Separate the Holy from the Common

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. -Matthew 7:6

This morning, in my study in Ezekiel, I was reading about Ezekiel’s vision for the temple. At one point, the Angel tells him that there is a separate place for the priests to remove their priestly garments for other ones when they leave the Most Holy Place, so that they do not mix the Holy with the profane. That struck me hard this morning! I’m reminded of Paul saying that we are God’s Temple in which God’s Spirit lives (over and again in 1 Corinthians), and I also remember Him saying

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10)

So how do we reconcile the two statements? How do we separate the Holy from the Common? How do we live in the world, while not giving in to it? Jesus’ statement on this is to first remove the log growing in our own eye so that we can see clearly to remove specks of dust in someone else’s. Paul’s statement on his own strategy was that he could be all things to all men that by all means he might win some to Christ, but without compromise. We have to live in the world, but we do not need to profane the Holy by getting mixed up with it. We can reach people where they are at without compromising our obedience to Christ. And we can walk away and shake the dust off of our sandals if they reject Him. We just need to pray for wisdom and discernment, and search the Scriptures and seek the leading of the Holy Spirit as to how.  

Mathew 7:1-8

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

1 Corinthians 9:15-27

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.