10 Unequally Yoked: Understanding Paul’s Warning (2 Corinthians 6:13-7:2)

by Krisan Marotta | Sep 17, 2025 | 01 Podcasts, Corinthians

“Do not be unequally yoked” is not a blanket ban on contact with unbelievers. It is a warning about binding yourself in partnerships that tug your heart away from Christ and deceiving nonbelievers into thinking they are on the right path.

In this week’s episode, we explore:

How this section connects to the larger context, and why “open your hearts” frames Paul’s argument.
What the yoke image means, and why mismatched bonds don’t move in the same direction.
Paul’s five contrasts (righteousness/lawlessness, light/darkness, Christ/Belial, believer/unbeliever, temple/idols) and how they clarify the issue.
What “unequally yoked” does and does not mean for marriage, business, friendship, and church life
How wise separation protects love, loyalty, and holiness without withdrawing from the world

By the end, you’ll be able to read this passage in context, understand the “unequally yoked” metaphor, and evaluate your closest partnerships with clarity and confidence. You’ll gain practical ways to keep your heart open to truth while guarding your allegiance to Christ.

Unequally Yoked: Understanding Paul’s Warning (2 Corinthians 6:13-7:2)

What does Paul mean by “unequally yoked,” and how does it fit his call to “widen your hearts”? In this episode, you will learn what the yoke image symbolizes, why Paul links it to idolatry, and how to evaluate partnerships that pull your heart off course.

Review

Paul is writing to the church he founded in Corinth. He has a troubled relationship with them. Some in the church have rejected him and do not think he is really an apostle. From chapter 1 he has been defending himself and his apostleship.

In the first half of this chapter, Paul appeals to the Corinthians not just to hear the gospel, but to respond to it with genuine faith. He urged them not to receive the grace of God in vain. In other words, do not let the message of reconciliation go in one ear and out the other.

Reconciliation with God is not automatic. It must be embraced. How we respond to both the message and the messenger reveals the state of our hearts.

Some in Corinth dismissed Paul because he did not measure up to their worldly standards of success or status. But Paul reminded them he is not promoting himself. He is Christ’s ambassador, sent with a message from the King.

Paul describes the hardships he has endured for the sake of the gospel to show the depth of his sincerity. He is not manipulating or pressuring them. He is pleading with them to open their hearts in return.

Is 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 an interruption?

There are two main points I want to address today.

First, the issue of 6:14 through 7:1. Many have noticed these verses seem like an interruption in Paul’s flow. In 6:13 Paul urges them to open up to him, and in 7:2 he repeats the plea. You could jump from 6:13 to 7:2, skipping the middle and it would make sense. Some conclude the middle section does not fit and must have been inserted later.

But that leaves a problem. If it obviously does not fit, why would someone stick it here?

Others say it is a piece from another letter Paul wrote, inserted so it would not be lost. Again, why place it here?

The other option is that Paul wrote it and he wrote it here. We have good interpretive evidence for that. If the call to “open your hearts” surrounds this section, then the middle likely addresses the same issue.

It may look like an unrelated tangent to us. But the author knows more about the situation. For him, these ideas go together.

Part of finding the flow of thought is seeing how this series of ideas fits. The approach that says, “It does not quite fit, let’s take it out,” ignores the very evidence that can help us understand his point.

It is better to approach the text assuming it fits unless we have overwhelming evidence that it does not. Especially when he is talking about point A before the section and returns to point A after it. That flow is significant.

Our first task is to ask: what is the situation? Why does Paul think they are being unequally yoked with unbelievers? And how is that keeping them from opening their hearts to him?

What Does “Unequally Yoked” Mean?

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? – 2 Corinthians 6:14

Many read 2 Corinthians 6:14 in isolation and conclude Paul is talking about marriage to an unbeliever. Is he?

Before we reach that conclusion we need to understand the verse in context. Once we understand the context, then we can ask whether it applies to marriage, to business, to friendship with nonbelievers, or to people who claim to be Christian but hold bad theology.

Problems in Corinth That Inform This Passage

How does this passage fit into the flow of 2 Corinthians? Paul addressed many problems in 1 Corinthians that help us here.

In 1 Corinthians 5, a man was part of the church, but his life did not reflect following God. He was living with his father’s wife, a situation not even pagans would tolerate. He was unrepentant. He was unwilling to acknowledge that following Christ has implications for how he lives.

See: 12 Ignoring Immorality (1 Corinthians 4:17-5:5)

Paul says do not associate with him as if he were a believer. His lifestyle indicates he is not willing to follow God, so do not encourage him in deceiving himself.

Some in Corinth boasting that they tolerated this obviously sinful situation. They disagreed with Paul that Christian discipleship involves repentance and a change in how they live.

Paul says he had written before warning against associating with so-called brothers, listing red flags like greedy swindlers and idolaters. That suggests a long-standing problem in Corinth about people claiming to be believers who were not. Paul urges the church not to treat the unrepentant as genuine believers.

