| Biblical Commentary |
| COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 |
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For 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. As 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. ~ 2
Corinthians 6:14-18.
The Corinthian church had problems with things offered to idols, and the idol
worship they had once engaged in. Paul had addressed these in his first epistle.
They were attempting to straddle the fence, serving both the idols and God.
“No servant can serve two master; for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon.” ~ Luke 16:13
Paul tells them they cannot place themselves together with unbelievers. It would
be an unequal yoke. In times of old, you could not yoke an ox and a donkey, or an
ox and a horse together. They would pull at different speeds and with different
strength. It would not work. It is like putting two different size tires on your drive
axle: the only thing that is going to happen is you are going to tear up your axle.
The same thing is true of putting believers and unbelievers together in worship and
service to God.
How can righteousness and lawlessness work together? They are mutually
exclusive. One will eliminate the other. You will either be righteous or lawless;
but, you cannot be both. To attempt to do so is to become lawless.
Can light and dark co-exist? Light will eliminate dark, and dark is the absence of
light.
Can Christ, the Messiah, agree with the sons of the Devil? Can He agree with
idols? To ask the question is to answer it.
Thus, can the infidel and the believer work together to the glory of God? Can the
infidel and the believer worship the God of heaven in the same acceptable way?
Can the infidel (non-Christian) and the believer (the Christian) work toward the
same end when they are traveling different directions?
Is it proper to place idols in the temple of God? Or, since the Christian is the
temple of God, to place the Christian with idols and idol worshippers?
God has promised to dwell in His people. He will walk among them. He will be
their God. They are to be His people. Look at Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; and
Ezekiel 37:27. Therefore, they cannot straddle the fence, and serve God and
mammon.
There is to be a separation between the people of God, and the people of the world.
See Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:34,41. That is what is meant by being holy: a people
separated for the service of God -- separated by the fact that they are obedient unto
the Lord, and zealous of good works.
If the believers will separate themselves, the Lord God Almighty will become their
Father (whether in Hebrew – Abba, or Greek – patri, or English), and they will truly
be the children of God.
But, that means there must be a separation. We cannot fellowship those who
refuse to acknowledge who God and Jesus are. We cannot fellowship those who
refuse to obey the gospel. We cannot fellowship those who refuse to be faithful by
separating themselves from the unbelievers, the infidels, the non-Christians, and
those who will submit to His will.
Sincere, truth-seeking souls are called out of error into the truth. We are called to
separate ourselves from man-made religion, the doctrines and commandments of
men.
“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people,
lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” ~ Revelation
18:4
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. As 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. ~ 2
Corinthians 6:14-18.
The Corinthian church had problems with things offered to idols, and the idol
worship they had once engaged in. Paul had addressed these in his first epistle.
They were attempting to straddle the fence, serving both the idols and God.
“No servant can serve two master; for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon.” ~ Luke 16:13
Paul tells them they cannot place themselves together with unbelievers. It would
be an unequal yoke. In times of old, you could not yoke an ox and a donkey, or an
ox and a horse together. They would pull at different speeds and with different
strength. It would not work. It is like putting two different size tires on your drive
axle: the only thing that is going to happen is you are going to tear up your axle.
The same thing is true of putting believers and unbelievers together in worship and
service to God.
How can righteousness and lawlessness work together? They are mutually
exclusive. One will eliminate the other. You will either be righteous or lawless;
but, you cannot be both. To attempt to do so is to become lawless.
Can light and dark co-exist? Light will eliminate dark, and dark is the absence of
light.
Can Christ, the Messiah, agree with the sons of the Devil? Can He agree with
idols? To ask the question is to answer it.
Thus, can the infidel and the believer work together to the glory of God? Can the
infidel and the believer worship the God of heaven in the same acceptable way?
Can the infidel (non-Christian) and the believer (the Christian) work toward the
same end when they are traveling different directions?
Is it proper to place idols in the temple of God? Or, since the Christian is the
temple of God, to place the Christian with idols and idol worshippers?
God has promised to dwell in His people. He will walk among them. He will be
their God. They are to be His people. Look at Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; and
Ezekiel 37:27. Therefore, they cannot straddle the fence, and serve God and
mammon.
There is to be a separation between the people of God, and the people of the world.
See Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:34,41. That is what is meant by being holy: a people
separated for the service of God -- separated by the fact that they are obedient unto
the Lord, and zealous of good works.
If the believers will separate themselves, the Lord God Almighty will become their
Father (whether in Hebrew – Abba, or Greek – patri, or English), and they will truly
be the children of God.
But, that means there must be a separation. We cannot fellowship those who
refuse to acknowledge who God and Jesus are. We cannot fellowship those who
refuse to obey the gospel. We cannot fellowship those who refuse to be faithful by
separating themselves from the unbelievers, the infidels, the non-Christians, and
those who will submit to His will.
Sincere, truth-seeking souls are called out of error into the truth. We are called to
separate ourselves from man-made religion, the doctrines and commandments of
men.
“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people,
lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” ~ Revelation
18:4
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