One arena in which the church has struggled through a number of years has been in answering the question of how we relate to those who do not know Christ. Some have thought it best to isolate themselves from the world in such a way that we do not have contact with them, possibly living in a monastic setting individually or as a community. Martin Luther, for one, however, pointed out that such is indeed not biblical, writing, “You want to sit …” In addition, Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

On the other hand, some have argued that in order to reach the world, we must be like them so that we indulge in all that they do, whether sinful or not. Thus, a number have excused their sinful lifestyles with the argument that they are doing that which is necessary to preach the gospel. And text after text commanding holiness could show such an argument to be wrong.

However, then we come to what is indeed the correct answer to the question, “How is it that the church relates to the world?” Clearly, we know that we must not isolate ourselves from the world, for Christ has sent us into the world to declare to them the gospel in order that they might be saved. On the other hand, we cannot excuse sin with the argument that we are trying to reach the world, for sin is never excusable. And so, what then is the answer?

In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul gives us a command that helps us in answering this question. However, his answer is not necessarily easy to understand. He writes in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.”

The idea of being unequally yoked might not strike a cord with those of us who have spent little time dealing with animals used in plowing or are unfamiliar with the use of animals in agriculture. But in the biblical world the idea of being unequally yoked would have conjured up images quite familiar to them. The yoke was that which you would lay over the neck of two animals working together to pull or plow or something to that effect. Therefore, you would not want to use two animals who were mismatched, for such would lead to extra strain on both of the animals. In fact, in Leviticus 19:19 the Israelites were commanded by God not to yoke together two different animals.

Therefore, Paul takes that imagery to make the command that believers should not be unequally yoked to unbelievers. But what does he mean by that? It is not easily answered, but looking at the text that follows, it seems that we might summarize his exhortation and direct it to ourselves in saying that …

We must not unite ourselves with unbelievers in a way that compromises Christian standards (14a)

That seems to be the drive of the verse. For as you look at the whole of the text we see that holy living is what is in Paul’s mind for the Corinthians. In addition, if you consider that Paul has just been defending himself against these false apostles who are challenging Paul’s apostleship and the gospel he preaches, Paul may have in mind here the Corinthians uniting themselves in thought and practice with a group that opposes the gospel – as all unbelievers do.

Therefore, the command would be not to unite ourselves with unbelievers in such a way that our thoughts and practices compromise the standard of holiness set up for a Christian. Thus, yes, this would include the fact that Christians should not marry those who are not believers, for that is forbidden in 1 Corinthians 7:39 as Paul commands the Corinthians to be married “only in the Lord.” However, it would also have broader connotations. It must mean that we cannot make our commitments the same as those of the unbelieving world.

Thus, Paul’s command would mean that we cannot join hands with the world in pursuing the same things that they pursue. As Christians we must have different goals. Now, yes, there are things common to all people which we pursue, such as our basic needs (e.g. food, shelter, etc.). However, we must be able to look at our own lives and know that there is a basic difference between us and the unbeliever, for our lives must be about pursuing the will of God and seeking his glory, something the unbeliever simply will never do.

Therefore, Paul is not saying that we cannot work alongside unbelievers, allow our kids to be in schools with unbelievers, or benefit from the services of unbelievers, for these things are unavoidable. However, though we will be in the world with unbelievers, laboring right alongside of them, there should be a clear difference between the believer and the unbeliever. Our commitments must not be the same, for it must be clear that we prize the glory of God and being pleasing to him. It must be clear that our entire lives revolve around bringing him glory and obeying his commands. We cannot link hands with the unbeliever in pursuing the same things and having the same goals and commitments. I believe that is the basic command Paul is driving at in 6:14a. But why must there be a stark difference between us and the unbelievers alongside whom we live and work each day? Why must our commitments be so utterly different? We’ve hit on this a bit already, but Paul answers us in 6:14b-16a, as he writes, “For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?”

