Dear Friend in Christ:

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers . . .

The apostle Paul confronted wrong conduct among believers. He had a clear channel of communication with the church and had opened his heart to them - correcting them according to the Word of God in order to restore and establish their faith. Paul possessed the three essential traits needed to correct someone: 1) Humility; 2) Gentleness; 3) and Love.

Out of love and concern, Paul confronted a particular problem in the church. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Paul talks about the problem of adapting and blending in with the customs, lifestyle, and behaviors of unbelievers. The church was too intermixed with the world. Paul asks, “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” (2 Cor. 6:14-16).

In the passage above, Paul is telling believers to separate from the world's goals, standards, lifestyles, behaviors, and thoughts! Unbelievers and believers have two different natures. They live in two different ways. To try and combine the two together will only spell out disaster. Jesus has nothing in common with Satan! In the same way, Christians have nothing in common with non-Christians.

An unbeliever is a prisoner to their sin nature. A Christian is born again - given a new nature from God; desiring to follow God's ways and laws. Is Paul asking us never to have contact with an unbeliever? No. He is not condemning contact, he is condemning alliances. An alliance can mean marriage, business, or friendship. In these partnerships there is a blending of natures, character, values, philosophy, morals, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors.

There is a far different level of relationship in alliances rather than in everyday contact with people. It is impossible to avoid non-believers - and in fact, we are not to avoid them but to witness to them and to be an example to them of Jesus Christ. But, as Christians, we are not to have partnerships with unbelievers.

I have known many people who engage in “missionary dating.” They think that by dating an unbeliever they will bring them to Christ. But, more often than not, the opposite takes place. The non-Christian ends up influencing the Christian and their walk with the Lord suffers. Listen, you cannot embrace the world and think that you will not be affected! God tells us, “Come out from among them and be separate. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17).

Christians need to think and act differently from the world. We are not to be like unbelievers, but to be separate - different from them. What kind of witness do we have if we are the same as non-Christians? How can we tell them about the Lord and how He has changed our life if we behave in the same manner as they do? Non-Christians do not need to see a bunch of Christian's running around behaving as they do - they need to see that there is something drastically different about us - and be led to the power, salvation, and grace of Jesus Christ.

In Christ,
David Rosales

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