November 28 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading:

2 Corinthians 6:11-18; 7:1

¹¹O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
¹²Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
¹³Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.
¹⁴Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
¹⁵And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
¹⁶And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
¹⁷Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
¹⁸And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
¹Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Devotional:

Verse 14 of chapter 6 is frequently used to warn young people against marrying outside the faith. As we place it beside other verses of Scripture and the general tenor of God's Word, we see that it is in harmony with a universal teaching against mixed marriages.

If we are going to be honest in our use of Scripture, however, we should be aware that this is not the primary purpose of this particular verse. As we examine the verse in context we see that it has a broader application. This is a plea for separateness from the evil of this world. It is a warning to separate ourselves from unbelief, especially in our fellowship, our communion, our worship. It is chiefly a warning against involvement in situations and organizations in which men are gathered together in a professed worship and service of God.

Jesus ate with sinners and publicans. He is not asking us to build a wall between ourselves and unbelievers. We are the salt of the earth and men must be able to savor us freely. But we are not to enter into a formal connection with unbelievers in a religious context!

The church world in our day needs to re-read these verses. Let not the church hand them freely and carelessly to its young people contemplating marriage and then fail to take this context into consideration in its own affairs! May not our looseness in applying this principle in ecclesiastical affiliations have a bearing on the looseness of our children in applying it to their own marital choice?