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continues with his faithful service and witness for the truth committed to him. What an
example to us all!
The Apostle's feelings must have been deeply stirred in writing this section--yet he
has nothing but love for these Corinthians, even though some of them were doing their
best to upset and grieve him:
"O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged" (6: 11).
Paul had written freely to them without constraint and his love and concern for them
had grown. In return he asks that their regard for him should grow too (verses 12 & 13)
and not be restricted (straitened). It would seem that this lack of response to him was
largely because some of them had not separated themselves from pagan practices that
existed all around them. Hence the Apostle goes on to warn them:
"Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness
and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath
Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? And what
agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even
as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people. Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father,
and ye shall be to Me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (6: 14-18 R.V.).
Do not become diversely yoked with unbelievers, says the Apostle. "Mismated" is the
translated of the R.S.V. Any such tie is bound to pull the believer down. This of course
applies to marriage, but it can go further and cover any close tie with the unsaved world.
The amount of unhappiness and misery that has resulted from disobedience to this Divine
command only the Lord knows. The wrecked homes, the unfruitful Christian life are a
startling testimony to the truth and wisdom of this prohibition of the Lord, and yet many,
alas, do not heed but choose to go their own way, deceiving themselves that somehow all
will come right in the end.
Paul here gives five rhetorical questions introduced by the interrogative pronoun tis
(what?) demanding a negative answer. He uses five synonyms, `partnership' (metoche),
`fellowship' (koinonia), `accord' (or harmony symphonesis), `agreement' (sunkatathesis)
and `portion' (meris) and makes the contrast between righteousness and iniquity, light
with darkness, Christ with Belial, the believer and the unbeliever, the temple of God
with idols. Belial means `worthless' or `perdition' and is a title of Satan. The questions
are followed by a series of quotations from the O.T. Such references as Lev. 11: 44;
26: 11, 12; Exod. 25: 8; Ezek. 11: 20; 36: 28; 37: 27 should be consulted.
The Corinthian believers are reminded that they are a sanctuary (temple) of a holy God
and since He dwells among them, they must separate themselves from everything that is
incompatible with His holiness. Only then can they experience God as a Father and
know the intimacy, warmth and strength of such a close relationship.