Unequal yoke

[Neighbor]

3 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Yup life happens!

Precepts, rules, commands, are all good, but life happens. To me it is  what does one actually do when life happens that is the interesting part. Makes for one interesting adventure filled lifetime of  sojourning, even while one is still unaware of it being a sojourn toward an end foreknown and predestined by God ( Oh oh did he just go Calvin on us? LOL).

 

[Alive]

42 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Precepts, rules, commands, are all good, but life happens. To me it is  what does one actually do when life happens that is the interesting part. Makes for one interesting adventure filled lifetime of  sojourning, even while one is still unaware of it being a sojourn toward an end foreknown and predestined by God ( Oh oh did he just go Calvin on us? LOL).

 

No, but you did go all scriptural on us.

;-)

[AnOrangeCat]

50 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Precepts, rules, commands, are all good, but life happens. To me it is  what does one actually do when life happens that is the interesting part.

Agreed here, and something to keep in mind is that God works with our mistakes, too.

[Neighbor]

2 hours ago, Alive said:

No, but you did go all scriptural on us.

;-)

Ha, bad habit of mine, developed I guess through decades of making errors on my own using my own reasoning without  first reading and then studying the word ( the Bible) and then praying for guidance of God for historic and present application of what I have read in the Bible.

Mostly I must confess, I have found the Bible to be the reveal of Jesus ( Yeshua) , with the mercy of God from everlasting to everlasting extended to even me, more so than an instruction manual for every little detail of my existence.

When I first saw that 15 year old Girl Scout  Troop leader in her green Girl Scout uniform with all those merit badges on her sash, I was smitten with lust to be with her.  And that was that! Did it fail because she as always the smarter and the stronger of the hitched up team? Nope, lasted for 46 years till death did us part.

Young very young attraction led to long term determined love, one for another through thick and thin. So rules of/for marriage? Eh, God can fix it whatever  is the problem, and He did many a time as we pulled our own life's wagon.

 

[1to3]

Hello @Wayne222;

I understand your sentiments and feel the same.

I have rarely seen a relationship work out that was unequally yoked.

OK yes, you will find some where the union happened and the partner eventually became saved, but this is very rare and also involves living in a lot of hardship before even such can occur.

I also talk from my own experience, that it has not worked for me to be with someone unequally yoked.

You cannot meet someone and think you will change another person by sharing Gods Word to them. Maybe it will happen, but more likely it won't and I say this especially to women who fall for a guy who is not christian and think their love, their christian love will be strong enough to change things. Many times it won't and will result in a very unhappy even abusive relationship.

So if you place yourself in a compromising situation ( rocky foundation to begin with) , the rest will also lack strength to build a solid future.

The bible repeatedly WARNS us and warns us of this through His Word.

Bible verses about being unequally yoked

Whether in business or relationships, Christians are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Starting a business with an unbeliever can put Christians in a terrible situation. It can cause Christians to compromise, there will be disagreements, etc.

If you were thinking about doing this don’t do it. If you are thinking about dating or marrying an unbeliever don’t do it. You can easily be led astray and hinder your relationship with Christ. Don’t think that you will get married and you will change them because that rarely happens and it will most likely cause more problems.

We must deny ourselves and take up the cross daily. Sometimes you have to drop relationships for Christ  I know I had to.. Don’t think you know what’s best. Trust in God alone not yourself. There are so many reasons not to marry an unbeliever. Wait on God’s timing and trust in His ways.

 2 Corinthians 6:14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

Ephesians 5:7 Therefore do not become partners with them. 2 Corinthians 6:15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

 

(Dating Bible Verses)

 

 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

 2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

 Isaiah 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the LORD’s house.

 2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

 

And what did Christ Jesus Himself say?

Matthew 10:14

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

 

This does no mean we are not to show love towards unbelievers, our fellow man.  What is means is we are the share the gospel of Christ Jesus unto salvation with them, pray with them, help them overcome through HisWord. There is a big difference.

Yes Christ Jesus shared His Word while He at at the table of with the tax collectors and besides the prostitutes and other sinners and other sinners,He Partook in fellowshiping with them to share the GOOD NEWS and not to partake with them in their sinful ways and lifestyle. Big Difference.

