Separating from the world isn't popular, but God has always commanded it for good reason.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NIV)
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will live with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.” [Lev 26:12; Jer 32:38; Eze 37:27; Rev 21:3]
17 Therefore,
“Come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.” [Isaiah 52:11, Ezekiel 20:34, 41]
18 And,
“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.” [Ex 4:22; 2 Sa 7:14; 1 Ch 17:13; Isa 43:6]
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members
We believe that
since this holy assembly and congregation
is the gathering of those who are saved
and there is no salvation apart from it,
no one ought to withdraw from it,
content to be by himself,
regardless of his status or condition.
But all people are obliged
to join and unite with it,
keeping the unity of the church
by submitting to its instruction and discipline,
by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ,
and by serving to build up one another,
according to the gifts God has given them
as members of each other
in the same body.
And to preserve this unity more effectively,
it is the duty of all believers,
according to God’s Word,
to separate themselves
from those who do not belong to the church,
in order to join this assembly
wherever God has established it,
even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid
and death and physical punishment result.
And so,
all who withdraw from the church
or do not join it
act contrary to God’s ordinance.
Summary
Chances are you're doing more thinking about being 'yoked' this week than what you've thought about in a long time. Yesterday, we read of Jesus' invitation to find true and lasting rest by being yoked to Him; that is, pulling in the same direction as Him by doing the eternal work of the Kingdom of God as a member of His Church.
Now today we're reading about the danger of being yoked to unbelievers, or as the NET Bible puts it, "do not become partners with those who do not believe..." Another way they suggest translating it is "Do not be mismatched." When two people are yoked together, they must go in the same direction, and too often it's the unbeliever who pulls the Christian off course.
Paul explains this in the verses that follow, setting things like righteousness, light, and Jesus in opposition to unrighteousness, darkness, and Belial (another name for Satan). The most fundamental definition of what it means to be a regenerated Christian is that you've been made different than they people you work with and who live around you.
This certainly doesn't mean you must have absolutely nothing to do with non-believers. Paul admits this would be impossible in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10. You still have to show up to work with them, live next door to them, and interact with them in the community. Jesus does call you to be a light in the darkness in those situations. What you're being warned of here, however, is just how easily and quickly the darkness can drag you back into it.
Dig Deeper
Often times Christians yoke themselves to non-believers (either as business partners, deep friendships, or even in marriage) with the best of intentions, thinking that their witness will win the person over to Christ. And, praise God, sometimes it does! But such a strategy is most often contrary to God's will for His people, and His people have often paid a high price for ignoring God's command to separate themselves from the world.
In our short passage today, Paul cites no less than three Old Testament passages in which God commanded His people to be separate and different than their pagan neighbors. The Old Testament is full of examples of how God's covenant people would slowly begin to mingle with outsiders before quickly being consumed into full idolatry.
But you might think you're different; that somehow you're stronger in your faith than generation after generation of faithful people who've been given this command, and you can remain committed to Christ even while being continually surrounded by those who have no regard for Him. If that's the case, go back and read about how strong and dangerous Sarx is (your old sinful nature). When you yoke yourself to an unbeliever, you're immediately have two pulling you away from Christ: the unbeliever and Sarx.
This is why our Confession echoes scripture's call for you to "separate yourself from those who do not belong to the church." This concept is deeply unpopular amongst most evangelicals today, but be sure to heed what God has consistently commanded His people all throughout history.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is our God, and we are His people;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength and faith to be different and resist the temptation to join the worldly;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Timothy 2
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