How do YOU interpret 2 Corinthians 6:14 (Do not be yoked together with unbelievers)

[OscarTheOnion]

2 Corinthians 6:14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[b]? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."[c]

17"Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you."[d]

18"I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."[e]

I've heard people use these verses to explain why a Christian shouldn't marry a non-Christian, but wouldn't it apply to the people around us as well? Someone used this to explain to me why they don't have any non-Christian friends.

Thoughts? How do you use it in your life?

[Workman]

Well, I do know this, at least from my experiences. It's very hard for me to hang around or to fellowship with unbelievers. They seem to bring me down. It's different when I'm with my brothers or sisters.

I do have non-Christian friends, but I don't hang out with them very much.

As for the scripture, I see it as "don't go and marry a non-believer".

[Timothy]

...Someone used this to explain to me why they don't have any non-Christian friends...

The verse says not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. It doesn't say to be completely cut-off (i.e. unyoked altogether).

[lookup]

I've heard that it applied to all close relationships entered into by choice. That would include marriage and business partnerships.

The business partnership situation makes sense, because as partners, you are yoked together to strive for a common goal. Christians and non-Christians will probably find themselves at odds on not only what the primary goal is, but at odds on how to get there.

If you lifted this verse out of the rest of the Bible, then you could make the case that we shouldn't interact with unbelievers at all. But that would contradict so many other scriptures that are too numerous to count.

[Jael]

Think about what a "yoke" does...it links together two animals in such a way that they have to travel in the same direction. They are bound together and cannot easily be separated (the yoke has to be removed in order for them to part company). Think about it, if one animal in a yoke refuses to budge, it will be very difficult (virtually impossible) for the other one to go anywhere. Any relationship that ties you to an unbeliever and requires that you travel the same road is to be avoided. I believe this includes marriage, and business partnerships, and any other relationship where an unbeliever is in a position to hinder your walk with the Lord.

Amo 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Being friendly towards unbelievers does not give them any control over you and I would not think a casual friendship would fall into the category of unequal yoking. At any point where a friendship becomes a hindrance, the Christian is free to pull back from that relationship. That is not so easily done in a more binding relationship, such as marriage or legal partnerships.

[allynnegirl]

As a child I use to think - what does the center of an egg have to do with anything. :rolleyes :laugh Come a long ways I have!


Think about what a "yoke" does...it links together two animals in such a way that they have to travel in the same direction. They are bound together and cannot easily be separated (the yoke has to be removed in order for them to part company). Think about it, if one animal in a yoke refuses to budge, it will be very difficult (virtually impossible) for the other one to go anywhere. Any relationship that ties you to an unbeliever and requires that you travel the same road is to be avoided. I believe this includes marriage, and business partnerships, and any other relationship where an unbeliever is in a position to hinder your walk with the Lord.

Amo 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Being friendly towards unbelievers does not give them any control over you and I would not think a casual friendship would fall into the category of unequal yoking. At any point where a friendship becomes a hindrance, the Christian is free to pull back from that relationship. That is not so easily done in a more binding relationship, such as marriage or legal partnerships.

:thumb :nod Couldn't have said it any better than that!

[antsinmypants]

Jael said it well.

To be Yoked = Close friendship.. going the same direction, working 100% together.

We have acquaintances that are unbelievers that we talk with and try to lead towards Him.. but the relationship just isn't there that is with believers.

For instance, having met some fellow believers that came to our congregation from Tupelo, MS this weekend- it was like having Aunts and Uncles and Cousins you hadn't seen in years come.. and just a closeness that cannot be explained outside of YHVH- and I had never met them before!

However, having met with unbelievers I do not have that same closeness spiritually nor physically- though I am friendly and do speak well and often to unbelievers in my profession.

There's a strain there of me being different, and the faiths being different.


There's no common yoke between us... no thread that binds us.

Being unequally yoked would be forcing a thread to bind you, and won't allow one to function within the congregation the same way as if they were yoked with believers.

[slogan]

Having given this study on fellowship. I think Antsinmypants said it best. What Christ is trying to tell us is that 2 things happen when you come together with a nonbeliever. You either begin to take fellowship in their world or they take fellowship with Christ. He does not want us to be tempted to walk away from His love. When you sway more with the world, you fall into that world and get sucked up. Your deep fellowship should be with those who agree that Christ is the center of our lives. You agree and become equal. Their is no need to make exceptions when you agree that we have to live according to Gods standards. However...the world likes to tweak it a little.

