Yoked with Jesus

Yoked with Jesus
Words of Faith 10-29-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Faith Fellowship 30th Anniversary Celebration this weekend!
November 1 - 5 pm Potluck Dinner and Praise Night
November 2 - Worship - Dinner on the Grounds - Games and Fun!
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Dr. Hoy's book – “Faith That Works - A Study in James”, 30th Anniversary Edition will be available Nov. 1 & 2 in the church lobby, and Nov. 25 on Amazon. Click HERE to preview it.
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2 Corinthians 6
[12] We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. [13] As a fair exchange, I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts also.
[14] Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? [15] What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? [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."

         So what was it that hampered the Corinthians' open, loving response, which Paul called for? Were these just busy people or picky people? Actually, the answer is best described as "rival suitors" who vied for their affections and allegiance.

         These verses are often applied to various types of alliances, such as mixed marriages and improper business associations. While such applications may be helpful, this was not really the worry on Paul's heart. Paul's primary concern was related to leadership associations in the Church. The rival suitors were possibly pagan idolaters or, more likely, false apostles who were traveling through. Paul was candid once again-- Do not be unequally yoked!

          The solution to the dilemma was for the Corinthians to separate from the false apostles. Whatever they may have thought about these false leaders, Paul considered the false apostles to be unbelievers whom the Corinthians needed to separate from.

         But Paul did not say that Christians should have no contact whatever with unbelievers. Earlier, he actually argued the absurdity of such a position,  "I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case, you would have to leave this world (1 Cor. 5:9-10).

         Paul's concern was with "religious unbelievers" who masqueraded as apostles. He was concerned that they might lead believers astray from "sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3).

          The truth is that a believer can be rightly yoked only with Christ. Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:29-30). This is the yoke of the believer.

         To illustrate, Paul asked five rhetorical questions that reflected the vast chasm between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan. "Belial" actually transliterates an Old Testament word that means "worthless person. In Greek, it came to mean "a lawless person" and then was used of Satan, the most worthless and lawless of all.

         Paul is clear that we are the temple of the living God and therefore we are not a place for idols. 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."  This is our yoke, Jesus.

          For us, this is not so much a question of friendships and acquaintances. It is not even a worry over what Church to attend within the bounds of a sound confession of faith. The issue is about being yoked to Christ alone. Any allegiance other than to Christ is idolatrous. Where is my allegiance? Where am I yoked? Are you yoked to Christ alone, or are you listening to "other prophets and apostles"? Do you have an allegiance to the world? Who are the rival suitors in your life that are pulling you away from Jesus?

        Father God, I want You and only You. I want to follow Jesus and walk by the power and strength of His Spirit. I want to journey with the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. Yoke me to You, O God. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.