When Paul said don't be yoked with unbelievers was he taking the Old Testament law out of context?

Question

Deuteronomy 22:10
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?

Was the law only to apply to animals until Paul perverted it?

Defend your argument mainworry

Lion of Judah you didn't answer the question as usual.

Answer 1

Many times I have wondered what, exactly, was the Apostle Paul thinking. Many times I have wondered if the Apostle Paul objected to 2 different kinds of meat on his plate.

I think Paul had some beef with the unbelievers. He wanted to cut off their trade relationships with the Xians so he took the old law and twisted it for his own purpose. Remember, Xians disregard the OT.

Answer 2

As for the answer you are looking for:

1 Corinthians 9 says

7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."[b] Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

15But I have not used any of these rights.



And further, for you---

Acts 5:39
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Answer 3

Paul is the one who told us that we could never fulfill the law. Only Christ in us has saved us from our sins. So why would Paul when talking to believers say something entirely different and quote Old Testament law. He did refer to a yoke of oxen to explain himself. Or he could have referred to a donky and oxen being an uneven yoke, but Paul didn't pervert anything. He thoroughly explained that he is talking about believers and unbelievers and our not having anything in common.

Only a mature Christian should attempt speaking to the lost. A baby Christian can be swayed without knowing.

Answer 4

The Law has dominion over a man so long as he lives. Validation of so long as he lives is speaking of the absence of spiritual life, and being boxed in with only physical life, See Romans 8: " but you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, See 1 Corinthians 12: 13 For by one Spirit are you all baptized into one body whether Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. Of course this is speaking to and of believers, who are recipients of the baptism of Christ. The law was made for sinners and unless you are in Christ you are a sinner so have the law if you want it, but i will choose life. 1 Timothy 1:10, " for the law was made for sinners"... When you realize what the Law is meant to do, Romans 7: 5-24 you will then perhaps realize why God doesn't put His new creation, under the law, because the law of the Spirit of life as made him free from the law of sin and death, 2 Corinthians 3: 7, Romans 8: 1-4, Galatians 3: 10 Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the Law then abolished it, so He could establish the New Covenant. Moses put a veil over his face, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly discern the end of that which was to be abolished, which was done away in Christ Body, 2 Corinthians 3: 13-14 and until this day they who are without Christ have a veil over their hearts, (trusting) when Moses is read. They who are in Christ with being partakers of eternal life are enabled to fulfill the requirements of the Royal Law. They who trust in the law are debtores to do the whole Law, the civil and moral and sanctuary law. This is what is mean by the whole law. If you think you are going to be justified in God's sight with obey the civil laws and then break a moral law, you will need a sanctuary with a priesthood, and the priest will offer the sacrifices outlined according to the law, in which case one totaaly instantly falls from grace, Galatians 5: 1-6, Romans 3: 19-20, Galatians 2: 16, 3: 10 What you don't realize is the law of commandments are to convict you of sin, else their would be sacrifices and offerings for the sins of the people, See Hebrews 10: 1-4, and the mercy part of the law is sacrifices and offering for sins. God is covering you as He did with Adam and Eve with coats of skin, but these until the time of reformation, being kept and guaded by the law, shut up unto the faith, that should afterwards be revealed, and then after faith would come they would no longer be ubnde the schoolmaster of the Law. And notice with whom faith came, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God

Answer 5

No. The Old Testament reference Paul used was a metaphor to show the discord that would exist in a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. But Paul also said, "For if they cannot contain (sexual urges/love for one another) let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn." A little later, he said, (I'm paraphrasing a bit here) "Let the WIFE SANCTIFY the HUSBAND." And, "Let the HUSBAND SANCTIFY the WIFE." Meaning that in a marriage between two people in that spiritual situation, God would bless and and ordain it if the unbeliever came into it respecting the other person's beliefs and accepting their spirituality by allowing them the freedom of worship Christ gave us all.

