“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” – 2 Corinthians 6:14
This is a hard teaching to process! As followers of Jesus, we’re called to be in the world, yet not of the world. We’re called to cultivate friendships with those who don’t know Christ, but also be on guard as to how deep that friendship goes so that it doesn’t steer us off the path of following Jesus.
Why is this even an issue? Because followers of Jesus are new creation, the righteousness of God. As such, we’re called to avoid becoming yoked with (attached to in a way that joins our direction, journey, and fate like two farm animals) old creation that hasn’t yet become the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
So what would constitute an unequal yoking? Any sort of binding association, partnership, or relationship that would, over time, tend to result in a substantial clash of values, ethics, dreams, vision, goals, or worldview. An unequal yoking could be a long-term business partnership. It could be a deep personal relationship (including, but not limited to, marriage). It could be an organizational membership. It could describe a church’s entanglement with secular groups, organizations, or politics. Anything where the two parties are committed to traveling together through life over a long period of time, even as their fundamentally different natures should be driving them apart.
History is clear that unequal yoking between children of the world and children of God doesn’t produce greater righteousness, but less. It doesn’t produce more fruit for God’s Kingdom, it produces less. It doesn’t produce spiritual growth and strength, it produces weakness. While this teaching may offend our 21st century sensibilities, we defy it at our own peril!