From Separation to Sharing

‘For the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb:’ (Judges 13:5)

The reference here is to Samson, the first born of Manoah and his wife of the tribe of Dan from Zorah. Samson was to live a life of separation from conformity to this world; he was to live, by God’s rich grace, a life of obedience unto God’s word separated unto the LORD. Separation, in this context, marks the child of God as striving to live in this corrupt world, separated from sin and separated unto God.

The doctrine of separation or sanctification is manifest throughout the entire canon of scripture; it is incumbent upon every believer, saved by God’s grace, to live a life of holiness unto God. The Levitical priesthood were sanctified unto God; the priesthood of believers are also sanctified or separated unto the Lord. ‘This is the will of God, even your sanctification, (1Thess 4:3)

When a church is made up of God’s redeemed people that live sanctified lives, then their collective testimony exhibits a church witness that is separated unto Almighty God. Sometimes, a mere profession of sanctification is no guarantee of actual possession; it is wrong to criticise others for apparent lack of holiness, when there is little evidence of sanctification in our own lives. The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster attempted to use the doctrine of separation as a means of discrediting other denominations which it deemed apostate, so as to claim the moral high ground.

As always, any claim to religious separation, any claim to separation from sin unto God, brings a tremendous weight of responsibility. When the Free Presbyterian Church claimed to be a separatist testimony outside the camp of religious apostasy and ecumenical compromise, this brought the spotlight of evangelical Protestant attention into focus. Many saved people were drawn to consider the truth of God’s word in this regard and evidently supported the denominational testimony.

However, there was an entirely different outcome when Free Presbyterian ministers and office bearers introduced the concept of separation into the political arena. The result was to prove disastrous for evangelical Protestantism in Ulster; it has discredited the scriptural doctrine of separation and destroyed the very foundation upon which the Reformed Faith stands.

Next time we will move on from the ‘Description’ of separation, to the ‘Departure’ from separation.

Rev Mervyn Cotton (Heb 13:6)