In 1 Corinthians 8–10 Paul deals with meat sacrificed to idols. Pagan temples in Corinth sacrificed meat to idols and then sold it in the market. There was a controversy over whether Christians should eat it.

See: 22 Concerning Meat and Idols (1 Corinthians 8:4-13)

Paul agreed there was nothing wrong with the meat. He called those who thought otherwise the weaker brothers. But his warnings were directed at the “meat eaters,” the ones who felt free.

He had two warnings.

First, love your weaker brothers. Do not tempt them to violate their conscience.
Second, beware idolatry.

Paul was not convinced they were entirely free of dabbling with idolatry. He feared they felt free to eat the meat because they did not see idolatry as a serious problem. They pressured immature Christians to eat meat sacrificed to idols because they thought it was sophisticated to flirt with idolatry.

Underneath their freedom was a nonchalant attitude toward pursuing righteousness. They pressured others to do what they considered wrong.

Earlier in 2 Corinthians Paul mentioned the man who had caused sorrow. When Paul visited, this man caused such a ruckus that Paul left and wrote the sorrowful letter. The majority agreed to discipline, but presumably a minority did not.

Later Paul expresses fears about what he will find when he arrives (2 Corinthians 12:20-21). There is a clear indication that a group is resisting Paul’s moral instruction.

From this quick tour we can see a significant group in Corinth who are not listening to Paul. They call themselves Christians and think of themselves as members of the church, but they are unwilling to abandon their pagan way of life. They live in sexual immorality, flirt with idolatry, and set themselves up as Paul’s enemies.

The Yoke Image and Paul’s Five Questions

Paul has been making an impassioned appeal about his sacrifice and integrity as an apostle. He urges them to open their hearts to him. Then he says, do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

The image is of a yoke on the necks of two animals pulling a cart or turning a millstone. If the animals are unequally yoked, they cannot pull well together. You need two oxen or two donkeys. They must be of the same sort. To be unequally yoked is to be bound together with someone so unlike you that the task cannot be done.

Believers and unbelievers yoked together are unequally yoked. The image is clear, but what exactly is he talking about?

Paul follows with five versions of the same question.

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? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. – 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Belial is another name for Satan. In some way the Corinthians are facing whether to associate with lawlessness, darkness, Belial, unbelievers, and idols.

God’s Temple and Old Testament Echoes

Paul uses several Old Testament passages to fill out this picture.

First, in Leviticus 26:11-12, God warns Israel against embracing the idolatry of the land they are entering. Then he promises to be with them and be their God.

Does this language apply to Christians? Yes. Paul rightly understands that this language carries over to all the people of God. All who belong to Christ, Jew and Gentile, enter into this relationship. He will be among us, he will be our God, and we are called to turn away from the idolatry of the unbelieving world.

Paul then uses language from Isaiah 52:11. Isaiah speaks of captivity and return. Israel has been among pagan idolaters in Babylon. Now she is called out. God is bringing salvation. Do not bring Babylon’s idolatry with you.

Paul uses this image for the people of God in this world. It is as if we are in Babylon. We want to come out and not take the unclean things of our pagan neighbors with us.

Finally, Paul crafts language that is not a specific quote which vaguely echoes the Davidic covenant. The only place I know in the Old Testament where God refers to his people as sons and daughters is Deuteronomy 32, where he is displeased with them because of idolatry.

All the Old Testament language Paul borrows communicates two things:

God will be with his people who are the temple where he dwells.
His people turn away from the idolatry of the pagan world.

What Problem Is Paul Addressing?

Commentators imagine many scenarios. Some think Paul is addressing Christians marrying non-Christians. Others think business arrangements with pagan neighbors. Without context any of these are possible. But notice the appeal. Open your heart to me. Do not be unequally yoked. Make room for me in your hearts.

This seems central to Paul’s appeal since chapter 1. He urges them to listen to him, believe his love, take the gospel seriously, and deal with those who oppose him and mislead them.

If there is no evidence Paul has changed the subject, assume he has not. In this context, being unequally yoked with unbelievers most likely refers to a church where some call themselves Christians while living as unbelieving, immoral, pagan idolaters.

To join together as one church with those who thumb their nose at the gospel combines things that do not belong together.

The issue is not that some in Corinth are sinners. All are sinners. But following Christ requires admitting we are sinners and that immorality and idolatry are wrong.

What This Command Does Not Mean

Let’s broaden the context with other New Testament teaching.

Jesus and Paul teach that one of the great commandments is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Every human being is a creature of God. We are to seek the welfare of others, believers or not.

Jesus says we are to love our enemies. If we followed his example, we would die for our enemies.

Whatever Paul means, he is not contradicting the law of love. Being unequally yoked cannot mean we should stop befriending, respecting, and serving unbelievers.

The New Testament also tells us to be merciful because we need mercy. It is hypocritical to ask God to overlook my many sins and then refuse to overlook yours.

When I look at any human being, I should see a fellow creature deserving dignity and respect, a fellow sinner before God. Whatever Paul means, he is not contradicting that.

