Unequal Examples

II Corinthians 6:14-16--Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church, he stresses the importance of being separate from unbelievers. He presents his main point, that we should not be "unequally yoked together with unbelievers", and goes on to use rhetorical questions as examples to illustrate what a ludicrous idea this is. He uses five rhetorical-question illustrations to explain the absurdity that believers can have fellowship with unbelievers.

Before I go any further, I want to clarify that this is not an extremist call or argument that all Christians should band together and live alone on an island in isolation. That is absolutely wrong and not Biblical. If Christians isolate themselves, they are breaking one of the two great commandments, to love your neighbor as yourself. The word "neighbor" used there includes every living human being. If you isolate yourself from the world, you cannot show love and compassion for those in need; you cannot weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice; and, paramount to all, you cannot share Jesus with them. The spreading of the Gospel is the main point for God leaving Christians on earth after their salvation. We must be in the world, but not of it.

Now that that's out of the way, let's look at how Paul uses his illustrations in his argument for separation. Starting with a contrast of righteousness and unrighteousness, Paul goes through five examples, each one contrasting two completely opposite ideas or things.

The first two are basic illustrations, but after that Paul ups the ante. He contrasts Jesus Christ with Belial, the devil. This isn't such a simple contrast; this isn't even between two opposites. Jesus has no opposite, not even the devil. He is in a state of His own. Satan doesn't even come close to comparing, so much so that he is not even considered worthy to be God's opposite. Now the game has become serious. With this example, the reader understands how insane an idea it is for a believer to be yoked together with an unbeliever in anything. Could you seriously imagine God and Satan as coworkers and companions in something? For believers, this includes marriage, business, friendships, recreation--anything. This doesn't mean you can't be around unbelievers. As stated above, that is not Biblical and, let's face it, pretty much impossible. It simply means do not take part in their sin. If coworkers, schoolmates, friends, family members, or whoever want you to go drinking, gamble, steal something, or practice any other sinful art, tell them no. Then tell them why. Let them know that you have been saved by a righteous God and freed from sin. Tell them the consequences of their sin and how they can be saved from it. Reprove their dark works, but always do it with love.

Then Paul brings his examples back to his original point, asking "what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" In case the reader has forgotten, Paul directly relates his illustrations back to his main point. This reminds the believer that he or she is not to be mixed in with unbelievers. Then he gives an example of why, stating that we are God's temple.

As God's temple, we are God's property. Remember, you were bought with a price--a huge price. God owns us and wants us to be holy as He is holy. We are the Holy Spirit's home, and we should strive to keep His house as clean and pure as possible. We cannot do this when we are unequally yoked with unbelievers. Furthermore, we should not be doing this out of fear, but out of love and gratitude toward God. After God has forgiven and forgotten all of our sins and saved us from an eternity in Hell, why would we not want to keep ourselves clean and righteous for Him? This shows we appreciate what He has done for us. Also, it is an honor and privilege to have the Lord of the universe choose to make your body His temple. What a blessing! Strive to keep yourself free from sin. Will you be perfect? No. But God understands this, and daily helps you in the housecleaning Himself.

Here are other very important reasons to keep yourself clean from sin and separate yourself from unbelievers:

• As your companions are, so you will be
• Maintains your testimony
• Allows you to witness to the lost
• Pleases God and does not invoke His chastening
• Allows God to fully use you and work in your life
• Gives true joy and fellowship with God and other believers
• Actions speak louder than words
• Shows there is something different about you
• Will draw the lost to Christ

As you can see, there are many reasons we should be separate from unbelievers. This is a crucially important point in today's Church, especially in America. All across Christendom, we have compromised the truth and weakened our stance, leading to spiritually debilitated Christians, false teachers, spiritual "leaders" who's lives have been ruined by sin, a wicked and morally blind nation around us, an apathetic view toward the lost and the Church's impact on the world, and numerous other problems.

