Unequally Yoked
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
Introduction
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
- Separation Commanded v. 14 a
Bound with others -Hetero (another of different nature) zugos (yoke- something that binds two things together i.e. like cattle)
This principle was familiar in the OT as Deut. 22:10 say, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
This device was a large piece of wood that rests upon the shoulders of two of the same animals in size and manner, like oxen or donkeys. You could not yoke two different animals like one ox and one donkey because they were not like minded and each had different strengths. The same animals would be bound together with the same strength and same focus to drive forward with the plow together as a unit. So Paul tells us not to be bound together with…
Unbelievers- The Greek word for faith, pistos, with a Greek “alpha” added to the front of it, means “no faith.”
So Paul is using an illustration for two people being yoked or bound together like two animals on a farm. If you can imagine this with me; two animals bound together driving a plow have to be the same size, strength and focus. But how does this relate in our Christian lives? What does Paul mean about us not being bound or yoked together with unbelievers?
- Separation Explained
What it does NOT mean?
It does not mean to disassociate from world. 1 Corinthians 5:9-10- I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. Paul uses the word “associate” to also mean “mix together.”
In John 17, Jesus prays to the Father “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. Our intent is not to enter a monastic lifestyle like the monks who removed themselves from society. Jesus prays to the Father and asks Him to keep us in the world but to protect us while we are here.
What does unequally yoked mean?
It means that Christians cannot be bound with unbelievers specifically in the work in the church, but on a broader level, in any spiritual relationship. As Christians we must seek the things of Christ and be separate from the things of this world. Again, we are not talking about isolation, we are talking about corruption. Jesus wants us in the world, but not corrupted by the desires of a life that we once lived. In Colossians 3, Paul says, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” Our minds are to be set on heavenly things while our hearts break for the lost world. Warren Wiersbe says, “like a skillful physician, we must practice “contact without contamination. Otherwise, we will isolate ourselves from the people who need our ministry the most.” So the issue in this passage is more about being polluted through your association with the world than voiding it all together.
So imagine that there is a yoke upon your neck. Your purpose as an ox is to drive forward toward holiness. You cannot accomplish that task if a worldly goat is in that yoke with you. It is going to think about itself and want to stop and eat the grass, while you strive twice as hard toward your goal. Two different natures breeds two different purposes.
So the problem with Corinthian church was that Christians were participating in pagan rituals. Some Christians were sleeping with pagan temple prostitutes. So Christians who had Christ living in them were participating in activities of the worship of false idols. That is why Paul said, “for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial.” The term Belial is an ancient name for Satan. Satan wants to sneak into the worship of churches and into the spiritual relationships of believers and he wants to inject a virus that will destroy these activities. He wants to put a stop Christians worshiping and honoring God.
Unbelieving Relationships
Now many people take this to mean that Christians should avoid all unbelieving people in the world but the truth is you cannot avoid unbelievers in the world. You would have to walk around in a bubble, not work, not play sports, nothing. That is not what Paul is referring to here.
Paul is referring to those things that are spiritual. An intimate relationship in your life should be one that both people reflect Christ as Lord and Savior. I am not talking about friends as much as those who end up being our. You ask me what is the difference. Well, if you begin to date someone that is an unbeliever, you may fall in love. If you fall in love, you will eventually want to get married. Marriage is a spiritual commitment that we engage into under the direct supervision of God. So if we enter into a marriage with an unbeliever, which is a spiritual activity, then we knowingly disobey God. Why? God said so right here. So the problem starts with who we date?
You may ask, what if we marry someone we think is a Christian but he turns out they are not. You know the Corinthians thought the same thing. Paul addressed that issue in 1 Cor. 7:12, “But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.” God can do an amazing work in the lives of someone who is married to a believer. I have known many women who prayed for their husbands to be saved and they were. So trying to correct the sin of “marrying an unbeliever” with the sin of divorce, it just two negatives.
So you can be friends with unbelievers but close, intimate friendships cannot glorify God. If one person is God-fearing and the other is God-less, then there will be temptation for you to sway toward the godless way of thinking. Think about your goals in life as a Christian. What is the chief end of man?-To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. What is the chief end of an unbeliever? It is not to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. What is the ultimate authority of a Christian?-God’s Word. What is the ultimate authority of an unbeliever?-Self. There is obviously a separation in beliefs but as far as friendships are concerned, God is not asking you to get rid of your unbelieving friends. Would it not be a better testimony to tell an unbelieving friend that you are not going to participate in that field party or watch that dirty movie because of your faith than to tell them all together “you are not my friend anymore?”
Sin in the Name of Evangelism
But the opposite end of this argument is those who say then I can be friends with whoever I want. I can do the same things that they do because I am trying to win my unbelieving friend to Christ. I am trying to show him Jesus so I have to go to that keg fest with him or I have to laugh at that improper humor with Him. Let me remind you that Christians “are not to be conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Christians are to “flee immorality,” “flee idolatry”, “flee from the (love of money) and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” So if we so choose to be friends with those non-Christians in the world, we must always remember how our Lord wants us to live. In the end times, when we stand before God and He asks, “Why were you involved with this immorality and idolatry in your life? The wrong response will be because you were trying to win the world to Christ. The truth is we will not be able to blame our association with sin on our desire to win the nations to Christ.
Paul then justifies his statement in verse 16…
Separation Justified vs. 16 For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
No longer does God dwell in temples made with hands, like in the Old Testament, but He dwells within us. So what we join together with spiritually, we join spiritually with Christ Jesus whose Holy Spirit lives within us. Paul quotes from the many OT passages here that say the same thing, God’s spirit dwells within us and He is our God and we are His people. It is true for the Israelites and it is true for the church today.