A Sufficient Degree of Separation

How important are my choices of friends and business partnerships?

Probably more than I realize. The apostle Paul told the church of God which [was] at Corinth, with all the saints who [were] throughout Achaia:

Do not become yoked together with unbelievers, for what commonality [has] righteousness and wickedness?  Or what fellowship [has] light with darkness?  And what harmony of Christ [is acheived] with Belial [or the Devil]?  Or what part [has] faith with unbelief?  [2 Cor. 6:14] [my emphasis]

 [ἑτεροζυγέω: (hê-têr-ô-zū-gā-oh) to yoke together in a mismatch; to be mismated]

The idea of being properly “yoked together” with someone might be a puzzling concept for many of Jesus Christ’s people today.

But it doesn’t have to be.

This Greek verb ἑτεροζυγέω was commonly used to describe two of something being mismatched as a team, such as a pair of oxen.  And any First Century citizen of Corinth would clearly have understood that if two animals having different values about work performance were hitched together, an unreliable ox would directly hinder the productivity of the other.

But the amount of time they spent together was also an important aspect of Paul’s illustration.  A team of oxen were carefully paired together with the intention of cultivating a long-term apparatus of productive labor.  If they were paired up appropriately, either animal eventually came to be aware of the other’s weaknesses, compensating for, or receiving needed support as necessary.

Paul used the term “unbelievers” in these sentences to describe a people with objectives far different from anyone who sought to exalt and obey Jesus Christ.  So, if I allow myself to become mismatched indefinitely with someone who doesn’t share my values, I won’t be able to effectively carry out my work as a faithful disciple.

And It’s very likely he won’t be open to picking up the slack if I stumble.

To become distracted from the goal of living for Christ is sometimes a necessary burden for His people.  Jesus Himself would go to great lengths to dine and communicate with people He felt would benefit from what He had to share.  

But nothing in the Bible suggests He made any attempt to bond [or “yoke”] Himself to anyone who wasn’t on board.

By definition, true discipleship demands that I set myself apart from the contamination that the world often holds in high regard.  And being friends with someone who holds a conflicting viewpoint shouldn’t necessarily diminish the value of that relationship.

However, a sufficient degree of separation should always be sought.

For this reason, “Come out from their midst and be set apart, says [the] Lord,” and do not touch [what is] unclean, and I shall receive you”  [2Cor. 6:17]