CUSTOMERS VS. CHURCH MEMBERS

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. ¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
–1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (NIV)–

CO-WORKERS VS. FRIENDS

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?…Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.
–2 Corinthians 6:14, 17 (NIV)–

The caution or exhortation itself, NOT TO MINGLE WITH UNBELIEVERS, not to be unequally yoked with them, 2 Corinthians 6:14. Either,

1. In stated relations. It is wrong for good people to join in affinity with the wicked and profane; these will draw different ways, and that will be galling and GRIEVOUS. Those relations that are our choice must be chosen by rule; and it is good for those who are themselves the children of God to join with those who are so likewise; for THERE IS MORE DANGER THAT THE BAD WILL DAMAGE THE GOOD than hope that the good will benefit the bad.

2. In common conversation. We should not yoke ourselves in friendship and acquaintance with wicked men and unbelievers. Though we cannot wholly avoid seeing, and hearing, and being with such, yet WE SHOULD NEVER CHOOSE THEM FOR OUR BOSOM-FRIENDS.

3. Much less should we join in religious communion with them; we must not join with them in their IDOLATROUS services, nor concur with them in their FALSE WORSHIP, nor any abominations; we must not confound together the table of the Lord and the table of devils, the house of God and the house of Rimmon. The apostle gives several good reasons against this corrupt mixture. (1.) It is a very great absurdity, 2 Corinthians 6:14-15. It is an unequal yoking of things together that will not agree together; as bad as for the Jews to have ploughed with an ox and an donkey or to have sown divers sorts of grain intermixed. What an ABSURDITY is it to think of joining righteousness and unrighteousness, or mingling light and darkness, fire and water, together! Believers are, and should be, righteous; but unbelievers are unrighteous. Believers are made light in the Lord, but unbelievers are in darkness; and what comfortable communion can these have together? Christ and Belial are CONTRARY one to the other; THEY HAVE OPPOSITE INTERESTS AND DESIGNS, so that it is IMPOSSIBLE there should be any concord or agreement between them. It is absurd, therefore, to think of enlisting under both; and, if the believer has part with an infidel, he does what in him lies to bring Christ and Belial together. (2.) It is a dishonor to the Christian’s profession (2 Corinthians 6:16); for Christians are by profession, and should be in reality, the temples of the living God–dedicated to, and employed for, the service of God, who has promised to reside in them, to dwell and walk in them, to stand in a special relation to them, and take a special care of them, that he will be their God and they shall be his people. Now there can be no agreement between the temple of God and idols. IDOLS ARE RIVALS WITH GOD for his honour, and God is a jealous God, and will not give his glory to another. (3.) There is A GREAT DEAL OF DANGER in communicating with unbelievers and idolators, danger of being defiled and of being rejected; therefore the exhortation is (2 Corinthians 6:17) to come out from among them, and keep at a due distance, to be separate, as one would avoid the society of those who have the leprosy or the plague, for fear of taking infection, and not to touch the unclean thing, lest we be defiled. Who can touch pitch, and not be defiled by it? We must take care not to defile ourselves by converse with those who defile themselves with sin; so is the will of God, as we ever hope to be received, and not rejected, by him. (4.) It is base ingratitude to God for all the favors he has bestowed upon believers and promised to them, 2 Corinthians 6:18. God has promised to be a Father to them, and that they shall be his sons and his daughters; and is there a greater honour or happiness than this? How ungrateful a thing then must it be if those who have this dignity and felicity should DEGRADE AND DEBASE THEMSELVES BY MINGLING WITH UNBELIEVERS! Do we thus requite the Lord, O foolish and unwise?

—MATTHEW HENRY COMMENTARY, 2 Corinthians 6:14-17–

—

IBISWorld, “The 10 Fastest Growing Industries In the US.”

Dr. John R. Rice, The Unequal Yoke.

Arthur Gish, Beyond the Rat Race.

Richard Steele, The Religious Tradesman.

William Mathews, Getting On In the World.