Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?
5 sermons cite this verse
… tempted to go places that he shouldn't, but he will be tempted to form alliances with those that he shouldn't form alliances with. 2 Corinthians 6.14, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, because what fellowship does light have with darkness, says Paul? What communion is there between the evil one and those who walk with Christ? The answer is absolutely none. But when an individual has as his expressed desire to get rich, he will be tempted to sidestep the clear instruction of the Bible, not only in terms of where he goes, but in terms of who he joins. Thirdly, such an individual may well be tempted and caused to look in directions he would never have considered otherwise. In other words, instead of being the man at the beginning of Psalm 1, he has become the wicked man. Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. And on his law he meditates day and night. And this individual will be like a tree who is planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season. But the wicked are not so. They are like the chaff which the wind blows away, and the wicked will not stand in the day of judgment. But the individual who has determined that they're going to be rich will be tempted to go places that he shouldn't, with people that he shouldn't, and turn his gaze in a …
… Let's look at some verses. 2 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 14 and 15. Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness? Can a believer share life with an unbeliever? In other words, if you don't have spiritual unity, how in the world can you be unified in any other area? Now, let me just be honest with you. Let me have true confession right now. As a pastor, I don't like to disappoint people. As a pastor, I don't like to hurt people's feelings. I want them to like me. I want them to be happy. And honestly, I can't tell you how many times people have come to me and introduced me to their fiance. And they want me to be happy about their fiance. And they start telling me all their fine qualities of their fiance. and their fiance does have a lot of fine qualities, great, fine qualities. And they tell me how much they love them. …
… What's the salvation status of this person you are considering marrying? Now I'll read 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 14 through 18. is the passage. I'm going to read that because this is, again, a very significant passage. Do not be unequally yoked, verse 14, with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness and what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Bilal? 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 and God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you. I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. That's a powerful passage because it's saying don't get entangled, don't be hanging out, don't be coupled, don't be joined to a person that doesn't believe like you believe. …
… In the NIV it says, do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what does righteousness and wickedness have in common? are what fellowship can light have with darkness. What fellowship can a cowboy fan have with a winner? What harmony is there between Christ and, let's go with la, la, la, la, la. Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? I like this reading, and I want to teach a message today. Write down the title. It's called Rules for Relationships. and the Bible is filled with truths on relationships. It teaches us how to manage or approach relationships and I like this, Paul the apostle's writing to a church in the city of Corinth and he's trying to get them to be on the same page in their marriage. He's saying, don't be unequally yoked. This is an agricultural term. He's saying we would never put two animals to work together like an ox and a donkey, like a UCLA fan and a USC. …
… And we've gotten up to it, but we haven't gone through it. I started out on Wednesday from 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14, Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. And I tried to lay down the reality that that is an inviolable divine law, that we don't engage in any enterprise or any effort that intends to advance the kingdom of God in connection with unbelievers. And I think that was really clear. The popular trend is against that. Popular trend is to make as many alliances with unbelieving institutions or unbelieving allies as you possibly can under the delusion that somehow you advance the kingdom of God with such alliances. I want to see if I can't address that, and especially you're going to find that what I say tonight is going to connect with a lot of things you heard today, and even specifically with some of the things that Steve said in the last session. But I'll leave that connection for you to make, and I don't need to make it myself. …