Christ Jesus remained HOLY is sinless and commands us to be Holy like He is Holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16

but as He  = Christ Jesus which hath called you is Holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Yes we are called  to be ambassadors for Christ. To be shining Lights of example of His love and way of LIFE

2 Corinthians 5:20

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

The bible is clear WE ARE to have within us through the Holy Spirit of God working in us : LOVE MERCY & GRACE , that involved compassionate Mercy and Grace   ables us to forgive one another. Yes this is very important. But at the same time we are to keep separate, remain in Him lest we ourselves fall.

Remember a saying: if you hang out long enough at the barbers shop you will get a haircut.

But for our own christian lives and protection, Gods word says: we are not to live as the world lives, we are called to be separate from this world system, and be instead shining examples through our own lives, through Him working in our own lives with His commandments now living in us.. 

Where I live most people are unbelievers. I still talk to them,  i am courteous and friendly to them , help them out if I can, and when I get the chance I always share my faith in Christ Jesus to them, but I don't hang out with them or engage myself with them in their active sins .

And then you have those who say they are Christian believers but are living a very secular worldly lifestyle. Those as well, I am friendly, neighbourly with, help them out if I can, and always sharing my faith in Christ with them,but at the same time, I keep my distance from them, because I want to grow in Christ and not fall from His Grace by joining in the activities & things that world does.

Because I know where I from come, and I don't want to go backwards but forwards in my walk with Christ Jesus.

Christ Jesus came to FREE us from the house of Bondage

not to enslave us back into bondage.

Christ Jesus said you cannot love two masters

Matthew 6:24:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Edited May 7, 2023 by 1to3
spelling & syntax

[Neighbor]

Christians that agree? Ha!  More divided than any clever joke made about three Jews getting together to decide on anything.

Just how perfectly matched must a Christian couple be? Oh oh a Calvinist, oh oh Pentecostal, oh oh  post trib, and really oh oh there is no rapture and there is not replacement of the Jews by the church of Yeshua either.

Rules, rules, and more rules,  as declared by wel meaning men and wo-men for others mostly. Yet God manages or overcome oh so many high hurdles set in place on the racetrack by man's rules interpreters, and many a couple do survive together in love that develops like no other kind of love over the decades of being each other's life companion. Christians are not quite so good at it as non-christians

[1to3]

The idea of the new covenant is based chiefly upon Jeremiah 31:31–34 (comp. Hebrews 8:6–13, 10:16).

The New Covenant in Christ Jesus forgives ours sins. when we also  in great sorrow for our sins and shortcomings die to then and place them at the foot of the cross and REPENT=turn away from them.

 

Christ Jesus gives us the ability to become overcomes,we BECOME NEW CREATIONS in and through Him and building a daily living relationship in Him.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Christ Jesus came to FREE us from the house of BONDAGE, not to keep us in it and living in it.

That means Free us from /sin, not keep living in sin/

 

Christ Jesus tells us to go and sin no more lest something worse befall us.

John 5:14

The Pool of Bethesda
…13But the man who was healed by Christ Jesus did not know who it was  for Jesus had slipped away while the crowd was there. 14Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.” 15And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.…

[Jayne]

@Wayne222

When I taught in Christians schools [for a brief time], I would explain to my junior high students the following about being unequally yoked - 

When you put the yoke on the oxen or donkeys or cows or even camels - they are now bound together.

Whether it's dating or marriage or business ventures or church planting or just about any union that includes spiritual purposes, then both parties need to have similar spiritual goals and beliefs about where God wants to lead them.

If one of the parties is spiritually weak, lazy, lost, worldly, or has any other UNADDRESSED  spiritual flaw, then it's like the two oxen above.  That wagon ain't going anywhere.

Even if both oxen are standing, if one is interested in going to the right and the other, the left, the wagon isn't going anywhere.

Or if both want to go to the right, but one has a game back leg or is too weak to pull the wagon, then the wagon may just go in circles.

If Christians understand this, they MUST marry Christians.  But if they don't give it a thought and marry a non-believer, don't divorce.  The Bible addresses how to deal with a non-believing spouse.

