When the Apostle Paul said... Do not be yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6: 14) he is not making a casual suggestion, but a very serious command. In fact the essence of his statement is clear... "Stop yoking yourselves to unbelievers." Stop. Don’t think of slowing or limiting to a lesser level of involvement with an unbeliever, just don’t do it at all on any level.
Paul’s statement is an imperative, a grammatical mood used in commands, including the giving of prohibitions or any kind of strong exhortation. Use of the present imperative shows that Paul is not merely warning the Corinthians about a potential danger ("do not start") but instructing them to stop an action already in progress.
The command appears to come out of the clear blue. Has Paul not been lobbying strenuously for the Corinthians' affection? Has he not just asked them, as his children, to open wide their hearts to him? Moreover, he resumes his lobbying efforts at 7:2: "Make room for us in your hearts," he repeats. What then are we to make of 2 Corinthians 6:14 through 7:1?
One common theory is that 6:14–7:1 is a letter fragment that was misplaced within the Corinthian correspondence and inserted in its present spot by a later editor of Paul's letters. This is a pat answer... an easy solution to a complex problem. It is an easy solution because it shifts the blame onto the shoulders of someone other than Paul without really addressing the question, Why does the content appear here?
Some have been impressed with the non-Pauline character of these verses and think that Paul may be quoting a familiar sermon, a piece of traditional material or even an Essene text that has been reworked to reflect a Christian point of view. But while this helps to explain a number of unfamiliar words and expressions, the question "Why here?" still remains.
Suggestions, fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), are in abundant supply. It could be that Paul is responding to news just received from Titus about a continuing problem with pagan associations. Another possibility is that having asked the Corinthians to "open wide" Paul is now cautioning them about what not to be open to. (reference for example Deut 11:16, "Do not open wide your heart and turn away to serve and worship other gods").
Judging from 1 Corinthians 10:1-22, they would clearly have been in need of such guidance. It could also be that Paul is engaging in a little structural diplomacy. By starting and ending with statements of affection, he attempts to cushion [not soften] the force of his command. The likeliest explanation is that Paul is specifying the cause for the Corinthians' constraint toward him: their ongoing partnerships with unbelievers. But there need not be just one explanation. A number of things could have led Paul to tackle the problem at this point and in this fashion.
What exactly is Paul prohibiting with his command? The range among translations shows that there is no easy answer to this question. TEV has "Do not try to work together as equals with unbelievers," the NRSV translates it as "Do not be mismatched with unbelievers," and the NEB renders it "Do not unite yourselves with unbelievers." The too key questions are who the unbeliever is and what the verb yoked together denotes. Fourteen out of sixteen Pauline uses of the term unbeliever (apistos) occur in 1--2 Corinthians. The majority appear in 1 Corinthians 7 and distinguish those who have made a commitment to Christ from those who have not (7:12, 13, 14, 15). The only other occurrence in 2 Corinthians is used of those whose minds have been blinded by Satan to the light of the gospel (4:4). Here, in 2 Corinthians 6:14, it refers to those with whom there is a conflict of interest stemming from incompatible loyalties.
Certainly not all contact with unbelievers is excluded. Paul corrects just such a misunderstanding in 1 Corinthians, when he tells the church that to have nothing to do with immoral people would necessitate removing themselves entirely from the world (5:9-10). It is a particular kind of contact with unbelievers that is in view.
What kind of contact should be avoided? Paul's quotation of Isaiah 52:11, where Israel is commanded to come out from them and be separate suggests contact of a compromising nature (v. 17). But what would constitute a compromising liaison? Would working with an unbeliever be forbidden, as Phillips ("do not try to work with them") and TEV ("do not work together as equals") suggest?
Atheists, gays and evangelicals have joined ranks to oppose the pro-abortion policies of the current political administration in the United States. Are such collaborations part of what Paul forbids? Marriage between a believer and unbeliever would certainly be a legitimate application of the command. But is it the only one, as "mismated" in the RSV and NEB leads us to believe? It may not even be the primary application, since the focus throughout is on the church, not the individual believer. This is especially clear from the Old Testament passages Paul invokes to support his prohibition. In each case they deal with God's covenantal relationship with Israel, which Paul reapplies to the church as the temple of the living God (vv. 16-18).
The command is literally Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. The practice of yoking to a plow too unequal kinds of animals such as an ox and a donkey is the visual image Paul is projecting. This would suggest that unequal associations between Christians and non-Christians are what Paul specifically has in mind. Five synonyms are employed to describe the kinds of associations that are forbidden. Metoche ("have in common"), found nowhere else in the Greek Bible, and koinonia ("fellowship") mean to partner or share. Symphonesis ("harmony") signifies to be in agreement with or of one accord. Meris ("in common") denotes a shared lot or portion. Synkatathesis ("agreement") is commonly used of a decision arrived at by a group. Paul is clearly thinking of associations that involve a partnership rather than a casual or occasional working relationship, such as in a place of common employment.
The specific kinds of partnerships are left unnamed. A principle is merely articulated and understanding of its application assumed (compare James 1:27, "to keep oneself from being polluted by the world"). This may be because Paul dealt with specific instances in 1 Corinthians, so that the Corinthians understand quite well what kinds of partnerships are in view. For example, he had reprimanded them for allowing their legal disputes with one another to be arbitrated by the secular courts ("in front of unbelievers," 6:1-6). He had admonished them for participating with pagans in their cultic meals (10:6-22). And he had rebuked them for approving of sexual unions with prostitutes (6:12-20) and for demonstrating a perverse pride in the sexual liaison between a Christian and his stepmother (5:1-13).
So it is unequal partnerships believers form with secular society( unbelievers) that are of concern to Paul. Does this mean that it is not legitimate for the church to be active in society and its structures? Paul addresses this question by means of a series of five rhetorical questions that highlight recognized spheres of incompatibility between Christianity and the secular world.
More next time on “unequal partnerships” and how to recognize them. Until then, be in constant prayer for the unity and mission of the Church.
