Biblical Separation Defended - Far Eastern Bible College

practices, unbelief, or persons. Herein lies the reason for the lack ofconfusion: the Lord’s preaching the whole counsel of God and rebukingsin and sinners wherever He found it, and especially in the leaders whofrequented the Temple! With these facts in mind, it cannot besuccessfully defended that the Lord “cooperated” with the ruling partiesof the Temple in any sense of “giving approval” to their erroneouspractices, doctrines, or unbelief. In fact, in view of the New Testament’saccount of the continual increasing mutual antagonism and hostilitybetween Christ and the leaders of Jewry, it is seen that the Temple wasmerely the common sacred arena in which a “holy war” was fought, andit cannot be honestly said that Jesus “cooperated” with the Templeleaders at all. Therefore, Dr. Ferm’s statement concerning Christ that,“Attendance did not imply approval of their [the Temple leaders’]conduct or beliefs,” is true because Christ’s banner always flew high andHe continually rebuked the sins of the leaders. 8 While He alsoproclaimed His message of life, He deliberately made it impossible foranyone to misinterpret His Temple attendance as any sign of favor uponthe errors in life or doctrine of the wicked rulers.On the Lord’s attitude toward Jewry’s leaders, Dr. Cornelius Van Tilmakes the following penetrating observation:Ferm’s appeal to Jesus’ earthly ministry for support ofcooperative evangelism is singularly unfortunate. The only realparallel between the situation of our day and that of Jesuspertains to the religious leaders of the time. However much theydisagreed among themselves on other matters they agreed on theidea of salvation by works or character. And they ruled in the oneorganization on earth raised up for the dissemination of the ideaof salvation by grace. So, as they did not invite Jesus tocooperate in preaching their gospel with them so Jesus did notinvite them to preach his gospel with them. Jesus made provisionfor their removal from their position of leadership among thepeople. The establishment of his kingdom was predicted on thedestruction of theirs. Their house would be left desolate to them.“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for yecompass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he ismade, ye make him twofold more the child of hell thanyourselves” (Matt. 23:15). 934