2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Vs 14

What does it mean to be unequally yoked?

-It is a concept that is largely lost in the modern world.

-Modern machinery is taken the place of animals in farming.

-Paul is drawing on to make his analogy.

Deuteronomy 22:10 ESV

You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

-There are practical reasons for this instruction.

-The two animals are radically different.

-Their stride...

-demenor..

-strength

-gait

-By the nature of the differences it would be nearly impossible for the two animals to plow together effectively.

-So Paul is drawing upon this picture to tell us to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers...

-why?

-Because we are radically different animals.

-Believer…loves and honors God…Unbeliever does not

-Beleiver has godly values and principles…the unbeliever does not.

-Believer is indwelled with the holy spirit the unbeliever is not.

-This text is most often used to speak about marriage…how a believer and unbeliever should not marry each other...

-That is not the context of this passage.

-The context is there were false teachers and false converts in the church at corinth.

-False teachers wanted to mix within the fellowship pagan worshipers and their practices.

-”Satan does not wish to fight the church as much as he wishes to join it.”

-Corinth was a wicked city.

-Idolatry…adutrey…sexual imoorality

-Paul desired to keep these things out of the church.

I. IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE. 14-15

He dimonstrates this by asking a serise of questions.

What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness.

These two concepts are opposed to each either.

Righteousness is obedience to God’s Law

Lawlessness is rebelion toward God’s law

All beleivers have been given the righteousness of CHrist.

All unbelieves are characterized by lawlessness…their unregenerate condition is fleshed out by their open rebelious against God’s law.

The radical difference between the two means that the two could never partner in any spiritual endevor.

What fellowship has light and dakness

similar to the first question.

What accord has Christ with Belial?

Christ is the King of kings who reigns over the kingdom of igteousness and light.

Belial (another name for satan…found in the Dead seas scolls used in reference to Satan) is the uller of lawlessness and darkness

Totally irrational to believe that satan and Christ coudl ever partner and be yoked together...

4. What portion does a beleiver share with an unbeliever?

a. this question is really Paul’s point in the whole matter.

b. Illustrated by the other questions.

II. IT IS CONTRARY TO THE GOSPEL. Vs 16

a. What agreement has the temple of God with idols?

-There is a totall incompatability between Christianity and false religions

-In the OT things never went well when idolatry was mixed into the worship of the One True God.

B. Paul reminds us that we are the temple of the living God...

III. CONTRARY TO GOD’S WORD Vs 17- 18

a. God out from their midst

b. sepaate from them

c. touch no unclean thing

The concepts here are found in

-The expectation of God is that their would be a clear distinction between His People and others.

-A clean break from a worldly life and the living out of a godly life.

-Notice Paul mentioning the unclean thing…do not touch it…likely a reference to the false Gospel being preached....and by extention any false doctrine.

So there is direct application in the church for this passage as made clear by the context.

We are not to yoke with false teachers and the unsaved within the Body...

We are not to treat other religions as if they are equal to our Faith.

But are there other applications?

Marriage? The type of person to marry.

This is how I most often here their text preached and/or taught.

I beleive there is an application to be made based upon the general principle of this passage.

So much so that I am applied this principle in my own marriage policy.

I counsel christians to not marry unbelievers nor should they date unbeleivers.

Often the response is, but it feels so right…God’s Word is not voided by our feelings.

This is strongly implied in the Bible.

There are countless OT texts to forbid interfaith marriages.

-God’s desire has alwasy been for His Children to be sepereate and distinct from the World…why should we expect any different in our marriages.

The NT implies this idea too...

1 Corinthians 7:39 ESV

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

So translations translate “only in the Lord’ has he must belong to the Lord”

1 Corinthians 9:5 ESV

Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

In addition, Marriage is a picture of the Gospel…The Gospel is where Christ is united with his believing Bride…It stands to reason then that the believing husbands should be united with his believing Bride!

;

The Second Area of Application that I hear this taught about is in business.

-This becomes very difficult to navagiate...

-Do to the modern construct or corporations and partners and share holders....it is just really different to navigate the waters of this issue regarding the unequally yoked principle.

-Walk with Christ and trust his spirit.

-There are times though where it a little more cut and dry…for example two individuals starting a business partnership together...

-Walk with Christ and trust his spirit.

-Understand the dangers…an unbeliever and a Christian entering into a direct partnership is probably headed for desaster.

-our morals, worldview, values…are not the same.

-The two of you will have to make buisness decisions and behind thoses decisions will be values or morals…the only question is whos values and morals will they reflect.

-There will be extreeme pressure for the beleiver to leave his principles behind for the sake of profit or some other gain...