The Invitation to Separation
2 Corinthians 6:17–18
When people hear the word separation, they often imagine isolation — cutting ties with the world, hiding from unbelievers, withdrawing into a Christian bubble and a monastic sort of lifestyle. But that’s not Paul’s point in 2 Corinthians 6.
He quotes Isaiah and Ezekiel: “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord… then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters” (vv.17–18).
Separation isn’t about retreat — it’s about relationship. It’s saying no to compromise so we can say yes to deeper fellowship with God.
Notice the threefold call:
Purity. “Touch no unclean thing.” This means refusing practices that defile, even if everyone around us accepts them.
Privilege. “I will welcome you.” God doesn’t call us out to punish us, but to embrace us.
Priority. “I will be a father to you.” Our primary identity is as God’s children, not the world’s citizens.
For example, a soldier doesn’t live like a civilian. His separation isn’t because civilian life is evil, but because he belongs to a higher calling and significant purpose.
Application: Families, what boundaries help keep Christ central in your home? Workers, where do you need courage to say no to compromise? Believers, don’t see separation as loss. See it as gain — gaining God’s smile and His fatherly embrace.
The world may see separation as strange, but Scripture shows it is the doorway to intimacy with God.