Unequally Yoked
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2 Corinthians 6:14
Yoked means having a close relationship with someone, and spending much time with them. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers is for our own spiritual protection. It is amazing how quickly we can migrate to the unbelieving world view. Equally yoked believers have the power of God to help each other from becoming unequally yoked. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) If we are holy, then we are following the ways of God and not the ways of the world. If we set boundaries on our unbelieving acquaintances, then we have a tool that can help us to be holy, by warning us when we begin to drift into the ways of the unbelieving world.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. If we spend time with Godly people, we become more Godly people, and if we spend time with worldly people, we become more worldly people. God created us with a need for close relationships, and these close relationships are to be with our family and our Christian brothers and sisters. Set a boundary on how much time you plan to spend with unbelievers.
If we spend time with Christian brothers and sisters, we grow spiritually. The more we walk with the Lord the more we are drawn of our Christian family because we are like minded in Christ and we are connected through the Holy Spirit. Conversely, we usually find that we have little in common with our unbelieving friends.
For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? This verse emphasizes the typical relationship with unbelievers: Righteousness or living according God’s standards compared to lawlessness or living according to worldly standards. It can be difficult to remain holy when we are influenced by worldly sinful pleasures from a friend. Satan often works through other people. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9) This verse defines who we are in Christ, a holy nation. Set a boundary that minimizes or eliminates time with lawless people.
Or what fellowship has light with darkness? For me this statement compares the ways of God to the ways of Satan. Having a relationship with a person living in the darkness is having a relationship with an evil person. How can a Godly person have a relationship with an evil person? Normally we stay away from people that fall into this category.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13) Seek to set boundaries that prevent you from falling into temptation. Be aware of the people you socialize with, places you go, and the things you do. Don’t convince yourself that you can handle these relationships. I have seen many unequally yoked relationships in which one party thought he could change the other person. Most of the time the light moved into darkness, because it is much easier for a believer to migrate back into his past worldly ways than for an unbeliever to migrate to new Godly ways.
Today set boundaries on relationships, specifically, the time you spend with unbelievers. Set time accordingly: Unbeliever, lawlessness, or darkness. Reflect God’s love to everyone and remain holy around everyone. Set a boundary that will ensure that nothing or no one can pull you away from the Lord.
Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to set boundaries to avoid any sinful temptation. Give me the wisdom to set these boundaries with the goal of being closer to you. Lord, protect me from the evil one and give me the wisdom to stay away from people who can lead me astray. In Jesus name, Amen