
                       A Call to Separation by A. W. Pink
        
             "Be  ye not unequally yoked together with  unbelievers;  for 
        what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what 
        communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14-18)  This  pas-
        sage gives utterance to a Divine exhortation for those  belonging 
        to  Christ to hold aloof from all intimate associations with  the 
        ungodly.  It expressly forbids them entering the  alliances  with 
        the  unconverted.   It definitely prohibits the children  of  God 
        walking arm-in-arm with worldlings.  It is an admonition applying 
        to every phase and department of our live - religious,  domestic, 
        social, commercial.  And never, perhaps, was there a time when it 
        was  more  needed pressing on Christians than now.  The  days  in 
        which  we are living are marked by the spirit of  compromise.  On 
        every side we behold unholy mixtures, ungodly alliances,  unequal 
        yokes.   Many professing Christians appear to be trying how  near 
        to the world they may walk and yet go to Heaven.
        
             "Be  ye  not unequally yoked together."  This is a  call  to 
        godly  separation.  In each dispensation this Divine  demand  has 
        been  made.  To Abraham Jehovah's peremptory word was, "Get  thee 
        out  of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy  father's 
        house."   To  Israel He said, "After the doings of  the  land  of 
        Egypt wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings  of 
        the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither 
        shall  ye walk in their ordinances." (Lev. 18:3)  And again,  "Ye 
        shall  not  walk in the manners of the nation which  I  cast  out 
        before  you." (Lev. 20:23)  It was for their disregard  of  these 
        very  prohibitions that Israel brought down upon themselves  such 
        chastisements.
        
             At  the  beginning  of the New Testament we  are  shown  the 
        forerunner  of Christ standing outside the organized  Judaism  of 
        his  day,  calling  on men to flee from the wrath  to  come.  The 
        Savior  announced  that, "He calleth His own sheep by  name,  and 
        leadeth them out." (John 10:3)  On the day of Pentecost the  word 
        to   believers   was,  "Save  yourselves   from   this   untoward 
        generation."   (Acts 2:40)  Later, to the Christian Hebrews  Paul 
        wrote,  "Let  us go forth therefore unto Him without  the  camp." 
        (13:13)   God's  call to His people in Babylon is, "Come  out  of 
        her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye 
        receive  not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4)  "Be ye  not  unequally 
        yoked together."  This is God's word unto His people today.   Nor 
        does it stand alone.  In Rom. 16:17 it is said, "Mark them  which 
        cause  divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which  ye 
        have  learned,  and avoid them."  In 2 Tim 2:20 we  read,  "In  a 
        great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but 
        also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishon-
        or.   If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be  a 
        vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use."  2 
        Tim 3:5 speaks of those "having a form of godliness, but  denying 
        the  power  thereof," then it is added, "from  such  turn  away."  
        What  a word is that in 2 Thess. 3:14, "If any man obey  not  our 
        word  by  this epistle, note that man, and have no  company  with
        him."  How radical is the admonition of 1 Cor. 5:11, "Now I  have 
        written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a 
        brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a  rail-
        er, or a drunkard, or an extortioner: with such an one no, not to 
        eat."
        
             "Be ye not unequally yoked together."  We are fully persuad-
        ed  that it is disregard of this commandment, for command it  is, 
        which is largely responsible for the low state which now  obtains 
        so generally among Christians, both individually and corporately. 
        No  wonder the spiritual pulse of so many churches beats so  fee-
        bly.   No  wonder their prayer-meetings are so  thinly  attended; 
        Christians  who  are unequally yokes have no  heart  for  prayer. 
        Disobedience at this point is a certain preventative to real  and 
        whole-hearted  devotion to Christ.  No one can be  an  unshackled 
        follower  of  the Lord Jesus who is, in any way, "yoked"  to  His 
        enemies.   He may be a  truly saved person, but the testimony  of 
        his  life,  the witness of his walk, will not honor  and  glorify 
        Christ.
        