Answer 6

Paul didn't pervert it. Jesus said to be yoked with Him, and he will carry the burden. He is strong, we are weak.

An ox is strong. A donkey is weak. They are unmatched.

Paul instructs us not to yoke together with unbelievers. That doesn't mean we should never associate with unbelievers. That means we are advised not to go into partnership with an unbeliever, or if you want to carry it further, not to marry an unbeliever.

The reason is, your values, your goals, your spirits are unmatched.

I don't call that "perversion." I call that clarifying what Jesus said.

Answer 7

Now, if you recall Paul said that the Law did not justify man, that the blood of the Lord Jesus was the only means of redemption.
Jesus Himself said that not one portion of the Law would be lost even unto His Second Coming. We are to obey the Law, but the teachings of St. Paul are deeper than the Law of Moses. They are the Law of the Love of Christ.

Paul's reference to Law was engaged in the Pauline principal which said that if a person marries a non-believer the person should suffer and offer prayer for the conversion of the other. If that person refuses the graces of God, the Pauline principal said that the Believer should be free of their bonds in marriage because the other did not make an appropriate vow before God. That is sometimes a difficult judgment for the Church to make under the Law of God.

Where he spoke in Corinthians had to do with making a decision about being married. This is a personal judgment, not an article of the Law. And Paul was counseling us to consider what it means to be unequally yoked. Now your example of plowing with an ox and a donkey together is a very good example from a natural standpoint. The ox is often referred to as symbolic of the strength of God while the donkey is considered stubborn and resistant to the yoke. Therefore, why marry one who will kick and resist the work of pulling the plow (the wellbeing of the family) when one can be more perfectly joined to the person who yields to the precepts of the Lord and rejoices at His teachings?

St. Paul was made to be pure in the sight of God and resisted all perversion and stain of sin.

Originally his name was Saul of Tarsus. And the Lord sent a priest to heal Him according to the Book of Acts:

9:15. And the Lord said to him: Go thy way: for this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

9:17. And Ananias went his way and entered into the house. And laying his hands upon him, he said: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, he that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest, that thou mayest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

9:18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales: and he received his sight. And rising up, he was baptized.

9:19. And when he had taken meat, he was strengthened. And he was with the disciples that were at Damascus, for some days.

9:20. And immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that He (Christ) is the son of God.

And finally, Paul sums up his teaching on avoiding that which is impure by saying in Corinthians 6 through the Holy Spirit this:

6:16. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God: as God saith: I will dwell in them and walk among them. And I will be their God: and they shall be my people.

6:17. Wherefore: Go out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing:

6:18. And I will receive you. And will be a Father to you: and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Do you also wish to be a son of the Lord Almighty? Then St. Paul's words are a gift to you.

Answer 8

The whole idea of being unequally yoked is implying that these two different forces are going to be pulling apart from each other and not working in unity.

Answer 9

The Bible does not forbid interracial marriages. It does, however, forbid a Christian from marrying an unbeliever: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14).
In Numbers 12:1-8 is an account of Moses marrying an Ethiopian woman. "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman" (Num. 12:1).
Other Bible verses translate this as "Cush." Cush is the ancient location of Ethiopia. Miriam and Aaron were upset with Moses because he married a Cushite woman. Cush has also been considered to be the northern part of Egypt. Either way, it is very possible that Cushite woman was of a different race. God defended Moses for marrying this woman. If race were an issue, this would have been a great place to set the matter straight.
Also, people of different races were not mentioned as being among those forbidden by God for Jews to marry, see Exodus 34:11.

Answer 10

the ox and donkey just serves as an example of how difficult it is to put these people together. If you have someone who is devoutly Christian and someone who is devoutly muslim, there will be a lot of strife in their marriage. In order to have peace some major compromises would have to be made (i.e. somebody converts).

In marriage, common ground and common interest is an almost necessity. That's just good common sense.

Paul wanted Christians to remain Christians and not forsake their faith and to have harmonious marriages. (as much as possible).