09-01-2008, 05:17 PM
Today's text is 2 Corinthians 6:14 ---
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
For context, which is sooo important - here is the sixth chapter of 2 Corinthians in it's entirety [NASB] ---
2 Corinthians 6 --- Their Ministry Commended
1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain--
2 for He says,
"AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU."
Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"--
3 giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;
9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
11 Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.
12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.
13 Now in a like exchange--I speak as to children--open wide to us also.
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17"Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord.
"AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
18"And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,"
Says the Lord Almighty.
Though I've read this many times, and 2 Cor. 6:14 is always pulled out by concerned relatives when someone is dating a non-Christian - it seems to me to be nothing at all about the partnership of husband and wife. To me, it has to do wholly with worship - the clean worship of the one True God made possible through His Son, versus the chaotic anything-goes type idol worship of the numerous false gods and goddesses the Gentile Christian converts in Cornith had, in most cases, converted from.
This is a reinteration of instructions Paul had previously written to the Cornith congregation ---
1 Corinthians 10 --- Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper
14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?[NIV]
There cannot be a mix of the pure with what's impure - there are NO idols in God's Temple. Worshippers of Almighty God cannot worship together with worshippers of foreign/other gods. New converts to the Christian way were to extricate themselves completely from idol worship, separating themselves(thus becoming targets) from state religion, worship of Caesar and all other religious practices accepted - or required - in their day.
Is it not the same for us today? :pray: :worthy:
:heartbeat: Much love to you ALL! :grouphug:
from
Your friend and sister in faith,
Willa
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
For context, which is sooo important - here is the sixth chapter of 2 Corinthians in it's entirety [NASB] ---
2 Corinthians 6 --- Their Ministry Commended
1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain--
2 for He says,
"AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU."
Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"--
3 giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;
9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
11 Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.
12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.
13 Now in a like exchange--I speak as to children--open wide to us also.
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17"Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord.
"AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
18"And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,"
Says the Lord Almighty.
Though I've read this many times, and 2 Cor. 6:14 is always pulled out by concerned relatives when someone is dating a non-Christian - it seems to me to be nothing at all about the partnership of husband and wife. To me, it has to do wholly with worship - the clean worship of the one True God made possible through His Son, versus the chaotic anything-goes type idol worship of the numerous false gods and goddesses the Gentile Christian converts in Cornith had, in most cases, converted from.
This is a reinteration of instructions Paul had previously written to the Cornith congregation ---
1 Corinthians 10 --- Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper
14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?[NIV]
There cannot be a mix of the pure with what's impure - there are NO idols in God's Temple. Worshippers of Almighty God cannot worship together with worshippers of foreign/other gods. New converts to the Christian way were to extricate themselves completely from idol worship, separating themselves(thus becoming targets) from state religion, worship of Caesar and all other religious practices accepted - or required - in their day.
Is it not the same for us today? :pray: :worthy:
:heartbeat: Much love to you ALL! :grouphug:
from
Your friend and sister in faith,
Willa