BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?
And what concord has YAHUSHA HA’MASHIACH with Beliya’al? or what part has he that believes with an infidel?
And what agreement has the Temple of YAHUAH with idols? for ye are the Temple of the living YAH; as YAHUAH has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their ELOHIYM, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, says YAHUAH, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, says YAHUAH TSEVA’OT.
QORINTIYM (2 CORINTHIANS) 6:14-18
Cutting Ties With Darkness
When Paul says, “Do not be unequally yoked,” he means first, that we should not associate with believers who don’t actually live for YAHUSHA, and second, that engaging in any sort of intimate relationship or partnership with someone who does not let YAHUSHA be the center of their lives will ultimately lead to our demise (2 Cor 6:14). We must cut ties with whatever or whomever leads us to darkness.
Paul intends for believers to engage with people who don’t share their beliefs; he just doesn’t want to see their relationships lead them into darkness. The Corinthian believers are supposed to be changing the world, not to be changed by it. Paul wants to see the Corinthian believers separate from their old way of living and fully embrace the ways of YAHUSHA.
But this is complicated: There are false leaders, and old friends turned enemies, and broken relationships. There are questions about Paul’s motives and ministry. He is essentially standing on trial before a body of believers that he planted himself, and he knows that they are the ones unable to stand the test of authenticity (2 Cor 10:7–8; 12:19–21; 13:5–8). And nothing with the Corinthians is clear; it’s opaque and in the shadows. Paul has to wade through the gray areas of life to find answers. And isn’t that exactly how life is for all of us?
A heretic never says, “I’m a heretic.” A deceiver never alerts you to his true intentions, and a friend can turn on you at any moment. A family member, or even a spouse, can betray your trust. Authenticity and reliability are hard to find, and so are real friends. Giving each other the benefit of the doubt is far from the norm. And correctly asserting truth, without standing in judgment of someone else, is decidedly difficult.
Paul’s response teaches us much about how to work through troubled relationships. He shows us that we cannot truly know another person without first knowing ourselves. And we cannot overcome our demons without first separating ourselves from the work of Satan. In order to be set free, we have to cut ties with the darkness—and Paul tells us how. To combat the darkness, Paul ultimately shows us a better way: We are not meant to pick up the threads of our old sinful lives at all; instead, we’re called to rebuild our lives on the redemption we find in YAHUSHA.
It is only in YAHUAH that we can find completion—wholeness. Anything less than our YAHUAH ELOHIYM will just leave us broken. People can’t fill the YAH-sized hole in our hearts. Paul states that if we cleanse ourselves from defilement, then Set-Apartness (holiness) will be brought to completion (2 Cor 7:1). We need our hearts to be cleansed by the living ELOHIYM—“the Son of YAHUAH who bled and died and rose again for me.”
Natsariym Belivers have to make many difficult decisions, and many of them are based in our relationships. What relationships should we maintain? Which relationships are okay to let go of? And when should we cut ties with someone? Whenever we are being led astray from YAHUAH, we must make changes, no matter how difficult those changes are.
BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS
