2 Corinthians 6:14

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" ─ 2 Corinthians 6:14.

There are many who are teaching that 2 Corinthians 6:14 means that we are to avoid any unbelievers.

I tried to correct a female preacher on this misunderstanding and was instead only tongue-lashed by her commenting back rather insolently──

“Then how do u explain the scripture i quoted? And yes we cant exactly avoid evil doers and unbelievers...ofcourse not...”

Yet, that isn’t what she initially said. She emphatically wrote, “have very little (or nothing) to do with evildoers and unbelievers.”

She then quoted Proverbs 13:20, 21 connecting it directly with 2 Corinthians 6:14.

This is not what our Lord Jesus Christ asked Father. In other words, our Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t want us to avoid per se unbelievers, or have nothing to do with evildoers – because we can’t.

He asked Father, “’ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.’” - John 17:15. We cannot just magically have nothing to do with unbelievers or those that do evil. Under divine inspiration, the apostle Paul wrote, “Yet, I certainly did not mean with sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” - 1 Corinthians 5:10. We cannot just avoid those that do not have our faith, but we should be as our Lord Jesus asks of us, to be that light that so shines before men, that they may see our good works and glorify the LORD God!

And this is where I wish to focus. Let’s look at this term ‘unequally yoked together with unbelievers.’ How is that possible!? How are we (and I italicize we, because I am speaking of us, brethren) to avoid being unequally yoked with unbelievers!? Is the apostle Paul saying here that we are to not have any contact with unbelievers!? What about my wife!? She is an unbeliever. How are we going to make it through this life if we have to avoid unbelievers?

Are we to be like a commune? – like the Essenes of the 1st century? The Essenes went out into the wilderness throughout Roman Judea and dedicated themselves to voluntary poverty, daily immersion, and asceticism. Or, a more modern commune – such as the Amish or even the Mennonites – which practices complete abstention from society as a whole? Is this what we’re supposed to practice? Now, in his preface, Fred R. Coulter who put together a faithful version of the Holy Bible with commentary – I absolutely love this Bible which I received from someone I love dearly – says, “A secular humanist worldview has emerged over the past fifty years, gradually eroding the knowledge of the true God. As a result, a form of “Christianity without God” has developed.”

And what I have taken note of is that this female preacher claims to be “following the teachings of Jesus Christ.” But her true leader is Herbert W. Armstrong ── who again they claim was “RAISED UP in the strength and power of the prophet ELIJAH.” These followers and “worshipers” of Herbert W. Armstrong continue to twist the Scriptures based on this one man’s philosophy of the Bible.

Have you ever heard someone say, “You can prove anything from the Bible”? Well, that statement is true – and false. It’s true if only isolated passages are used. But it is utterly false if the whole divine revelation is in view. In other words – if you take the entirety of the Bible and you look at all the references for your specific idea, then you will find out that what you thought was true was absolutely false. Sadly, what many are doing is designing their teachings so that the Bible says what they want it to say ── not what the LORD God says in His totality.

So, what does it mean to be ‘unequally yoked’!? Well, what does this word ‘yoked’ bring to your mind? Well, for me it makes me think of a yoke of oxen. A yoke of bondage – like we read in the Book of Exodus when the children of Israel were under bondage. Traveling through Ohio, I’ve seen oxen yoked together. Very early God instructed His people to be separate. A true Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, is not to be that closely related to an unbeliever. And I’ll explain this.

First, let’s address my wife. Turn with me if you will to 1st Corinthians 7 ──

Beginning in verse 10 – “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband [in other words, separate]. 11) But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.”

Minister Guy C LaMar has an enlightening God-inspired booklet entitled

“Marriage” that is worth reading – be sure to read this 9-page booklet today!

But, notice that the apostle Paul – inspired by the glorious Holy Spirit – says that it is alright for them to be married. Notice the next few verses──

“But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13) And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14) For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”

I gave a THINK ABOUT THIS not long ago ── What Is Sanctification by the Spirit?

So, the LORD God’s protection is around the whole family.

Verse 15 – “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”

And, certainly, neither are friends or associates. We are not under any bondage, brethren, to our unbelieving friends or associates.

So, a believer can be married to an unbeliever and still be – in the eyes of the LORD God – a holy person and be under God’s protection. To be ‘unequally yoked’ with an unbeliever is like the idea of ‘can two walk together, unless they are agreed?’ – Amos 3:3. We are not to have social or religious FELLOWSHIP – in other words, close friendship – with any except those who know and OBEY the TRUTH of God. We must try to WORSHIP with them.

Let’s turn again to 2nd Corinthians 6.

The apostle Paul continues here in verse 14 – “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” – here he’s making a comparison.

Verse 15 – “And what accord has Christ with Belial? …” – or rather, Satan the devil. What association is there between the two?

“ … Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16) And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.’”

He’s sort of asking the question here – how can these two opposites coexist and yet the true Christian remain holy!?

In 1st Corinthians 5:9, we read concerning an incestuous relationship that was taking place within the Church there in Corinth. Immediately, the Spirit of God reminds me of the announcement we gave this past October. It involves an “incestuous relationship” of an individual, either real or imagined in this person’s mind ── and the main reason for our unaffiliating with that church.

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10) Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.”

And let us take special note of the following verse ──

“But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ── not even to eat with such a person.” – 1 Corinthians 5:9-11.

He went on to say in chapter 6, verse 6 – “But brother [speaking of brethren in Christ] goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!” Why? Because “those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’”

The apostle Paul knew that this had to be dealt with immediately. But, was this “putting away” permanent?

It is evidence – later on – that Paul wrote to them and said, ‘you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.’ If he repents he should be allowed back. And, that was the apostle Paul’s heart – and I believe it was a wonderful example of how he dealt with this. □

Additional Items of Interest

Personal From... Armstrong Religion ── The religion of Armstrongism is very much alive! It’s a religion of Satan the devil!

Marriage FREE PDF booklet ── Judgment is now on us – the living Church of God – not upon this world.

THINK ABOUT THIS... What Is Sanctification by the Spirit? ── Sadly, the common beliefs and teachings in this present evil age are not altogether accurate.

COJCOM Announcement October 2024 ── I feel the Spirit of God would like me to announce ...