Be Not Unequally Yoked
Here we have clearly two very distinct kinds of separation indicated. In the first scripture, believers are definitely commanded to be separate from someone and from something. But in the other scripture we find there is a carnal separation which will be one of the characteristic marks of those who turn away from the truth of God in the last days, and so we shall consider the difference between a scriptural and an unscriptural separation.
I should like you to look at the entire chapter of 2 Corinthians 6, and especially at verse 14, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” I have no doubt that the mind of the apostle was carried back by the Spirit of God to the words in Deuteronomy where, among the instructions given to Israel, we find this, “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass yoked together” (Deut. 22:10). The ass was an unclean beast, and the ox was a clean one, and its flesh could be eaten and offered in sacrifice. The apostle Paul tells us that the ox typifies the servant of Christ. We read in 1 Cor. 9:9, “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn” (this refers to the old-fashioned way of threshing by oxen). The apostle asks, “Doth God take care of oxen? Or saith He it altogether for our sakes?” What it means is not that you are to be concerned only about the oxen, but that if a brother is spending his time ministering to the spiritual needs of people, you are to see that he has enough to live on. He cannot be expected to give all he has to working for other people and have nothing for his family.
The ox, therefore, typifies the servant of Christ—“Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together”—you are not to yoke up the clean and unclean in service. You can see this done today in the Orient, an ass on one side and an ox on the other. But it is a most unequal arrangement, for the one wants to pull ahead and the other wants to pull back, and the plowman has a hard time cutting a straight furrow. The apostle takes that up and applies it to us, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” and so we see in that a call to separation, for the unequal yoke in service is contrary to the mind of God.
A FATAL MISTAKE
MARRIAGES
SOMETIMES WE MUST SAY NO
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
—2 CORINTHIANS 6:14
Marriage ceremonies can be wonderful events. To see two godly people join together into the basic building block of society can be a thrilling event for a pastor. Two deliriously happy people, committed to the Lord’s service, with godly families and friends around them, create a happy occasion for everyone.
There are times, however, when a proposed marriage can be an absolute nightmare for the pastor. Unequally yoked couples will come to us for marriage—one being a believer and the other an unbeliever. Others will come to us from previous marriages with no biblical grounds for their divorce. Some will be too young and immature to understand the commitment involved in marriage. Others will come promising to become involved in your church if you will perform their ceremony; but once it is completed, you never see them again. Deeply
We must be prepared to sometimes say
no firmly but gently and to explain
the biblical standards for marriage.
committed adult members of your congregation will ask you to perform the ceremony for their son or daughter who is madly in love with a lost person, or a person from another church with a questionable understanding of the Scriptures. Others will call on you to marry them without your having time to counsel them. You will be asked to perform the ceremony for people who have absolutely no relationship to Christ or to any church. And sad to say, in our culture you may even be requested to perform homosexual or lesbian marriages.
We must be prepared to sometimes say no firmly but gently and to explain the biblical standards for marriage. While there may be a difference of opinion as to whether the Scriptures allow divorce and remarriage under any circumstances, the pastor must have established his standards before the requests for his services come, and he must let the church know those standards during his candidacy so they are fully aware of his position.
In most churches these situations will be routine, but you and your church leadership need to be in agreement on a firm biblical position on these very important issues.
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, uI will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
7 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.