CONFIDENT IN GOD: The Basis of Real Ministry
Stay Away from the
Ways of the World
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
3/21/10
Jerry
A Collins
SCC
v What does it mean to be unequally
yoked?
v What qualifies as being separate
from the world?
v What is the meaning of holiness?
While
our children were growing up together, we would spend summer vacations with a
number of friends on the shores of Piatt Lake. One of these families had three
girls about the ages of our children and we have many good memories together.
Dan was an entrepreneur and one summer he had boxes of sand disks made so we
could skip them across the water. As each summer passed Dan spent less time
with his family on these vacations opting instead to study and read Ayn Rand philosophy of Objectivism which values the virtue
of selfishness. This philosophy is anti-Christian, anti-god, anti- revelation,
and anti-faith. Only what is rational and based on reason is valuable and
virtuous. Dan came under the sway of this philosophy and gradually alienated
his family, his marriage, and his children. Dan became unequally yoked with
false teaching of an unbeliever. God warns us not to engage in unholy
alliances. We often apply this to marriage but it is especially applied to
false teachers and their teaching. Tolerance of false teachers takes affection
from true and genuine teachers and teaching. Once emotionally yoked with
unbelievers it makes separation from the partnership impossible. Emotional
yoking, unlike contractual yoking in business or other endeavors, occurs day-by-day,
inch-by-inch. Paul warns the Corinthians not to become yoked with
unbelievers—especially the false apostles making claims upon them.
DON’T BE MISMATED vs 14-16
Do not be bound
together with unbelievers: Bound
Together comes from the vs that says to not breed together 2 different kinds of
animals (Lev 19:19). This does not mean that believers are to have nothing to
do with unbelievers because to do that we would have to go out of the world.
The idea is any action, which causes us to link up or mate with the world in thot, or act must be avoided. So it is about close
relationships and partnerships. In business you may accommodate a partnership
with unbelievers immoral business practices. In philosophy you may partner with
and adopt an unbelievers worldview. In marriage the companionship blends
righteousness with unrighteousness. Stop the yoking you have started in
business or philosophy. In marriage if the unbelieving spouse agrees to stay
married then do so since this is best opportunity for spouse to become a
believer (1 Cor 7:13-16).
For: Reasons why we must not mismate are given in 5 rhetorical questions each answer
being ‘none’! Here is a clear demand for distinction between believer and
unbeliever.
1.
Partnership: what
partnership have righteousness
and lawlessness? There is no collaboration between one committed to keep
the Law and one not keeping the law.
2.
Fellowship: or what fellowship has lite with darkness? There is no shared interest or aim
since we have polar opposites. The aim of lite is to
see and darkness is to not see.
3.
Harmony: or what harmony has Christ with
Belial? There can be no agreement or peace or oneness with opposing
viewpoints. Christ and Satan cannot be in agreement.
4.
Standard: or what has a believer in
common with an unbeliever? One who has faith in Christ cannot share a
common quality or standard with one who does not.
5.
Agreement: or what agreement has the
temple of God with idols? The presence of anything with idols causes
defilement and is incompatible with who we are.
For (the reason why the Christian has no
agreement with idols) we (who have
faith in Jesus Christ) are the temple (dwelling
place) of the living God: This is a
new idea for believers in Corinth. They are used to gods being in physical
temples, made with human hands. The idea that their bodies are the temple of
the living God is something they are still learning. PT: Actually many xians still have the idea that God lives in buildings.
Someone says ‘This is the Lord’s house’ ‘or we are standing on holy
ground’—there is no such thing as a building, which is the Lord’s house. We are
the Lord’s house. Everywhere we go is holy ground.
Significance: Paul is connecting being bound
with an unbeliever to being bound with idols. In Eze
8 the Jews still worshipped God in the Temple but they also brot
idols into the temple. James calls a believer who does that a double-minded man
unstable in all his ways. The danger is not that we abandon xianity—but
that we blend the two things together. Practicing
eastern mysticism or reading horoscopes or using crystals or participating in
occultism is bringing something unholy into the temple—your body—of God.
WE BELONG TO GOD 16-18
The
following series of quotes from the OT clarify our relationship with God explain
why we cannot profane or defile ourselves with unbelievers. Just as in the OT
the people of God had to keep themselves clean so also the Corinthians
have to be different from the non-xian environment. 3
times God is referred to here underscoring the
ethical implications of God’s relationship with us
1.
God dwells in us 16. God dwelled in the OT Jews in that He dwelled in the Holy
of Holies of the Tabernacle at the center of the people. And walk among them his presence is among us carrying implications
of omnipresence and omniscience. He is our God and they shall be my people so this presence of God comes with
conditions—we are to be holy and not bound with evil. If God is your God then
He wants to be God. He does not want evil in his presence.
2.
God calls us away from partnership with unbelievers 17. Come out from their midst and be separate is a command. Do it now!
A good example of this is Joseph when tempted by Potiphar’s
wife could nit sin against God and fled. Falsely accused he went to jail but as
he obeyed God, God never left him as God had for instance, with Samson.
Sometimes you will pay a price for obeying God but His reward in heaven is
great. So for the Israelites in Egypt they were like vermin or vomit to the
Egyptians Gen 43:32; 46:34. They were not bound to the Egyptians. So as we
approach end times xians are becoming like vermin and
vomit to the people of the world. Unbelievers used
conventional sinful options but we do not and so are insulted, or a threat to
be removed or angry against us. Choosing a holy life, pleasing to God, you will
increasingly be morally separate from the world and suffer for it.
And do not touch what is
unclean for the Corinthians had to do with food
offered to idols and God says I will
welcome you give you the thumb’s up! I approve of
you.
3. God is our
Father 18. ‘Daughters’ is inserted here meaning all of us male and female have
God as Father. Says the Lord Almighty,
which is stressing the fact that what he is saying, is from God not
himself.
KEEP YOURSELF CLEAN vs 7:1
Having these promises (ones
just noted above)
Beloved let us cleanse ourselves not
strive for holiness but demonstrate it is the result of salvation. Cleansing
does not make us holy it shows we are holy which is why we want this.
From all defilement of flesh and spirit cleanse
ourselves form everything that will ruin or contaminate our bodies or our
spirits (secret sins).
Perfecting holiness in the fear of God bring about further
holiness motivated by the fear of God which is motivation to not compromise!
1. Take stock
daily of your commitments and be sure you own your lifestyle and not other way.
2. Do not set your self up for compromise by secretly contaminating
yourself with sinful attitudes, thinking.
3. Determine to
be separate from unbelievers ideas, worldviews,
priorities or standards.