What does scripture teach us about being set apart? How should we think about our faith and how we relate to this world as being "in the world but not of the world"?
If we begin at the beginning we read about the set apart place in creation a garden called Eden, also referred to as Paradise. There lived a set apart man and woman. Of course we know the story of how they were banned from paradise to toil and pain and suffering. As their generations became more and more destructive to themselves and the earth, we come to a man who was found righteous enough to be set apart with his family to survive the doomsday destruction of all life on the earth through the oceanic upheavals and release of atmospheric moisture on the earth for a period of 40 days. Pairs and multiple pairs of animal species were set apart to be spared to repopulate the earth. Some version of this account has been found in almost every tribe and people living on the earth since the time of recorded oral and written history.
The generations of Noah, the set apart man who survived these floods, were later to populate the earth as the founders of all the people now living. From the Semetic people a man was set apart who was found righteous as he passed the tests of faith put before him by the invisible G-D of his ancestors. As he followed communication to his mind and spirit, he became set apart from his community to form a new "family" which became set apart as a people. Through a famine they became captives since they were now living in a special set apart place in Egypt. ( The story of Joseph). Delivered from this captivity, they were set apart to wander in the desert, where they were formed into a set apart nation. G-D set apart a man whose name means pulled from the water, as he was saved from death in a tiny ark. (The story of Moses). The set apart people were to inhabit the set apart land (Israel), a crossroads for all trade routes of that time. There they were to tell all people about the set apart invisible G-D, whose name they knew as YHVH, the set apart name which means "I AM". In the desert wandering the people learned about a set apart place, (Jerusalem) to worship, in the set apart ways, recorded in HIS set apart teachings to all people on how to live set apart lives of blessing and peace for one another and the land. HASHEM (a name for the set-apart name) set apart a covenant for all people who accepted it to become set apart in faith. Knowing his teachings, and doing them display the set apart ways of blessing and peace to all people. Honoring the set apart day (Shabbot) and the set apart celebrations (feast days) are a way to show people how to be blessed and to meet in a special way with Hashem. Because man continually failed to set apart himself and his family in the ways Hashem taught him to, man continued to walk on the corrupted earth in confusion and called evil good and good evil. Mankind can so easily be captured by the enticing spirits of evil, by knowingly playing with them and entertaining them, or by being ignorant of the ways of HASHEM. Because of this eternal life, the life of the spirit, could not be at home with HASHEM in the vast "heavens" which cannot be seen with mortal eyes. These heavens go far beyond our limited space, yet exist in an order and fashion outside of our ability to comprehend. Mankind's knowing as men created in HIS image tells him this is so. To free all creation, HASHEM set apart a woman, entered her as the seed of the FATHER who became the SON of the FATHER setting Himself apart to destroy evil. By allowing it to capture HIM, through entering the very den of evil, the headquarters of the spirits of evil and rebellion that captured creation, HE declared HIMSELF the HEAD of EVERYTHING that exists. To agree and accept the invisible G-d,and the lasting Covenant with THE set apart man who is called Jesus in English or Yeshua (His set apart Hebrew name) who entered the earth in the image of the SON is to become set apart with Him in eternity. It is to be set apart to display a life of blessing and peace because there is freedom from the confusion and ignorance of evil. The Spirit of Life leads, cares, protects and loves His set apart people into that Set Apart place he has prepare those people who have made a renewed covenant forever with Him.
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