Behaving Like God's Children

II Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
    and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore go out from their midst,
    and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
    then I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to you,
    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,says the Lord Almighty.”

Paul here quotes from a challenge God gave to the people of Israel in Exodus and through some of the prophets: Stop acting like the pagan world around you, and start behaving like God's sons and daughters.  Paul's point was not for them to withdraw from society, but to start being salt and light, and impacting their sinful society instead of imitating it. In this challenge he uses one of his favorite images: a temple.  The Greek and Roman cities had great temples to their gods.  When one entered the city, it would be readily apparent who their favorite god was by the most prominent temple.  As the temple of the true and living God, people should be able to look at us and see who our God is. It should be obvious.  We are not to be comparing ourselves to the others around us, but to a much higher standard: the God Whose temple we are.  This is not just to be a facade to look better on the outside, but to be a true revelation of Him Who is on the inside, and that we are only reflecting the attributes of our Father.