Uneven Yoke

The unequal yoke is a very delicate issue in the Christian faith. This happens because a good understanding and even spiritual maturity is necessary to know how to differentiate it from non-evangelization.

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Therefore, a good understanding of what the unequal yoke means helps us maintain the sanctification of our faith, in a pure relationship with God and the relationship with the unbelievers, in the perspective of influencing them to believe in the Lord God.

Unequally Yoke: What do you mean?

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Why do justice and evil have in common? Or what communion can light have with darkness? What harmony between Christ and Baal? What is common between the believer and the unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and the idols.

The expression unequal yoke in Greek is heterozugeo and means to be united in an unequal way, in communion with someone who is not similar, for example, what is written in 2 Corinthians 6:14, where the apostle forbids Christians to have relationships with the idolaters.

That is, Paul's revelation instructed us not to have a close relationship with unbelievers.

Much less should we unite in a religious communion with them. We should not join them in their idolatrous cults, nor cooperate with them in their false worship, nor any other abomination. We should not mix the table of the Lord with the table of demons. The apostle presents several reasons against this corrupt mixture. We understand by unequal yoke when we seek to unite things that do not harmonize. This would be the same as plowing with an ox and an ass, or sowing various types of mixed grains.

With that, we understand that the unequal yoke is the partnership between someone who serves God and someone who does not serve.

Unequal Yoke in the courtship

What is common between the believer and the unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:15)

The unequal yoke in courtship occurs when a boy or girl who fears God is passionate about someone who does not serve the Lord. In our days it is not unusual for this to be seen as normal, but it is not.

In our culture, dating is a time of preparation for Christian marriage.

The parents and the congregation should instruct their young people, and form in them a mentality that values, appreciates and takes advantage of the time of courtship to meet the prospective spouse.

With that, the biblical principle is that there be communion, unity between the two.

When dating someone who does not submit to biblical principles and does not love God, you are taking the risk of building a divided family. Where, their children may or may not fear God.

In addition, the Christian courtship must maintain the biblical sanctity pattern and the sexual relationship should only occur after marriage.

We know that this is a principle to which the unbeliever will hardly submit, and possibly he will test the devotion of the faithful.

With that, the biblical principle is that the Christian must go out with another Christian.

Can Unequal Yoke Occur Among Christians?

Will two people go together if they do not have an agreement? (Amos 3: 3)

We will continue to follow the principle of concordance cited by Amos. Where to walk together and reach a single goal, two people need to agree to this. If they diverge, do not get anywhere.

Thus, in accordance with the biblical principles of Christian relationship, the evangelical Christian must preferably fall in love with another evangelical Christian. And in some cases, for the relationship to prosper, it is better that they be of the same denomination.

I say this because I have heard a lot from Christians that started dating Christians and Catholics marriage had many problems of doctrinal differences, such as infant baptism, alcohol consumption, smoking the cult of images and devotion to Mary , etc.

That is to say, even Christians, we diverge deeply in fundamental questions of faith, and in courtship and even more in marriage that is a serious problem.

Unequal yoke can occur even among evangelical Christians. For example, let's say that two young people start dating and one of them believes in free will and the other in predestination.

If they do not know how to respect and reach a consensus, that the teaching will take care of their children regarding eternal salvation?

Therefore, the principle of communion, the agreement on the relationship between two people, is something that must be taken very seriously.

Uneven yoke at the wedding

What harmony between Christ and Baal? What is common between the believer and the unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:15)

In marriage, the unequal yoke is even more serious than in courtship. And it can happen in two ways:

If a Christian deliberately becomes passionate about a non-Christian and gets married;
When one of the spouses converts to Christ during the marriage.

In the first case, the consequences of the unequal yoke will be the fruit of the personal choices of the Christian. And it is to pray for conversion or to yield to worldliness.

In the second case, where what happened was the fruit of sincere repentance and desire to serve God, the Apostle Paul advises the following:

To the others I myself say this, and not the Lord: if a brother has an unbelieving woman, and she is willing to live with him, do not divorce her. And if a woman has a contemptuous husband, and he sets out to live with her, do not divorce him.

For the husband is sanctified through the woman, and the unbelieving woman is sanctified through her husband. If it were not so, their children would be impure, but now they are holy.

However, if the descending separates, it separates. In such cases, the brother or sister does not remain under servitude; God has called us to live in peace.

You, woman, how do you know if you will save your husband? Or you, husband, how do you know if he will save his wife?

However, each one continues to live in the condition that the Lord designated him and according to God's call. This is my order for all the churches. (1 Corinthians 7: 12-17)

What does that mean?

In the second case, where the conversion takes place during the marriage if the spouse does not agree or wants to prohibit the presentation of Jesus and the Word of God, the converted Christian, if he wishes, can obtain a divorce.

This is because the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

No other love or relationship is more important than this one. The Christian is not obligated to live with someone who does not love God and who wants to forbid him to serve.

Uneven Yoke Is Sin?

Because we are a sanctuary of the living God. As God said, "I will dwell with them and I will walk among them, I will be their God, and they will be my people, therefore," come out from among them and separate, "says the Lord.

"Touch not on impure things, and I will receive them" and I will be Father to them, and you will be my sons and my daughters, "says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6: 16-18).

In Old Testament uneven yoke was punishable by death in some cases. In the New Testament, the consequence is the limitation of the presence of God.

It is not possible to affirm that the Christian who lives in an unequal yoke will go to hell, but we can say with certainty that he does not live the fullness of God's plan.

Consider the words of the Lord Jesus: "I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed, one will be taken and the other left." (Luke 17:34)

That is to say, even with all the difficulties of a relationship with discrepancies in the faith, it is possible for the Christian to go to heaven.

According to Paul's revelation, God will only be present, walking, walking, influencing and acting continuously in the family, when there is holiness in the members of the household.

When one of the leaders of the family, the father or the mother, does not submit to that government, they are automatically "limiting" the act of God.

The Lord only has free access, when there is submission of all, but mainly of the leaders, be it of the home, of the Church, of the nation, in short.

The presence of the unequal yoke has as one of the grave consequences the impediment of the fullness of God's blessing.

As Christians, we should not be unequally yoked with the faithful. This means that we should not develop deep relationships with those who do not fear God.

This is because according to biblical revelation there is no communion between light and darkness, between Christ and Baal, between God and idols. That is, it is something that directly affects our relationship with God.