             "Be ye not unequally yoked together."  This applies first to 
        our religious or ecclesiastical connections.  How many Christians 
        are members of so-called "churches," where much is going on which 
        they know is at direct variance with the Word of God - either the 
        teaching  from the pulpit, the worldly attractions used  to  draw 
        the  ungodly, and the worldly methods employed to finance  it  or 
        the  constant receiving into its membership of those who give  no 
        evidence  of  having been born again.  Believers  in  Christ  who 
        remain is such "churches" (?) are dishonoring their Lord.  Should 
        they answer: "Practically all the churches are the same, and were 
        we to resign what could we do?  We must go somewhere on Sundays," 
        such  language  would show they are putting their  own  interests 
        before  the glory of Christ.  Better stay at home and read  God's 
        Word, than fellowship that which His Word condemns.
        
             "Be  ye  not  unequally yoked together."   This  applies  to 
        membership  in  Secret Orders.  A "yoke" is  that  which  unites. 
        Those  who  belong  to a "lodge" are united in  solemn  oath  and 
        covenant  with  their "brother" members.  Many of  their  fellow-
        members  give no evidence of being born again.  They may  believe 
        in  a  "Supreme Being," but what love have they for  God's  Word? 
        what  is  their relation to God's Son?  "Can  two  walk  together 
        except  they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3)  Can those who owe their  all 
        to Christ, both for time and eternity, have fellowship with those 
        who  "despise  and reject" Him? Let any Christian reader  who  is 
        thus unequally yoked get from under it without delay.  "Be ye not 
        unequally yoked together."  This applies to marriage.  There  are 
        but  two  families in this world: the children of  God,  and  the 
        children of the devil. (1 John 3:10)  If, then, a daughter of God 
        marries  a son of the evil one, she becomes a daughter-in-law  to 
        Satan!  If a son of God marries a daughter of Satan, he becomes a 
        son-in-law to the devil!  By such an infamous step an affinity is 
        former  between one belonging to the Most High and one  belonging 
        to His arch-enemy.  "Strong language!"  Yes, but not too  strong. 
        And  oh the bitter reaping from such a sowing.  In every case  it
        is  the poor Christian who suffers.  Read the inspired  histories 
        of Samson, Solomon, and Ahab, and see what followed their  unholy 
        alliances in wedlock.  As well might an athlete, who attached  to 
        himself  a heavy weight, expect to win a race, as a Christian  to 
        progress spiritually by marrying a worldling.  Oh what  watchful-
        ness in prayer is needed in the regulation of our affections!
        
             "Be ye not unequally yoked together."  This applies to busi-
        ness partnerships.  Disobedience at this point has wrecked many a 
        Christians's testimony and pierced him through with many sorrows. 
        Whatever  may be gained of this world by seeking its  avenues  to 
        wealth  and social prestige, will but poorly compensate  for  the 
        loss  of  fellowship with the Father and His  Son  Jesus  Christ.  
        Read  Prov.  1:10-14.  The path which the disciple of  Christ  is 
        called  tread  is a narrow on, and if he leaves it  for  a  wider 
        road, it will mean sever chastenings, heart-breaking losses,  and 
        perhaps the forfeiting the Savior's "Well done" at the end of the 
        journey.
        
             We  are to hate even the "garment"-figure of our habits  and 
        ways-spotted  by the flesh (Jude 23), and are to  keep  ourselves 
        "unspotted  from the world." (James 1:27)  What a  searching  and 
        sweeping  word is that in 2 Cor. 7:1, "Let us  cleanse  ourselves 
        from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting  holiness 
        in  the fear of God."  If any occupation or association is  found 
        to  hinder our communion with God or our enjoyment  of  spiritual 
        things,  then it must be abandoned.  Beware of "leprosy"  in  the 
        garment.  (Lev. 13:47)  Anything in my habits or ways which  mars 
        happy  fellowship with the brethren or robs me of power in  serv-
        ice,  is  to be unsparingly judged and made an  end  of-"burned." 
        (Lev. 13:52)  Whatever I cannot do for God's glory must be avoid-
        ed.
        
