"Separateness"

""Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?" (Psalms 77:13) Comfort can be found in knowing God. As simple as that might sound, it's not as simple as all that. There truly are different levels of knowing, much as learning takes on different levels based upon experience. Some people might think that Paul and James were in opposition to each other on the issue of faith verses works, but nothing could be further from the truth; if anything, James just simplified Paul's expression of a transformed life in Christ. No where in Paul's writings did he say that there should not be evidence of our salvation in our lives; just the contrary is true of Paul, because where else do you find the "fruit of the Spirit" listed, but in Paul's to the Galatians; which by the way, happened to be a letter written in opposition to a works doctrine. You might be familiar with the verse that says, "His banner over me is love," from The Song of Solomon 2:4; well, it just so happens, that "banner" actually means a sign, like in a flag or a banner which is flying over our head. In other words, you are marked and put on display as one of God's anointed. So it's really not a matter of works being put forth, as in you need to work at something; it's more about just being available for God to use you, so that He might work through you. As complicated as that might sound, it's really not all that complicated at all; it's about who we are and who God is in us! We are "earthen vessels" that get to be used by a Mighty God who does mighty works through us! That is, if we make ourselves available for Him is use; or not, which is sometimes totally up to us. I say sometimes, because Jonah mostly did not have a choice; God used him anyway, even though he did not wish to be used. The way I see it, if we don't let God use our lives, it's a sin; not like we are committing a sin, but it's a sin of omission...
"Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith." (2 Corinthians 13:5) NLT
"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:17) NLT