2 Corinthians 6:14

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part has he that believes with an infidel? Or 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 in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)

What does it mean to live as a citizen of heaven while still clothed in the temporal flesh of earth?

God Works New Desires Within Us

As we considered last week, the ambassador of God endures hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. To the disciple of Christ, God imparts a new desire, for Philippians 2:13 says He works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure. He first gives us a desire, then gives us the ability to do what is pleasing to Him. When you became a Christian, you had new desires you had never had before in seeking to please and honor God.

Although we have done nothing to earn the gift of God's grace, having now been given it, He works in us to honor and exalt Him. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all people to myself." As we began this year, we said our vision for 2012 is to be a people enjoying God's grace and therefore extending His glory in this community and wherever the Lord takes us.

This is why Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:1 to "walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called," and in Romans 12:1 to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God." Our only right response after all He has done is to give everything we have in honoring Him. Paul also told Timothy that anyone who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer—and that individual does so with purity, sound knowledge, patience, kindness, love, by the power of God and the word of truth, clothed in His righteousness, not our own.

Living Between Two Worlds

The ambassador of Christ dwells between two worlds. Paul illustrates this to the Philippians, saying he is in a strait between two—a desire to depart and be with the Lord, and a desire to remain. Can anyone say amen to that? It would be great to leave these failing physical bodies and be with the Lord. And yet if we are here, it is obviously God's will that we still be here. There is a yearning to be with the Lord, but at the same time a yearning to be a light for Him in this place.

We are clothed in temporal flesh, yet given a glorious new reality, for if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul goes on in verses 8-10 to describe how this ambassador bears honor as a child of God yet is shamed as a fool in the eyes of man. Your name, if you are a Christian, is written in heaven. We look forward to the day when Christ says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." But here on earth, in a world governed by wickedness, the Christian becomes the fool, the oddball.

This was not always the case in our nation, founded primarily by Christians on Judeo-Christian values, where being a Christian was not seen as abnormal. But as a person says, "I will live as Christ has called me," he will be set apart, made a spectacle to the world. Honored in heaven, dishonored on earth. A good report among the people of God, but spoken evil of by his detractors. Regarded as a deceiver by unbelievers, yet he speaks the truths of heaven. Unknown here, yet well known by God in heaven.

Having Nothing, Yet Possessing All Things

How great it is to be well known by God in heaven. People strive so hard to make a name for themselves, and then within a hundred years there is no memory of them. Yet the Christian has a name in heaven for eternity on the lips of God. As dying, behold we live; he dies daily to worldly ambition while experiencing the abundant joys of God. As sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.

What does that mean? You may have little earthly wealth, little attached to your name in a 401k or bank account. But if you have Christ in you, you possess all things, because all things are contained in Him. I'll never forget a youth camp years ago where Tony taught from Ephesians 1 on every spiritual blessing in heavenly places—how the Christian has a bank account so full, yet often lives as a pauper because he never recognizes it. Oh, that we would recognize the great wealth we have in Christ.

So the Christian lives a paradoxical life as a citizen of heaven clothed in temporal flesh. Those who have served as missionaries understand this in a temporal way—you feel disconnected from somewhere, a part of you left behind. Even in beautiful, sunny San Diego, a part of you may have been left on the East Coast. As a Christian continues, this becomes more his reality: a sojourner longing to be with God, yet here for a purpose as an ambassador of Christ.

The Command: Be Not Unequally Yoked

In verse 14 Paul applies this. God has given us free choice, and even after you become a Christian you maintain it. You can choose to honor God or to live for self. Because we are citizens of heaven yet still on earth, Paul says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers."

Because of his Jewish heritage and expert understanding of the Old Covenant, Paul is likely thinking back to Deuteronomy 22:10: "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together." None of us plows our fields with livestock, but to the people God spoke this to, the meaning was clear: there are certain things that just don't go together, things that are fundamentally incompatible. And 1 Corinthians 10:11 says all these things were written as examples for us.

