2 Corinthians 6:14, Be not unequally yoked
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
//Long ago, a minister asked me to explain this verse. Many have used this verse to discourage interfaith marriage or marriage to an unbeliever. I was no minister, so I felt a bit proud to be asked my opinion, but I didn’t have much to say. I think I muttered something about how two people sharing a yoke needed to be working equally hard, or one would hold back the other.
Actually, Paul was referring to the law. Deuteronomy 22:10 reads, Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. Why? Because sharing a yoke together would cause both animals discomfort in plowing. It was not that they couldn’t or wouldn’t share the same yoke, but that it would be painful.
Paul’s advice, it seems to me, is not to shun unbelievers as potential partners but to be aware that “plowing the field” together will be a painful process. Doesn’t matter whether you’re the ox or the ass.
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Fantasy Football, Anyone?
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Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
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| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
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Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
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From a friend on goodreads, I thought worth sharing here:
As often happens, Paul, writing to different congregations with different needs, says different things. There is also 1 Corinthians 7:14: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.”
I dunno. I kept reading the verse and it does sound like a prohibition against commingling with nonbelievers. He may be referencing Deuteronomy, but the plain reading of the verse strikes me as a command, not a gentle reminder. Paul is a complex character and has his own personality flaws. We shouldn’t sugarcoat his tough sayings to make him more palatable to progressives.
Point well taken. I interpret Paul literally on most hot topics, such as his condemnation of homosexuality, so why am I wimping out and sugarcoating here? You’re right to call me on this.