the two kingdom concept. Obviously, I'm going to be separate because my allegiance, my desires, my wants are heavenly. They are completely different than what this world has to offer.

And so continuing on with this, I greatly enjoyed the letter to Diogenes written between the years 125 and 200. And in it, it says this: "Christians are distinguished from other men, neither by country nor by language nor the customs which they observe, for they neither inhabit cities of their own nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by singularity, but inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities. According as the lot of each of them has determined and following the customs of the inhabitants in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries only as sojourners.

They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time, they surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all." And then listen to this. He goes on later in his letter to say, "To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body.

As the soul is present in every part of the body while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures.

Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments."

Now, if you're anything like me, when I first heard that, I kind of thought about it, and a bunch of these questions popped up into my mind. Didn't that just say that they follow the same customs of clothing? They don't lead a life that is marked by singularity.

So what does it mean that Christians can't be identified with the world? How are they separate?

And I had to realize the context that this letter was written in. In the year 125 to 200, it looked nothing like it does today.

I would say that most likely, the dress back then was probably more modest than the modern-day dress that we see around today. Women were wearing head coverings as a normal practice. And so to be a Christian didn't mean changing a whole style of dress. With Christianity being illegal, they couldn't just adopt a new practice to set themselves apart from crowds around them that would have been immediately found, captured, and most likely killed.

However, they still need to follow scripture. And so the church found ways to apply teachings of the kingdom to their lives. Their clothes, for example, were more modest and less elaborate than those around them. And Clement of Alexandria points this out. "Luxurious clothing that cannot conceal the shape of the body is no more a covering. For such clothing, falling close to the body takes its form more easily, clinging to the body as though it were flesh.

It receives its shape and outlines a woman's figure. As a result, the whole make of the body is visible to spectators, although they cannot see the body itself." And today, I look around, and this can be applied to both genders, men and women.

And so I saw that they rejected the entertainment, the pursuits of fame and fortune, but they did this with joy and gladness because they had a renewing of their heart. The way they talked, the way they thought, the way they lived was all taken under subjection to the will of God.

Yes, they were cautious of the world and spoke very harshly against its lusts and pleasures. And when I read through their writings, I don't find that they're scared of it. If anything, they have a zeal to show people a way of life that is completely different, free from all the bondage of Satan. They truly believe that they were greater than the world, and so they could overcome its lusts and passions by the power of God's Spirit.

And so I thought it's funny because today's Sunday school lesson is going to relate to this, but if we could please open up to Galatians 5, I'm going to start in verse 16. Galatians 5:16.

It will also be up on the screen.

"I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, for the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now, the works of the flesh are evident, which are idolatry, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law, and those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

And if I had to pick one verse to sum up what is fleshly or worldly and what is godly or separate, I think this would be the verse that I would pick. Verses. It's not a full list, but Paul does a thing where he lists a bunch of things, and then he just gathers it all together and says, "And the like."

And then I think about it and how true it is. When I look around, the motives of the world, these are their reasons.

And so by not doing these things of the flesh, which we are to do the things of the Spirit, we become separate. If these principles and commands permeate our thinking, I genuinely believe our separation will become clear, and the reasons behind it will make a lot more sense.

And so the fruits of the Spirit. I look at the fruits of the Spirit, and I see that these are how Christians should be motivated. These motives are what separate us from the world. I love when I see or get to witness this separation in the world, when the opportunities are endless to model a love that is greater than this world, the joy that we have to be greater than the world's ways, when Christians are being peacemakers, when the person is upset and the Christian stays calm and is patient with them, when we get to offer kindness, goodness, and faithfulness, when there is a gentleness that is only able to be done with the help of God, when a Christian shows self-control.

These are the things that the world looks at. And like in the letter, it says that is a wonderful and confessedly striking method of life that the Christians show. That is what separates us. And yes, it is the practical things like how we dress, what we drive, and how we live, talk, and think, but they should all come from a heart that is filled with these fruits.

So what non-conformity is not?

I debated on whether I should include this one or not, and as you can see, I kept it in because I feel like this is probably the hardest part. And I could stand here and give a testimony on all the things that the Anabaptists required to stay separate, like dress or lifestyle practices, could keep people from joining their churches. However, if it wasn't for their application of separation, who knows where they would be today?

I look at all the other kingdom movements that gave up on separation from the world, and today they are far from their original vision. They would be unrecognizable to those who started them.

And yes, I could be wrong. And if you think I am wrong, I would ask that you please use the fruits of the Spirit in addressing me that I am wrong.

And so what non-conformity is not? Part of me wants to say something like this: with a list of all the scriptures we have just read, and then in light of the whole New Testament, that should be enough principles to base a life that the world naturally hates us for. I don't think it would be entirely necessary to add anything on top of these to further separate us from the world.

