Message Summary:
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’.”
“Do
not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship
has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with
darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a
believer with an unbeliever? 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'” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).
Living among the
Amish provides an opportunity to experience
“living history”. The other day I was passing the field across from the
meadow where today’s horse photo was
taken and spotted our Amish neighbor out
doing field work with his team of horses. We kind of wonder if the
working horses look across the road to the other freely grazing horses
with envy!
In
many ways the Amish farming methods are closer to
the Bible period than the modern period with the use of yoked animals
rather
than tractors. However even today we still have a reminder of the
initial source of power with the term “horsepower” still applied to
modern engines.
Today let us consider a verse that we first recall often being applied to dating relationships and marriage. It begins, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
The phrase “unequally yoked together” is the translation of a single Greek word, heterozygountes (see here). This is a compound word that means, “to yoke
up differently; to associate discordantly; unequally yoke together.” It
is used only one time in the Bible. The word “yoke” means a
coupling as when two oxen are coupled or yoked together by a pulling
beam to do work such as plowing a field or pulling a wagon.
Brooksyne spent a week every summer with
her grandparents in the mountains of northwest Arkansas. Her
grandfather (photo on left) didn’t own modern equipment but still farmed his land using a plow pulled by two
mules. He hooked them together with a yoke before hitching them up to the
plow. The yoke prevented the mules from going two directions and provided double the strength and speed of a single mule.
Essentially, the yoke united the mules for
one singular purpose. This analogy helps me to remember why Paul
cautions believers to be wise in their relationships because light and
darkness cannot be as one – their purposes for existence are completely
opposite. To try to blend two contrasts and make them one would bring
about complete chaos, confusion, and weakness.
The apostle Paul calls
believers, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” As we mentioned above, this verse is
often used in the context of dating and marriage and certainly applies
to those kinds of relationships, but in this context Paul does not
limit it to a physical relationship. As we compare this verse to others
in the Scripture he seems to be speaking of the friendships and
partnerships we build in our lives. Paul is not speaking of mere
contact with those not of the faith, for that’s an essential part of
our reaching the lost in this world. Earlier in 1 Corinthians he
acknowledges that inevitably we will have contact with people who live
in darkness, otherwise “you would have to leave this world” (5:10).
Paul follows this command “Do not be yoked” with a series of questions, each requiring the negative answer:
For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?- And what communion has light with darkness?
- And what accord has Christ with Belial?
- Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
- And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
This section ends with “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’.”
In the spiritual realm the Bible clearly instructs us to leave the life
of darkness and to walk or live in the light. Today as we are surrounded by spiritual darkness let us again remember
God’s call. We are to move out of the darkness, walk in the light and
stay in the light. Don’t be caught lurking in the shadows, fearful of
taking a stand, whether it’s at our workplace, in our neighborhood, or
even within our own family. We read of the outcome of Peter’s denial of
Christ when he, along with other disciples, moved away from Jesus and
observed from a distance, even hiding in the darkened shadows. Instead
let us be bold in our walk and take a stand in this age where there is
great temptation to “blend in” so that everybody is comfortable. Jesus
stood apart and He challenges us as well, “Be ye holy, even as I am
holy.”
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