Look at the theme in that same section. Verse 9: do not sow your vineyard with diverse seeds. Verse 11: do not wear a garment of wool mixed with linen—most of us are probably breaking that one right now with our polyester-cotton blends. And in Exodus 23:19, God says, "You shall not boil a baby goat in its mother's milk." To this day Orthodox Jews will not combine dairy with meat—you can't buy a cheeseburger in Israel. But is that the true spirit of the law? Or is God saying He created divisions purposefully?

God Created Purposeful Divisions

There are certain things fundamentally incompatible; they are not supposed to go together. Humanity, in rebellion, is constantly trying to bring together things not meant to be joined, kicking against the goads of God's law. From the beginning God divided the light from the darkness, calling the light day and the darkness night. He created man in His image and made male and female. Throughout His creation we see God's order in purposefully identifying divisions, and His law emphasizes this truth. Some things complement one another; other things are incompatible. Oil and water do not mix. Light and darkness cannot be joined. Divisions are God-created and given to instruct, to reveal something of God.

A yoke is an instrument created to join two or more animals together as one to accomplish a task more effectively, with the load balanced so neither carries more than the other. A yoke was constructed specifically for a set of animals so the load would fit just right. So Paul says the Christian cannot be joined as one with the non-believer—they should not be unequally yoked, with one carrying the load of the other.

We most often apply this to marriage, and it is a good application, but the context is not marriage. Notice the offensive things Paul, inspired by God, says about the unbeliever: he is unrighteous, in darkness, belial (corrupt, a word attached to the devil), an infidel, and steeped in idolatry. If you are not a believer, you might say, "How dare you?" But I did not say it—God did. The gospel is an offense to those who are perishing.

Applied to Marriage, Business, and Every Relationship

We almost always apply this to marriage, yet in 1 Corinthians 7 Paul speaks to couples married to unbelievers. In those ancient times marriage was usually arranged, so you might be yoked to an unbeliever by another's choosing. Paul says, do not sever the tie through divorce—unless your unbelieving spouse says, "I don't want to be with you anymore." Then it is a lawful divorce.

In our modern culture, this commonly happens when two people marry as unbelievers and one later becomes a Christian. Now there is an unequal yoke, felt every day. I've had many counseling sessions with believers whose spouse does not honor God, does not care about honesty or integrity. They wonder if they should sever the tie. But 1 Corinthians 7 says no: if your unbelieving spouse is content to remain, you continue as a light for Christ in darkness, an ambassador bringing a sanctifying influence—even when your spouse says, "Let's just fudge the numbers on the taxes."

This unequal yoking extends to social and business relationships too. Maybe you partnered with someone before you became a believer, and now that partner wants to do things unethically, and you feel the distress of bearing the load of righteousness alone. Paul gives instruction before such a relationship ever begins: God created divisions for a purpose, and you, Christian, are different from this world, so go into relationships with that in mind. This does not mean we never interact with unbelievers; it speaks of joining oneself, yoking together.

I've talked with Bible college students about this. One student wanted to go into the military, but his girlfriend did not want to be married to a military man. Both were Christians, but I told him to recognize the unequal yoking. Another wanted nothing to do with missions, while the woman he loved had a passion for the mission field. You need to recognize these things before you yoke yourself together. The concept is: I am here for a task as an ambassador of Christ, and I want to be yoked with someone who bears that task so we are both more effective.

The Reasons Paul Gives

Why? Paul gives several reasons. "What fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness?" The Christian has been made righteous by the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). The unbeliever, by nature, is unrighteous, so nothing can be shared between them, and much may be lost. Because we still carry our old sinful nature, it is much easier for the unbeliever to take us down the path of unrighteousness than for us to carry them onto righteousness.

"What communion has light with darkness?" The word communion is koinonia, which can mean a gift jointly contributed. Relationships should be mutually beneficial; people bring giftings and talents that serve one another and the task God sets before them. But darkness contributes nothing to the task of light. "What concord has Christ with Belial?" Belial means worthless or wicked, a name for the devil. The word translated concord is the Greek word from which we get symphony—a whole orchestra playing together in tune. Put one bozo playing a different tune in there and it doesn't work.