As we walk through that list Paul asks a number of questions to which we must answer, “Nothing at all.” He points us to a number of things that are totally incompatible. Thus, he asks what kind of partnership righteousness and lawlessness can have together, how light and dark can fellowship, what unity Christ has with Satan, what a believer and unbeliever share as a portion or goal, and how the temple and idols can be in agreement. Again, he wants to show that these things are all incompatible with one another. Thus, we can say that …

We must not unite ourselves with unbelievers in such a way because we have no common ground and our goals are incompatible (14b-16a)

If this is quite unapparent to us, it might be because we do not understand our commitments as Christians as we should. As Christians, everything we do is about pleasing God. We eat and drink and do everything to his glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). Therefore, to think that we might be able to line our commitments up with those of the unbeliever and walk hand-in-hand with them is as ridiculous as thinking light and darkness, righteousness and lawlessness, or Christ and Satan might walk hand-in-hand.

This is one reason why one of the key commitments we hold up as Baptists is the baptism of believers alone and, consequently, fighting to make sure that all the members of the church are believers. For we join the church to walk in fellowship, to worship together, to strive after honoring Christ together. The lost man does not do that. And it is also why we hold up discipline as something that must not be lost in the church today. The church cannot surrender her right to fight for the holiness of her witness and still walk in obedience to God’s Word.

Therefore, just as we would understand that one cannot be both a Red Sox and Yankees fan, Paul wanted his readers to know that they couldn’t open their hearts wide toward him and hold up the gospel while wanting to hold to the commitments of the world around them. As believers, we must understand that we will not be yoked to unbelievers in sharing their commitments which compromise the standard of Christian living.

However, Paul’s last comparison in verse 16 brings up some questions. For it would be understandable if he brought all of these comparisons up so that he could climax with the incompatible nature of believers and non-believers. However, he then goes on to write, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols.” Why would Paul do that? He answers in the next sentence, writing, “For we are the temple of the living God.” And thus we find another reason to pursue holiness in the verses that follow as we look at 16b-18.

As one reads the Old Testament, it becomes clear that the temple symbolized God’s presence. At first, God instructed Israel to construct a tent, the tabernacle, where he would come and dwell among his people. In fact, the tabernacle was to be constructed in the middle of the camp, with the Israelites surrounding it as God would be right in the midst of his people. Therefore, it was a tragedy when Moses had to go out to the tent of meeting outside of the camp to meet with the Lord after they had made the golden calf and hear God tell them that they could go into the land but he would not be in their midst. And it is why Moses pleaded with God saying that he would rather not go to the land than to go without God in their midst. So, God, when the tabernacle was constructed, dwelt with Israel in her midst.

And when Aaron and his descendants would go into the place of God’s presence in the tabernacle once a year, they had to purify themselves, first offering sacrifices for their own sins, lest they die in God’s midst. For them to think that one could corrupt the temple would be unthinkable, for God had made clear that he was holy.

Soon, however, the tabernacle was replaced by the temple, a permanent structure where God would dwell among his people. Thus, everyone knew that to assault the temple was to assault God, and it is why when false witnesses say that Jesus said he would destroy the temple the religious leaders condemn him to death, for such would be to attempt to destroy God. Simply put, the temple symbolized God’s presence among his people, and therefore God’s people dare not think of corrupting it.

Therefore, when Paul ends talking about the temple, one might think, “Has he moved from talking about the Corinthians to talking about the temple?” And the answer is, “Yes, he has moved to talking about the temple, but he is still talking about the Corinthians.” What he is saying is that God now dwells not in some building, but he dwells among his church, his people. Therefore, we have more support for the need for holiness and not striving after the commitments of the world as we see that …

We must not unite ourselves with unbelievers in such a way because we are God’s people, the temple of the living God (16b-18)

But how does Paul support this idea that we have become God’s temple, that God dwells amidst us, his church? He supports the idea by quoting a number of Old Testament text in which God speaks to his people. He begins quoting Leviticus 26:11-12 and then combines it with Ezekiel 37:27.

