A godly and separated lifestyle.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (KJV), "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate , saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

First I want to establish the "them".  Verses 14-16 (NIRV) can answer this.  "Do not be joined to unbelievers. What do right and wrong have in common? Can light and darkness be friends?  How can Christ and Satan agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  How can the temple of the true God and the statues of other gods agree? We are the temple of the living God. God has said, "I will live with them. I will walk among them. I will be their God. And they will be my people."  And for further explanation, the Greek Lexicon translates "unbelievers" as those who are unfaithful or do not trust God.

Verse 17 says that we are to "come out from among them and be ye separate"  To come out means to forsake assembling or depart company with those that are unbelievers.  To be separate (per dictionary.com) means "to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space: to set apart; disconnect; dissociate: to part company; withdraw from personal association".    Believers & unbelievers are like oil & water...they do not mix.  Sometimes believers try to fit in with unbelievers.  They do so by compromising godly standards...adjust a little here and there.   But, at what cost are they doing this?

Next, the verses say, "touch not the unclean thing".    The unclean things refers to things that are unclean in thought and life....things that are unchaste, sinful, corrupt, polluted and ungodly.  It says not to touch it.  The Greek Lexicon defines this as, "to fasten one's self to, adhere to, cling to".  As believers, we should not try to fit in and get attached to the things and ways of this world.

So, back to the question, when a believers compromises godly standards, at what cost are they doing this?  They are giving up the opportunity to be received of God.  They are giving up their privilege to be a son or daughter of the Lord Almighty!  That doesn't sound like a fair trade to me considering that the pleasure of sin only lasts for a season (or short time)...but living for God, living a godly and separated life, has everlasting benefits!  

So, choose carefully.