"What part has he that believes with an infidel?" We are otherworldly. I saw a sticker yesterday: N-O-T-W—Not of This World. That comes from the Gospel of John, where Jesus says, "I am not of this world. If I were of this world, my people would fight." Christians are otherworldly; our citizenship is in heaven, and we must recognize the difference.

The Temple of God and Idols

"What agreement has the temple of God with idols?" At times in Israel's history a king brought idolatry into the temple at Jerusalem—most notably Manasseh, the most evil king Judah ever had, who built altars to foreign gods in the temple. How did God respond? In 2 Kings 21:10-12, the Lord said that because Manasseh had done these abominations and made Judah to sin with idols, He would bring such evil upon Jerusalem that everyone's ears would tingle. Because of Manasseh's sin, the temple was destroyed in 586 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar.

We don't have a temple today—or do we? In 1 Corinthians 3:16 Paul says the corporate church is the temple of God, and in 6:19 he says the individual's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And in 3:17 he warns, "If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." Do you think God takes seriously how we, His temple, live in this world? To be unequally yoked is to bring the idolatry of this world into the temple, bringing a curse upon yourself. Is there forgiveness in Christ? Absolutely. But you still bear the consequences of that union.

Come Out and Be Separate

God said, "I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people"—words echoing Exodus 29:45 and Leviticus 26:12. This is God's creation, not ours. In 1 Corinthians 6:15-19, Paul warns that he who joins himself to a harlot becomes one body with her, but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. We are yoked to Christ, who said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me." Therefore, glorify God in your body and spirit, which are God's.

So Paul gives the application in verse 17: "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." He is quoting Isaiah 52:11—words spoken to the very people living under Manasseh. God pleads with His people to depart, to be clean, those who bear the vessels of the Lord. And verse 18: "I will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Under the new covenant this is reality—we become the children of God, completely separate.

This does not mean we wear white bedsheets and float around. In our conduct we are separate. At the beginning of the year we spoke of a ministry of subversion: God places you in your workplace to represent Christ, living just like anyone else, yet differently because you have Christ in you—overtly, not covertly. When someone says, "We can fudge the numbers," you say, "No, we really can't."

An Ambassador in the Parking Lot

About six years ago I had a lifted Chevy truck I really liked. My grandparents gave me a Ford Escort that got over thirty miles to the gallon, so practically I decided to sell the truck. A buyer met me right here in the church parking lot, knowing I was a pastor. We agreed on the price, and then he asked if I could write on the DMV form that I sold it for $500 so he wouldn't have to pay the overage on the taxes. We were standing in the church parking lot—if God is anywhere, He's here. I said, "No, I can't do that. I'm a Christian. If it means you don't buy the truck, you don't buy the truck." He still bought it. But I'm an ambassador of Christ, and I'm not going to join Christ to that lack of integrity, even if it means I lose the sale or don't advance as much as the unethical man.

So be separate. Which would you rather have—the relationship of man temporarily, or the fathership of God? In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God promises a new covenant: "I will put my law in their inward parts and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people... and I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more." By His Spirit, He cries from within us, "No, don't do that." We are the people of God Almighty, ambassadors of Christ wherever we go. How are we representing Him and honoring the gift of His Son who purchased us?

He has promised to receive us, to be a father unto us, to make us His sons and daughters. So 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "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." How should we respond to such promises—"That's okay, I'll do what I want"? Or, "God, I want to live in a way that honors you, that people would see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven"?

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank you for your great majesty that we sang of today. I thank you for your awesome grace that you have extended to us. Lord, help us to bear the vessels of the Lord in a way that honors you. We are those chosen vessels; our bodies are your dwelling place. Wherever we go this week, throughout this county, on a business trip or on a school campus, help us by your grace to bear these vessels in a way that honors and represents you well—that we would be separate, not just to be the oddballs, but so that people would see you glorified. We ask this in your mighty and precious name. Amen.