This rules out ostracizing nonbelievers, cutting off friendships, or being aloof and judgmental. It also rules out shunning people simply because I do not like their theology.

Paul himself told the Corinthians he was not urging them to avoid unbelievers. When he told them not to associate with sexually immoral people, he did not mean avoid all unbelievers all the time.

He saw nothing wrong with relationships with non-Christians. He expected unbelievers to join their assembly and was concerned that Christians conduct themselves so as not to drive them away.

Paul limited his freedom to avoid alienating unbelievers. When he was with Jews, he lived like a Jew. When he was with Gentiles, he lived like a Gentile.

All this puts limits on what “unequally yoked” means. Christians should seek the good of unbelievers, show mercy, expect to have unbelievers in their circle, and treat them well.

What It Does Mean in Corinth

We know Paul was concerned about people claiming to be Christian while unwilling to live like one.

What does it mean to live like a Christian? Consider two proverbs.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The beginning of wisdom is to recognize who God is. God is my creator. He holds my destiny. His opinion matters most. To fear God is to let his opinion carry more weight than any other.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

We think we know what will fulfill us. We take the road we think leads to life, but we are wrong. That road leads to death.

To be a believer starts with fearing God and turning from the road that leads to death.

As always, some in the church want to be seen as Christians without repenting, without fearing God, without turning from the way of death. As Paul sees it, idolatry and immorality are the road to death. Yet some Corinthians are unwilling to stop following that road.

Paul compares the Christian in this world to Israel living in Canaan among pagans and to Israel coming out of Babylon. God dwells with those who turn from the way of death. God’s people fear him and trust his mercy as they repent. Their pagan neighbors are taking the road that leads to death, and the people of God will not follow them.

In that way they are different, and they cannot be joined together.

God has called us to be holy, which is to be marked as different because we follow a different road. We strive to be morally good and compassionate like the God who is saving us. To pursue holiness is to pursue the things that differentiate us from the world.

Those who are taking the road to death and those traveling the road to life cannot travel together. We are headed in different directions. It is foolish to act as if we are on the same team.

The Church as the Yoke in View

In context, Paul is speaking to the situation in Corinth. Being yoked together is being joined as one church, supposedly following Christ together.

The assembly of Christ’s people is an assembly of those who fear God and have turned from the way of death. Paul’s concern is what the church communicates. Being a believer means something. Being a believer means turning back toward God, agreeing with God that we have done wrong, that we need his mercy, and that he must show us the right way.

It makes no sense to include people who will not repent, who will not turn from idolatry and immorality. It makes no sense to encourage them in their deception that they are on the right road when they are not.

Applying the Principle: The Stoplight Test

Can we apply this to other situations like marriage and business? Yes.

Picture a simple stoplight for every tie you are considering.

Green. Ask, “Does this relationship help the truth take root in me?” Green ties make room for obedience. They encourage repentance, respect your conscience, and move with you toward Christ. When a friendship or partnership strengthens your faith and aligns with wisdom, proceed. It pulls you toward following God.
Yellow. Ask, “Will this tie pressure me off the right road?” Yellow ties pull, even if they do not demand. Maybe the other person nudges you to cut corners, downplay convictions, or trade faithfulness for short-term gain. Yellow means slow down, define boundaries, and get clarity. If you cannot set wise limits, yellow drifts toward red.
Red. Ask, “Will this tie require me to live like a pagan?” Red ties demand what God forbids or forbid what God commands. If the partnership insists on deception, celebrates idolatry, or requires you to deny Christ to belong, that is a clear stop. Do not enter a yoke that compels disobedience.

Paul’s warning helps you sort your ties before you cinch the strap. Green ties help truth. Yellow ties pressure you off course. Red ties require you to live as if God were not your God. Any red means stop. If a tie stays yellow, set firm limits or step away. If it is green, proceed with gratitude and keep your heart open.

Marriage and Business

If you asked Paul, “Should I marry a nonbeliever?” he would say no. The principle he applies to the church applies to marriage. Sooner or later you will be forced to choose between following God and following your spouse. That marriage will pull you down the wrong road.

Does it apply to going into business together? There is more gray area because business relationships vary in intensity and dependence. Some arrangements have minimal entanglement. Others are deeply intertwined. It depends.

Fundamentally, recognize that nonbelievers are heading in a different direction. It is unloving to encourage them to think they are on the right path, and it is wrong to join them on that path.

Why This Matters

Every church is filled with sinners, and we need to be merciful to each other. But we cannot look at unbelief and call it belief.

We cannot say to someone who refuses to repent, “You are a believer along with me.” We cannot be a group pursuing holiness while some refuse to be any different from the world.

There are those who do not want to go the right way. Some use religion to justify their greed and lust. There comes a point where we must say, “You and I do not seem to be on the same road. We cannot be yoked together because we are two different sorts of creatures. It is important that the world know. It is important that we ourselves know that a real choice must be made.”

There is only one way to find life, and that is to follow God, the author of life. The choice to follow God is the choice to repent. We cannot do one without the other.