Who ‘re you yoked with?   2 Cor. 6.14  -  2 Cor. 7.1

Second Corinthians 7, verse 1 could really serve as a prologue:

         let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God

In the preceding verses, Paul gave a stern warning from God about staying pure--

                   “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.

For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (Satan)?  What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  What 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."

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.

   Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”                                               2 Cor. 6.14 - 2 Cor. 7.1   

Paul’s use of the word ‘yoke’ is the Greek verb ‘heterozygew’.  It is an agricultural term that refers to the practice of yoking to a plow two unequal kinds of animals such as an ox and a donkey.  ‘Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.’  Growing up in the Baptist Church, I remember this being exclusively applied to marriage—Christian, do not marry a non-Christian.  Period.   But I believe it means far more than that.  After all, think of a donkey yoked with an ox—their gait would be different, their height would be different, their pace would be different from each other. 

Indeed, this Scripture passage has broader application that matrimony.  Paul is saying, ‘do not link yourselves together with those whose values are the opposite of yours’.  That means, hey Christian, choose a Christian as your life mate and also your business partner, so that you will not be on a collision course with your values.  Paul is talking about partnerships we make along the way in life.

Here’s the thing:  The believer is driven by a different set of values than the non-believer.  One is trying to follow God’s will and glorify him, and the other is not—‘doesn’t make him wrong necessarily, but often means that one will try to honor God, while that holds no importance for the other individual.  In addition, the one who professes the name of Christ has the Holy Spirit within, and belongs exclusively to God.  “We are the temple of God,” Paul said, therefore, we should choose close associates accordingly.

Paul goes on to cite six separate Old Testament God statements, showing his heart toward his own:  ‘I will live with them, And walk among them, I will be their God and they will be my people, I will put my covenant among you, Come out from among them and be separate, Touch no unclean thing.’

Belonging to God is a beautiful thing, but it calls us to a higher standard of living—one which seeks to perfect (verb) holiness, and live purely before God.  To be sure, one key way to safeguard godly values is to enter into personal partnerships wisely.  Just ask someone who hasn’t, she’ll have plenty of stories for you, and more than likely, she will have stories of difficulties and compromise. 

God’s ways are higher than ours and they are meant for our protection…so please, use discretion when getting’ in a yoke with somebody!

Christine