             "For  what fellowship hath righteousness  with  unrighteous-
        ness?  and  what  communion hath light with  darkness?  And  what 
        concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that belie-
        veth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of  God 
        with idols?"  How explicit and emphatic are the terms used  here! 
        No  excuse whatever is there for failing to understand the  terms 
        of  this exhortation, and the reason with which it is  supported.  
        "Fellowship,  communion, concord, part, agreement" are  so  plain 
        they  require  no interpreter.  All unions,  alliances,  partner-
        ships, entanglements, with unbelievers are expressly forbidden to 
        the  Christian.  It is impossible to find within the whole  range 
        of  Holy Scripture plainer language on any subject than  we  have 
        here.  "Righteousness, unrighteousness; light, darkness;  Christ, 
        Belial"-what  have  they in common?  What bond is  there  between 
        them?   The contrasts presented are very pointed  and  searching.  
        "Righteousness" is right doing; "unrighteousness" is wrong doing. 
        The  unerring  and only standard of right doing is "the  Word  of 
        Righteousness."  (Heb. 5:13)  By this alone is  the  Christians's 
        life and walk to be regulated.  But the worldling disregards  and 
        defies  it.  Then what "fellowship" can there be between one  who 
        is  in subjection to God's Word with one who is not? "Light"  and 
        "darkness."  God  is light (1 John 1:5) and His saints  are  "the
        children  of light." (Luke 16:8)  But the children of the  Wicked 
        One  are "darkness" (Eph. 5:8)  What communion can there  be  be-
        tween members of families so dissimilar?  "Christ" and "Belial" - 
        what  concord can there be between one to whom Christ  is  every-
        thing, and one who despises and rejects Him?
        
             "For ye are the temple of the living God: as God hath  said, 
        I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their  God, 
        and  they shall be My people."  How blessed is this!   First,  we 
        have the exhortation given, "Be ye not unequally yoked together"; 
        second, the reason adduced, "for what fellowship hath  righteous-
        ness  with  unrighteousness?"; third, the  inducement  proffered. 
        This  is  a divine promise, and it is striking to note  it  is  a 
        sevenfold one: -1) "I will dwell in them," 2) "and walk in them," 
        3)  "And I will be their God," 4) "And they shall be My  people," 
        5) "And I will receive you," 6) "And will be a Father unto  you," 
        7) "And ye shall be My sons and daughters."
        
             "I  will dwell in them," is fellowship; "and walk in  them," 
        is  companionship;  "and I will be their God,"  is  relationship. 
        First, in them, then for them; and "if God be for us, who can  be 
        against  us?"  (Rom.  8:31)  "And they shall be  My  people,"  is 
        ownership, acknowledged as His.  "And I will receive you,"  means 
        being brought to the place of experimental and conscious nearness 
        to  God.  "And will be a Father unto you" means "I will  manifest 
        Myself  to you in this character, and impart to your  hearts  all 
        the  joys  of  such."  "And ye shall be My  sons  and  daughters" 
        means,  that  such godly separation from the  world  will  afford 
        demonstration  that  we are His "sons  and  daughters."   Compare 
        Matt.  5:44.  "Saith the Lord Almighty."  This is the  only  time 
        the divine title "Almighty" is found in all the twenty-one  Epis-
        tles  of the New Testament!  It seems to be brought in  here  for 
        the  purpose of emphasizing the sufficiency of our  Resource.  As 
        another has said, "Let any Christian act on the command of  sepa-
        ration  given  in 2 Cor. 6:14-17, and he will find  his  path  so 
        beset with difficulties and so tending to arouse the hostility of 
        all,  that if he eyes are not kept fixed an the Almighty God  who 
        has  thus called him out, he will surely have a  breakdown."  But 
        let it be noted that these promises are conditional,  conditional 
        on  obeying  the preceding exhortations.  Yet if the  heart  lays 
        hold  of this blessed inducement, then obedience to  the  command 
        will be easy and pleasant.