[ToBpleasing]

Slogan, I agree with that. During the day I am surrounded by non-christians, by the end of the day I feel spiritually 'low'. Once I get home, I read scripture,
or speak with other christians and began thinking and praying in the Spirit. If it were not for the Wednesday night "Revelation" class and a Phillipian class before church, I would find it difficult to perservere against satan's temptations that permeate this world.

[toddlemom]

I've heard people use these verses to explain why a Christian shouldn't marry a non-Christian, but wouldn't it apply to the people around us as well? Someone used this to explain to me why they don't have any non-Christian friends.

Thoughts? How do you use it in your life?

Definitely applies to marriage. DH tries to avoid business partnerships with unbelievers. Joint ventures in other words. We will do business with non-believers of course but are kind of reluctant to go into partnership with unbelievers. For one thing we just aren't on the same page ethically.

Now as for friendships -- that's not a yoke like a marriage or business partnership.

I think a Christian's bestest friends would tend to be fellow Christians but other friends can be "pre-believers."

YSIC
Ann

[GodwithUS]

I personally think this scripture pertains mostly to marriage. Its difficult to follow God when you are married to someone who doesnt believe as you do.

[OscarTheOnion]

Thanks everyone. Your wisdom is worthy of awe!

[antitox]

Definitely applies to marriage. DH tries to avoid business partnerships with unbelievers. Joint ventures in other words. We will do business with non-believers of course but are kind of reluctant to go into partnership with unbelievers. For one thing we just aren't on the same page ethically.

Now as for friendships -- that's not a yoke like a marriage or business partnership.

I think a Christian's bestest friends would tend to be fellow Christians but other friends can be "pre-believers."

YSIC
Ann

Allow me to add that we also have to be careful which believers we join business partnerships with. I have come across some deceptive and cheating believers as well.

[lookup]

Allow me to add that we also have to be careful which believers we join business partnerships with. I have come across some deceptive and cheating believers as well.
That is a real shame. For those "believers" as well as anyone they might come in contact with.

[Pendragon]

I've heard people use these verses to explain why a Christian shouldn't marry a non-Christian, but wouldn't it apply to the people around us as well? Someone used this to explain to me why they don't have any non-Christian friends.

Thoughts? How do you use it in your life?

As shown below when used in the context it is the coupling of 2 things or people in this case together In otherwords never merry a non christian reason being? Whyen you wnat to do bible study they find it boring and unimportant causing hurt feeling and fighting between the 2. You feel you should go to church on sunday morning and the unchristian spouse gets frustrated because they want to have a BBQ and some beers on thier day off not go to some stuffy church. There fore in pleasing the non believer which we are also told to do in a marriage we create the chance to fall away from the faith and more into worldy things. So It means do not marry a non christian in this sense. Those that have married a non christian it doesn't mean run out and divorce them as it goes on in corinthians to say but if your not married now and you happen across someone if they are not a believer do not marry them until they are AND they are at the same maturity level in thier walk of faith as you which means you may have to teach them and educate them along with other church memebers to get them up to speed


A-1NounStrong's Number: 2218 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=2218&book=&chapter=&verse=)Greek: zugos
"a yoke," serving to couple two things together, is used (1) metaphorically, (a) of submission to authority, Mat 11:29 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Mat/Mat011.html#29),30, of Christ's "yoke," not simply imparted by Him but shared with Him; (b) of bondage, Act 15:10 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Act/Act015.html#10); Gal 5:1 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Gal/Gal005.html#1), of bondage to the Law as a supposed means of salvation; (c) of bondservice to masters, 1Ti 6:1 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1Ti/1Ti006.html#1); (2) to denote "a balance," Rev 6:5 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Rev/Rev006.html#5). See BALANCE (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?&word=BALANCE).

A-2NounStrong's Number: 2201 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=2201&book=&chapter=&verse=)Greek: zeugos

"a pair of animals," Luk 14:19 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Luk/Luk014.html#19). See PAIR (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?&word=PAIR).

B-1VerbStrong's Number: 2086 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=2086&book=&chapter=&verse=)Greek: heterozugeo

"to be unequally yoked" (heteros, "another of a different sort," and A, No. 1), is used metaphorically in 2Cr 6:14 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/2Cr/2Cr006.html#14).