The 'doctrine Of Separation'

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from* (Strong's #575) all appearance of evil. How?

Answer: Change your spiritual clothes (Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9)

Put on the Armor....Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

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To be in IN the world but not OF the world. As an individual 'Ambassador of Christ' among wickedness; stand out as 'children of light'.

1 Thessalonians 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify (educate, teach, encourage, train, enlighten) one another, even as also ye do.


*Strong's #575: apo (pronounced apo')

1) of separation
1a) of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place, i.e. of departing, of fleeing, ...
1b) of separation of a part from the whole
1b1) where of a whole some part is taken
1c) of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed
1d) of a state of separation, that is of distance
1d1) physical, of distance of place
1d2) temporal, of distance of time

2) of origin
2a) of the place whence anything is, comes, befalls, is taken
2b) of origin of a cause
 
I think that if conversion is genuine (and not just a modified improvement of the old man) that these things will come naturally. The Spirit will convict. It's when we yearn for the past, even when we knew it was horrid, that makes Christians want to compromise and blend.

Remember Lot's wife.

Yes; 'conviction of the spirit' starts to bear the change & fruit does it not? Now we are getting into the "meat" of the importance of this doctrine! :D
 
I think I agree with Major on this - that it is important to "show" to all what it is to be truly Christian. "You shall know them by their acts" is not just for discerning bad people but the good as well.
 
Lot and his family is a good example of this subject. They surrounded themselves with some pretty bad people in Sodom & Gommorah and although it is suggested that Lot separated from Abraham because there was not enough land - that many of this group went with Lot and yet only Lot and his 2 daughters got out. And it's not clear how "good" a man Lot was but only that he was saved for the sake of Abraham.
 
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