(As part of a series entitled “Out of the Skillet and Into the Fire”)

John 17:16
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

Context is KING and so is Jesus. As the Word made flesh, Jesus was not at a loss for words when he began to pray about His Passion and for His disciples, who in a little over 50 days from Jesus’ prayer in John 17, would be sent out into the world on their own, to do greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12). Well, appearances can be deceiving! Before we continue examining Jesus prayer, we need to finish our look at the context of 2 Corinthians 6:17, like we promised last time.

Last week, we pointed out that Paul did not just make up 2 Corinthians 6:17, but rather he had paraphrased the entire Book of Leviticus, especially chapter 20, plus Paul incorporates part of Isaiah 52:11.

[11] Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.

Paul is paraphrasing The Book of Leviticus, because Leviticus is the rule book for the Levites. Remember, the Levites are the priests in the Old Testament, which God charged with ministering about the Holy Things of the Tabernacle, particularly the altar and the sacrifices. The Levites are descendants of Israel (Jacob) by his son Levi. Both Aaron and Moses are sons or decedents of Levi, but Aaron is given the duty of High Priest and Aaron's sons or descendants are charged with the ministrations of the Tabernacle. In order to attend to anything regarding the Tabernacle, every Priest had to be ritualistically purified. In short, Leviticus is the rule book for what is clean and what is unclean. I like to call it the fine print of the Law.

Here is a somewhat overly simplistic definition of what is unclean: Anything which is sinful because of mankind’s corruptible nature is considered unclean. God is Holy and righteous and cannot dwell in an unclean temple. So, in order for the tabernacle and later the temple to be kept clean, each priest must make a sacrifice acceptable to God as an atonement for his sins. Once per year the High Priest had to be ritualistically purified before he could enter into Holy of Holies, the very heart of the Tabernacle which contained the Ark of the Covenant, to offer an annual sacrifice for the sins of all the people of Israel. Some months ago, we detailed what was in the Ark, so we won’t do that again now, but let it suffice to say the Ark represents God’s promise to Israel (Jesus). Some people think these ritualistic tabernacle sacrifices can take away sin and make that which is unclean become clean. But, in reality, these Old Testament sacrifices cannot take away sin, what they actually do is point to mankind's sinfulness.

Hebrews 10:1-4 KJV
[1] For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. [2] For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. [3] But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. [4] For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

So, in 2 Corinthians 6:17 Paul is actually pointing to the sins of the Church at Corinth. Remember from reading 1st Corinthians that the Corinthian are a very worldly church. Oh, they think they are being good Christians, but they simply did not know how to accomplish it. Paul details all their bad ideas, such as accepting sexual sin within the church, partying at the Lord’s Supper and more, in his first letter to them. By pointing out the sins of the Corinthians, he is reminding them that they have been purified by a better sacrifice: The precious blood of the perfect Lamb of God.

Hebrews 10:5-10 KJV
[5] Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. [8] Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; [9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. [10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The separation is in the way a Christian lives, not in the physical location of where a Christian lives. If it were a physical location, then we would have to leave this word immediately after salvation. How can we light the world if we put our candle under a basket? See Matthew 5:14-16 KJV