And so I don't think separation is a matter of just being different. There are many things, many people in this world that are different. And yet, to wear a head covering, to dress modestly, to not get involved with the government, to live the Sermon on the Mount is already enough to make you stand out in a crowd.

However, here I stand with suspenders on because I really enjoy being part of a culture that has richly blessed my wife and I. I would never say that I wear suspenders because I'm a Christian, and I wouldn't expect anybody else to wear them or not wear them, but that I associate with a people group. There was an instance this past year my wife and I got to go to Scotland, and we were walking down the busy streets of Edinburgh, and it was probably about to, if not busier, than what New York City would be.

And we are walking down, and I assure you that there are no plain churches in Edinburgh that I know of. And we're walking down this busy street, and there are people all over, and this one man is yelling out, "Ghost tours, ghost tours. Come get your tickets to ghost tours." And Lily and I walk by, listening to all the commotion going on. And then I hear, "Amish, Amish."

And knowing who he was talking about, Lily and I stopped, turned around, and there he is pointing at us with a big grin on his face. And he's like, "Are you guys Amish?" We're like, "No." And so we then got this amazing opportunity to share to him who we were and what we believed and the journey that we're on. And yet, he then related to us, and we made this really cool connection, and I wish I got his number, but I didn't.

And there are so many opportunities like that that have happened that because I have now come into a culture of the Anabaptists, that I get to enjoy the benefits of it. And so I don't want to just be away with it all. And I myself am still trying to navigate what it is.

And so here is my best explanation.

I don't think Christianity should be willing to make themselves alienated from society. To just be separate, to just be separate is not what separation is. I don't think that they should enforce principles that cannot be held up by scripture. Things that maybe are done for a reason in scripture, I believe, is okay, but other than that, I don't know.

And when I read through the examples of the Christian dress and lifestyle in the early church, I see talk, especially by Clement of Alexandria, on not wearing dyed clothing. And I find this so interesting because when you look at the pictures in the drawings of everything on the wall, you see pictures of Christians in dyed clothing.

And the reason he talked about not dying clothing was because of the cost and whether they had those garments before they became Christians, whether they were given them or whether they bought them, I don't know. But what I do know is they were unified.

They were one church. I'm just going to leave it at that. And as far as what else, I don't know. Ask me in 10 years.

But what I do know and what I do think is that these things shouldn't be taken lightheartedly, whether getting rid of or keeping the things we choose to do to separate ourselves because naturally, it does put up barriers to the world that people have to overcome.

And some of those barriers are necessary. Things like modesty, adornment, lifestyle, and entertainment are all talked about in the scripture. However, I believe they weren't given specifics on how that principle is supposed to be applied because I believe separation is a changing dynamic.

So what does that mean? Well, I don't see many Christians today wearing robes. There are some, but I don't see many. The cost to dye clothing is actually sometimes cheaper than to buy natural clothing, natural-made fiber clothing.

And so things have changed since Clement of Alexandria and the early church. We're not being killed for being a Christian in America yet.

And there are rich cultures that Christians have cultivated that help us as long as we remember our theology, our history, and our vision.

And so I think it is up to the local church to navigate what separation is, how that applies, and what it looks like. Not that it ever goes away, but how should it look?

And so what do I mean by a safety net?

Well, yes, separation at the very least could be used to help us stay on the narrow path, to not be lost to the lusts of the world and the pride of life. It is put in place to help.

However, if that is where it stops, I think we lose our drive. If it becomes a response to just make us different, to guard us against the world around us, I think our separation becomes isolation. And to just be different, well, I'm pretty sure that's the definition of a hipster.

The thing that draws people to us is that we are different, but not just different in look, but in the thought and action. It calls people to a higher way of life, a life that far exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, a life that is a stranger in this land, and a life that serves its only king as faithfully as it can.

Separation from the world, at its very least, is a safety net. However, the main driving point is that we are citizens of another world. And in being so, that requires us to be separate, not conforming to the lusts of the world.

This world and the next are two enemies. We can therefore not be friends of both.

I think in understanding that not being conformed to this world extends beyond dress, beyond all the things people divide over, and is rooted in the fact that we are to the world what the soul is to the body.

That could, like the early church, unify and keep the body together.

And so, in taking all this in, I hope that we can look at what it means to become all things to all men in a whole new light, one that doesn't throw away all of the verses about separation from the world, but yet one that doesn't make it impossible to bring people in.

So long as you deem yourself a Christian, you are a different man from a pagan. Give him back his own view of things. After all, he does not himself learn from your views. Why lean upon a blind guide if you have eyes of your own? Why be clothed with one who is naked if you have to put on Christ?

To close, I'll leave us with 2 Corinthians 6:17. "Therefore, come out of the world." Sorry. "Therefore, come out from among them and be separate," says the Lord. "Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."