We cannot take part in the sins of the world. We must separate ourselves. America, the world, the lost need believers who will not compromise and condone their sin. We need revival, and this can only happen when we turn from our sin and seek God. If we're honest, we all have something in our lives that shouldn't be there. We all in some way are unequally yoking ourselves together with unbelievers, taking part in their dark works. I urge you to objectively and deeply search your life and heart. Pray for guidance, wisdom, and humility. Ask God to reveal to you your sin and give you the power to be free from it.

Lastly, if you have never been saved, this post has no application for you. You have never been cleansed from unrighteousness and saved by God. Spiritually, you are still lost, dead, and headed to Hell for eternity. But there is hope; there is freedom; there is life. All you have to do is accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and ask Him to forgive you of your sin. If you don't, your spiritual and moral condition will only grow worse. Click the Salvation tab above for more information.

A Question for You

Job 38:1-4--Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man: for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare if thou hast understanding.

Rhetorical questions can be powerful, when used right. They can pose a question to which there is no exact or complete answer, or they can indirectly bring up a point that is so obvious it doesn't need to be stated. Either way, the rhetorical question remains unanswered.

In the book of Job, chapters thirty-eight through forty are almost entirely composed of a list of rhetorical questions, with a few in the beginning of forty-one, too. I have just put the first few of God's rhetorical questions here, but there are many more he asks Job. All of these are used to remind Job that he has no right to question or judge God. These questions serve to emphasize God's power, wisdom, and authority over everything.

We, as Job, have no right to question God's sovereignty either. God is God, the rightful Ruler of everything in existence, natural or supernatural. Nothing is beyond God's control; nothing is hidden from God; nothing is greater than God. Whenever we have hard times in our life or we see something that seems unjust, our fleshly minds tend to ask, "Why, God? Why would You do something like that? How could You allow that?" But we have no right to ask that. God is God, the almighty King of kings, the ultimate Authority, and He can do whatever He wants. He intrinsically has the right to reign simply because of who He is. This should instill both great fear and hope within us.

In light of God's magnificence, we are nothing. He is so much greater than anyone can ever come close to imagining. This should cause every one of us to humble ourselves before Him and admit how small and sinful we are. We should respect and revere God, and this is what He desires. Whenever tough times come along, we shouldn't question God and become bitter. We should accept what He has put in our lives and ask for His help through it all, ask for His grace to get through it, ask what it is God wants us to learn from this experience, and ask God to draw us closer to Him through it. In fact, the Bible says we should always rejoice (Philippians 4:4) and that we should give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Fail a test? Rejoice and give thanks. Lose your job? Rejoice and give thanks. No matter what happens, rejoice in the Lord, not in your circumstances, and give thanks, because God is always good. And that's where the hope comes in.

God is perfect. God is righteous. God is holy. If you have Him as your Savior, He is always with you. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). That means whatever we go through, we have the Creator and Ruler of the universe at our side! How wonderful is that? And Romans 8:28 gives us the glorious promise that, if we love God, He is working everything to our good. No matter what is going on in your life, if you're His child, God is working it to your benefit. He loves you unconditionally, more than you can understand, and He will never do anything wrong to anyone. God is perfectly just. Everything He does is right and moral, no matter how we view it. This should comfort us. Who better to have running every event that ever has or ever will happen in the universe? Who better to have ruling the entirety of existence than One who is perfect, just, righteous, holy, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, eternal, who never makes a mistake and is never off timing? That sounds pretty good to me.

There are many things to be gleaned from God's rhetorical questions, but this is what the Lord directed me to write. I encourage you to make time and read through these chapters yourself, thinking on how great and wonderful our God is. Try to learn everything you can about Him. And that's another great thing. There are volumes to learn about God, but no matter how long we live and how much we devote ourselves to the task, we will never learn everything about Him. When we get to Heaven, there will still be much, much more to learn about and experience from our wonderful Lord and Savior.

But for now, take comfort in the fact that the God who controls every atom of existence (and whatever makes up the supernatural side of existence) is a God who loves you. Respect His authority; don't question His actions or allowances. We should humble ourselves as Job did after being asked these questions. "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not" (Job 42:2, 3).

Thank You, Lord, for controlling the universe and my life!