[Marathoner]

15 hours ago, Wayne222 said:

You misunderstood my post brother . Showing love to a unbeliever and fellowship with him are two different things. You can be a friend to anyone . But can you share in dirty jokes ? And smile and say nothing when he profane the name of the lord ? 

I addressed this already in my first post: This does not mean that we do as others do. 

You stated in your OP...
 

Quote

If someone does not fear God and doesn’t love the lord Jesus then you cannot love and marry them.

The Lord says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31), and His commandment includes loving our enemies (Luke 6:35). We love others expecting nothing in return, my friend. We notice that the Lord made no exceptions to what the apostle James proclaims as the royal law. 

Being a friend and marrying someone else are worlds apart. Marriage has nothing to do with loving our neighbor as ourselves. I admit that your OP is somewhat vague because, after reviewing it again, it appears that you are focusing primarily upon marriage? 

I can't comment on marriage from personal experience, brother. I'm not married.   

Edited May 7, 2023 by Marathoner

[Vine Abider]

On 5/6/2023 at 9:14 AM, Marathoner said:

Indeed. I would never counsel a brother to divorce his wife if she were an unbeliever, knowing that the Lord plants us in the lives of others for the express purpose of showing forth His love to one and all. I would encourage him instead:

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing. For,

“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”
(1 Peter 3:8-12 NASB)

The Lord has done so with me, and I am neither a great nor noteworthy man. My adopted mother was bitter and loathed Christians, blaming us for the evils that were done to her over the course of her life. We were strangers when we first met, and the Lord moved upon me to protect her life with my own. Those were dark and evil times, but I was steadfast in that duty which the Spirit placed before me to walk in. He forbid me to reveal that which was hidden from this woman at the time --- I am a Christian myself --- for it was His will that one whom she despised serve in submission and silence, asking for nothing in return. Bless, and do not curse. Endure, and don't flee from our calling in Jesus Christ.  

The Lord Himself did the same for our sake. We are by no means greater than our Master. 

When the dark time passed and the Lord had delivered this woman from wicked men, I became ill with a mysterious sickness and started wasting away. There were some who said to this woman, "Get rid of him now before he dies in your house!", but she refused to abandon me. She promised that as I had refused to abandon her as her own family and even children had done, she would not abandon me. She would care for me until the end. 

She said and did all of these things without expectation of reward, ignorant of the will and purpose of our Lord and God. The wisdom of God would not be revealed until He did the impossible, returning me to vigorous health and ultimately, to her. This was His purpose, not my own. On the day when she came to me, and I both stood before her on my own two feet and spoke like a man (I had lost the ability to speak during the illness), she embraced me and wept tears of joy. "You've been returned to me! You're back!"

When the Lord raised me up, He said to me, This is your mother. Love her as I love you and serve her as I have also served you. Forgive her trespasses as I forgive your own trespasses and do not be afraid, for I am always with you.

This was when the Spirit bid me to reveal those things she didn't know: I am a Christian, a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ whom she loved during her youth. Whatever she did for my sake, she did for Him. She cared for me when I was sick, fed me when I was hungry, gave me water to drink when I was thirsty, and gave me clothing to wear when I had none... all without expectation of anything in return (a reward). The Lord loves her like no other, and it is His will that I serve her and stand beside her as her own son... the son who was taken away from her minutes after he was born. 

She was overwhelmed. The Spirit strengthened me to endure the long process which followed the revelation of His purpose regarding my adopted mother, and she hated me for a time. Ah, but this wasn't my strength but His own, for I wanted to run away many, many times! What did the Spirit say? Remain. Endure. Persevere. That is My will regarding you. I didn't forget that duty which the Lord placed before me, to love her just as He loves me. I was an enemy of God once... and He loved me even then. 

That's my encouragement to any brother or sister who finds themselves in a similar situation. Whether He charges us to love and serve a husband... a wife... a son or a daughter... or even a stranger, we are His bondservants. It's our joy and and the highest honor to love our neighbor as ourselves.  

Very touching!! It reminds me of the story in Hosea where the Lord tells him to marry a woman who is in adultery.  This was a picture of the children of Israel, who were playing the harlot with God, their rightful Husband.  This is the unconditional love God has, and this love of His is now indwelling us!  Great story bro!

So did she come to know the Lord?

Edited May 7, 2023 by Vine Abider