“Bible Separation Is Not Legalism”

“Bible Separation Is Not Legalism”

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage…For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” Galatians 5:1 & 13

Separation is not legalism—quite the contrary. The same man whom God used to pen Galatians 5:1 also was the penman for I Corinthians 3:16-17, where it says that I’m not supposed to defile the temple of God. I am the temple! This is the same person that penned II Corinthians 6:17 where it says, “Come out from among them.” There is a crowd that I’m supposed to separate from. This is the same preacher that penned II Corinthians 7:1, that says, “…let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, perfecting holiness in the fear of God ” We’re talking about the same man who spoke in I Timothy 2:9-11 saying that ladies ought to be adorned in modest apparel. This same writer said in Titus chapter two that we are supposed to live godly in this present world. Is he contradicting himself? Or is he trying to tell us that legalism relates to what gets me to Heaven. If I try to do something to earn Heaven, that’s legalism. If I add anything to the plan of salvation, that’s legalism. But the same individual God used to pen the verses that condemn legalism for salvation is also the penman for verses on separation and holy living and modest apparel and manly haircuts! He tells us how we ought to conduct our lives. — D.C.

Prepared by Roger Fulk, from the “Baptist Bread” October 20th, 2019 devotional by author Dr. Dennis Corle, Evangelist, Claysburg, PA. With permission from Tim Green, editor Baptist Bread.