It might look at first glance that Paul is simply paraphrasing Leviticus 26:11-12, changing the pronouns to make it fit better and changing wording a bit here and there, but I believe he is doing much more. Indeed, he is borrowing language from Ezekiel 37:27 to combine it with the Leviticus text. But why?

Well, in Leviticus 26:11-12 God is talking about dwelling with his people after the Exodus. But in Ezekiel 37 God is talking about brining his people back from exile and bringing about a new covenant, where he would bring those who are dead to life and putting his Spirit within them. So what does Paul want us to see by pointing us to those texts? I believe he wants us to see that the promise to dwell among his people that God made in bringing about the tabernacle as he gave them the Mosaic covenant was to point us to a greater promise a greater covenant, one that was promised in Ezekiel 36-37, and a covenant that has been brought about through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. He wanted them to see that what Scripture points us to throughout most of the Old Testament, this promise of a new covenant in which God would put his Spirit in men’s hearts and dwell among them has come about through the death, burial, resurrection of Christ, and his pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. That is, Paul wants the Corinthians to see that they live in this most privileged time when God’s Spirit dwells among his people, the church, his people, which they are.

But why is he pressing this point? It is because when God made these promises to bring about such a blessing to his people after delivering them from exile and making them his sons and daughters, that which is accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ he also told them that they were to be pure, not holding to the things of the Babylonians – i.e. the world out of which they were taken. That’s what we read in the first half of verse 17.

And if they indeed purified themselves, they would show themselves to be those very people whom God had made his dwelling place. Again, he does not say that because they purify themselves they will become his people. Rather because they are his people they should purify themselves and as they do they will indeed show themselves to be the people of God. Therefore, as we have said, we strive for holiness and commitment to Christ in a world that hates him because we have been taken out of the world and have become God’s people, the temple of the living God. Indeed, Paul sums up our conclusion, writing in 7:1, “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, brining holiness to completion in the fear of the Lord.” That is …

Let us cleanse ourselves from unholiness in every way as we focus on the day in which we will be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ (7:1)

Indeed, Paul’s conclusion is that since we have been so blessed by God and have been the beneficiaries of the promises that stem back to Leviticus and Ezekiel, Isaiah and 2 Samuel (in the texts he has quoted), let us be holy inward and outward and strive to move toward that day of complete holiness, knowing we will stand under God’s judgment.

What is the urgent need in the church today? It is that God’s people live lives of holiness, not following the culture and commitments of this world, but living lives striving to bring glory to God as we remember who we are the Lord before whom we will one day stand.

The urgent need of the church is that we display marriages in which we are faithful, even with our thoughts, no matter how many difficulties come at us and how much the culture highlights unfaithfulness as a great pleasure. We must live lives taking the time to study, meditate on, and memorize God’s word in a culture that says there is no objective truth. We must take time to pray for ourselves, one another, and the expansion of God’s people in a culture that would mock time spent in prayer. We must seek to share the gospel with men, knowing they will go to hell unless they believe, in the midst of a culture that finds the idea of the gospel offensive and the idea of hell something best kept in the stone ages. We must hold to holiness and fight sin at every point and even in the smallest detail in the midst of a culture where we see all around us dismissing and laughing at the idea of sin altogether and seeking the pleasures of this world.

It is this to which Paul called the Corinthians, and it is this to which we are called today. Paul wanted them to know that they could not follow his previous exhortation to embrace him, the ministry of reconciliation, and the gospel itself unless they also turned their back on the ways and commitments of the unbelieving world around them. Indeed, this world is not our home, but we long for the day when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Therefore, knowing that day is coming, may we now live lives that demonstrate what it looks like to live under the reign of the risen and exalted Christ, our King. Let his kingdom and his will be done in our lives here on earth even as it is being done in heaven. Amen.

LIVING HOLY LIVES AS THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD