Separated Unto
Romans 1:1
In the verse for this passage Paul says that he is “separated unto the gospel of God”. In this lesson we will explore the concept of being separated unto something and not just from something.
Separated From:
We are told to be separate from the world in (2 Corinthians 6:17). As saved people we are constantly being told to be separate. If we think about it separation can be very beneficial. Like keeping sparks away from flames, electrical appliances away from water, and poisons away from food. Now to us separation from worldly things will seem hard or painful sometimes but if we view those as the above examples we will see that it can keep us from harm many times.
Separated Unto:
When we separate from something we must also separate unto something else. For instance if we do not replace worldly things with godly things then there will be a vacuum created and it will suck us right back into what we were trying to separate from. Ephesians 4:22-29 is a great passage or this illustration because when it tell us to not do one thing it shows us what to do in its place.
1) Putt off the old man / Put on the new man (verses 22-24)
- Key here is a different way of thinking, renewed in the spirit of your mind (verse 23)
2) Put way lying / Speak everyman truth with his neighbor (verse 25)
- Evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Corinthians 15:33)
3) Be ye angry and sin not / Let not the sun go down upon thy wrath (verses 26)
- When we do not take care of angry in a correct and timely manner we are giving place to the devil.
4) Let him that stole steal no more / Rather let him labor (verse 28)
- Honest hard word can solve a lot of problem with certain types of sin.
5) Let no corrupt communication proceed out of thy mouth / but that which edifies (verse 29)
- Imagine how much better our lives would be if we could accomplish this one!
Therefore to apply this practically in our lives when we get rid of bad movies, books, music, habits, friends, etc. we must replace them with good things to avoid the vacuum effect.
Separated Unto : Handout
Romans 1:1
1) What is Paul separated unto in Romans 1:1?
2) What is a good verse for showing that we should be separated from the world?
3) What is the principle that we are trying to learn regarding the phrases “separated from” and “separated unto”?
4) List 5 examples from Ephesians 4:22-29 on how do not just separate from but unto somethings else.
5) Give a practical example of how we could apply this to our lives today.