The Choices That Change Us Series

The Brule River, which is on the border between Michigan and Wisconsin, flows for roughly 44 miles with clear, sparkling water. It is inhabited by an abundant population of speckled, rainbow, and brown trout. At one point the Iron River, muddy and thick with sediment of ore and clay, merges with the Brule. Where these two rivers join, the clear waters of the Brule flow alongside the muddy waters of the Iron for a short distance. Soon the waters are mixed into one stream. Now consider what happens—the clear waters of the Brule do not cleanse the waters of the Iron, but vice versa. The muddy waters of the Iron pollute the whole stream.

And that principle is true not just in nature, it’s true in the Christian life as well…especially in the context of relationships. Galatians 5:9 says that “a little leaven [meaning sin] leavens the whole lump [of dough]. And so turn with me this morning to 2 Corinthians 6 where Paul is going to offer a warning about the dangers of a follower of Jesus entering into deep relationships with those who are NOT following Jesus.

As you’re turning there, let me remind you that sometimes the Bible offers comfort and encouragement…other times it offers warning and judgment. Today is the latter…it is a strong warning against who we should and should not develop deep relationships with. And since we teach through – and not around – tough passages, let’s listen to God’s Word today, even if it steps on our toes.

2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

If you recall from the past few weeks, Paul is writing a letter to the church he started in the Greek city of Corinth. And he’s been addressing the fact that many of the Corinthians within the church were compromising with the world and culture around them. They were letting culture, not Christ, form their values…and these values were driving their decisions. And instead of moving TOWARDS God, they were moving towards CULTURE and ITS value system especially with regard to their relationships. And so Paul is going to show us today that when it comes to boundaries within our relationships, it’s going to require two choices to please the Lord.

So the first warning when it comes to relationships is to…

1. CHOOSE WISELY – vs 14-16

If we were to summarize verses 14-16 into a simple, two-word summary, I think it would be: CHOOSE WISELY. There’s a phrase in culture that I don’t even think originated with a Christian: Show me your friends and I will show you your future. And while that’s true for the rest of the world, there are a lot of Christians that don’t think it applies to them. And why is that? It’s because our prideful hearts think that we are too strong and too smart to be influenced deeply by those around us (this is our fallen nature that Christ is rescuing us from). This is why Paul warned the Corinthians back in his first letter: “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good character” (1 Cor. 15:33).

And do you know why that verse starts off with “do not be deceived?” It’s because too many of us are deceived into thinking that WE won’t be changed by the influence of “bad company.” Here’s another verse we should write down - Proverbs 13:20: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” And while the Corinthian believers were apparently disregarding these truths, aren’t you glad we don’t struggle with these antiquated issues in the Bible today, Amen?

The crux of what this section of Scripture is trying to teach us is the phrase “do not be unequally yoked...” And so let’s start by making sense of this phrase. This is really the only place in any of Paul’s letters where he uses this term. And it was an agricultural term referring to the harnessing of two field animals together with a wooden bar (yoke) and the resulting problems if the animals weren’t similar in size and strength. Quite literally, this would create chaos out in the fields. And this is an illustration of what it looks like when a Christian engages in a deep relationship with someone that is NOT a Christian. Listen to this insight from one pastor: