6:14-7:1 (The Power of a Yoke)

The Power of a Yoke

1. A yoke is a powerful image (good and bad)
- A tool of submission
- A tool of partnership

2. A yoke can be a very positive symbol
- Jesus said 'take my yoke' (easy and light)
- Paul called the Philippians his loyal yokefellow
- There's a synergy (partnership is greater than the sum of its parts)
- A yoke is positive when used by a good mater and when used wisely

3. A yoke can be a very negative symbol
- Jesus implied that other yokes were burdensome
- Peter called the Law a yoke
- Paul referred to the 'yoke of slavery'
- A yoke is negative when the master is oppressive or when used unwisely

So... 6:14
1. Be yoked together with believers!
2. But don't be yoked together with unbelievers!
- You're a different kind of creature
- You'll pull in different directions
- You'll work with different principles
- You'll have different missions in mind

But to wht does this apply?
Marriage?
Workplace?
Charities?
Binding relationships?

5 (supposed to be) Easy to Answer Questions

1. What do righteousness and wickedness have in common?
- Nothing, they are opposites!

2. What fellowship can light have with darkness?
- None, they cancel each other out!

3. What harmony is there between Christ and belial?*
*Belial seems to be a synonym for Satan (used 16x in KJV, many times 'sons of Belial' refers to wicked people / trouble-makers).
- None, they are enemies!

4. What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
- The answer should be not much! But the Corinthians were, in some ways, very much like the unbelievers! In the American Church (At least) it seems that the believers have A LOT in common with the unbelievers. Perhaps this question, though it should have been as easy to answer as the others, was convicting.

5. What agreement is there b/w the temple of God and idols?
-Again, this should have been easy to answer, but as we've seen in the Corinthian correspondence, it might not have been very easy for the Corinthians to answer. Paul reminds them that they ARE the temple of God and that allowing wickedness to co-exist within their midst doesn't make sense in light of the fact that God desires to dwell in their midst.

Paul then brings together about 5 different OT texts (Leviticus, 2 Samuel, Isaiah, Ezekiel) which make the point that God will live with His people (but they must be pure).

We also learn something from Paul's usage of the OT texts here
1. Paul viewed the OT as God's word
2. Paul used the OT quite freely (mixing texts, adding words, changing words)
3. Paul's theology of the OT promises are that they are realized in Christ & the Church.