Christ Leads The Way

” For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” – Ephesians 5:8

Hey friends! Thank you for continuing to read along. I am thankful to God for you. And I appreciate you!

I want to talk more about being unequally yoked.  I don’t want my words twisted to try to mean something bad that I didn’t. I also want to discuss more the idea of being yoked together with unbelievers from 2 Corinthians 6:14.

Remember, the scripture says, ” Therefore, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness” (2 Cor. 6:14)?

The verse can’t mean that we don’t ever associate with unbelievers. Christians work with non-Christians, we interact with them in restaurants, stores, and many other walks of life. What the verse says is don’t be unequally yoked. It means don’t be united together with unbelievers to where they have an influence over you and are pulling you into the world of sin.

We want to avoid sin and the works of the flesh (Eph. 5:11). “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21).

Being yoked together with people who are actively involved in those things can cause a Christian to stumble into someone else’s sins. That’s what we do not want.

Yet, there are plenty of unbelievers who are not involved in revelries and the like who are decent, respectable, respectful, and principled people. I know some of them. Remember Cornelius from Acts 10. He wasn’t a Christian, but the Bible described him as a devout man who feared God and always prayed to Him (Acts 10:2). His heart was ripe for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and there are many other people like him.

Jesus even ate with sinners (Luke 15:2). Yet He did not engage in their sin (Heb. 4:15). Christians can be and make friends of unbelievers, but we are not to be influenced by any sin in which they are involved – not be unequally yoked to where they are pulling us down instead of us lifting them up toward Jesus Christ.

It’s those who live out the commands of the Lord who are friends of Jesus (John 15:14). He showed compassion and kindness to everyone living in sin. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Nobody is perfect. We all ought to strive to be like Jesus.

As Christians, we’re striving for perfection. And we’re striving for a home in heaven. For those unbelievers whose hearts are ripe for the harvest, Christians must be ready to work to bring them to Christ (Lk. 10:2). That means, not excluding people who Jesus includes.

I hope that all unbelievers will hear the gospel message and turn to the Lord. All it requires is obedience to the Lord of heaven: belief (Mk. 16:16), repentance (Lk. 13:3), confession (Mt. 10:32), baptism (Mk. 16:16), and faithful living (Rev. 2:10).

If you haven’t obeyed the gospel call, why not do it today?

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