Why Popular Separation is Pharisaical

It can be the result of a doctrinal disagreement. It can be with someone whose personality you just can't stand. It can be over petty but genuine faults/sins in someone you are acquainted with. It can stem because of the race of another, the financial status of another, the athletic ability of another, or even the intellectual ability of another. It can be over someone’s friends, family, or spouse. It can be because of something someone said, or the way they said it. It can be over their church attendance, friendliness while among others, knowledge of the scriptures, or openness to learn.

Separation and cliquish behavior plague the modern church; no doubt about it. 'Love those who love you' has replaced the Good Samaritan.The biblical process of honest ‘church discipline’, at least the first step as outlined in Matt 18, has been replaced by selfish, self-interested, personality cliques and exclusion of those who are unfortunate enough to be on the outside. This isn't biblical separation, folks, this is the terrible sin of showing partiality. Without a doubt, in this day and age, the first step of church discipline has been replaced by avoidance rather than by personal, selfless attempts to rectify the problem. Even worse, avoidance of others also tends to take place at the first little appearance of sin or of even a church-going faux pas.

We saw it in Jesus' day.
The Pharisees judged everything by appearance, by the cross-talk of others, without mercy or compassion, without involvement to the point where every fact can be confirmed, and without ever putting forth the effort to selflessly confront the offender. They called Jesus down for hanging out with the prostitutes, the thieves, tax collectors, drunkards, and other ‘sinners’. Why hang out with those people, Jesus? Don’t you know that we stay away from that kind less we are influenced by them, or approve them in their sin?

We saw it with Paul and the Corinth church.
Paul wasn’t a good speaker, he wasn’t eloquent, and he wasn’t attractive in his appearance or appealing in his preaching. He was always in and out of jail (jail!!), always getting beaten up, shipwrecked, stoned, chased, and persecuted. Surely this man, who experienced the worst of atrocities, wasn’t a man of God, was he? God would have taken care of His own better than that! Why hang out with a guy who is always ticking people off, especially the authorities? No, said the Corinth church, who cared only for appearances and ‘felt needs’. They cast him out in favor of the ‘super apostles’ as Paul called them, and took the high and easy road in leaving Paul to his own troubles.

We see it now.
Someone at church has an attitude problem? Someone is too quiet? Someone doesn’t give enough $ considering that fancy car they drive? Someone doesn’t regularly attend? Someone doesn’t read their bible enough? Someone is too shy? Too proud? Too loud? Someone care too much for ‘loving Jesus’ rather than the deep truths of biblical theology? Someone cares too much for the deep theology instead of ‘loving Jesus in the way we live’?

Cast them out! -is the cry, but only by way of silent avoidance. Avoid them! Let them subtly know (or figure out) that they are not walking the 'straight and narrow'. God-forbid that they believe that you approve of their behavior! God-forbid that you be seen hanging out with that sinner, that outcast! God-forbid that you dare to reach out to someone who doesn’t act like they want to be reached out to!

I struggle with this immensely, and so do you and the rest of the modern church. And it needs to stop because it is terribly displeasing to our Lord. ‘What credit is it’, Jesus says, ‘when you love those who love you? Do not even tax collectors and sinners do the same?'

There is a reason why Jesus set forth steps for church discipline in Matt chapter 18. He never said it would be easy, but there is a clear reason why the first step is not separation. The greatest in the kingdom will be the servant. The greatest will be the one who refuses to separate himself from sinners as a initial, knee-jerk reaction, but rather selflessly begs and pleads with his straying friend to come back.

Separating yourself is certainly the easy way out, but it is the mark of a selfish coward. Going to someone once, then twice, then three times if necessary, going to them to beg and plead, to implore, to minister to despite their sin, is what marks the loving man. Dare to serve those who hate you; who are in their sin; who despise authority. Dare to be like Christ.

If the issue isn’t sin but rather personality, or status, or any other issue outside of sin, then going to them in confrontation is not the answer, but going to them in order to serve them just like the others in the Christ-like thing to do. Why do we so pick and choose who we serve, who we spend time on, and who we get along with?! This kind of action is wickedness at its core. Separation is certainly our tendency; separation from those who aren’t our best friends, who we dislike, who have weird personalities, who aren't easily teachable, or from those who don’t seem like they care, or from those who have a bad reputation, etc. This is our fallen and selfish way of dealing with what we see as the problem.

Take a moment today, right now, to reach out to someone who has offended you. Reach out to someone who has that annoying personality. Reach out to someone who doesn’t seem to care about others, or the church, or the scriptures. Reach out to someone who is obviously prideful, or slanderous, or obnoxious. Reach out to the quiet ones, the apathetic ones, the weird ones. Reach out to them and seek to lead them back the biblical way, to serve them despite the fact that they wallow in their sin; to give yourself to them knowing that you will not receive anything (even a 'thank you') in return. Do this and you will prove to be a disciple of Jesus…instead of a disciple of the Pharisees.

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” – Colossians 1:28-29

Paul toiled and struggled with all his energy…to do what? To warn everyone with the intent to present everyone mature and perfect in Christ. Do you strive with everyone, or only with those who present the easiest case for achievement? Do you toil at all, or do you wait around for people to do the hard work first before you act? This kind of thing isn’t easy, but it is the essence of true religion. EVERYONE. Do something about it. Dare to be like Christ.