In The Word
Read: 2 Corinthians 6:11—7:16
11 Our mouth has spoken freely to you, you Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. 13 Now in the same way in exchange—I am speaking as to children—open wide your hearts to us, you as well.
14 Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? 15 Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I will dwell among 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.
Paul Reveals His Heart
7 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 My confidence in you is great; my boasting in your behalf is great. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts on the outside, fears inside. 6 But God, who comforts the discouraged, comforted us by the arrival of Titus; 7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted among you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. 8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness in our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. 13 Because of this, we have been comforted.
And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if I have boasted to him about you regarding anything, I was not put to shame. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. 15 His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The city of Corinth had a very bad reputation for people living ungodly in Paul’s time. Apparently, the discussion of relationships between believers and unbelievers was brought up, and in 2 Corinthians 6:14 Paul states, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” “Bound together” in the Greek meant “unequally yoked” or “two different animals pulling a load.” Paul was saying you wouldn’t try to yoke a horse with a steer would you? It’s the same thing in marriage or business, the unbeliever and Christian are different, with two separate views.
I have had people ask me if they should enter into a relationship with an unbeliever. It is important for you to realize there will be a moment, a decision will have to be made, and the prospect of lying, cheating, or withholding information may have to be made. To the believer, because of the Holy Spirit within them, these are simple decisions. The answer is no, they won’t be a part of a sinful decision. For the unbeliever it’s not so simple. They begin to justify their actions, that the end justifies the means. It’s easy to separate from someone with this attitude in a basic relationship, but when you’re married or legally bound in a business relationship it can be difficult. So instead of placing yourself in that situation, it’s much easier to begin the relationship with someone as yourself, a believer in Christ!