2 Corinthians 6

2 Corinthians 6:14-7

No Mismating with Unbelievers (6:14-7:1) In verses 11-13 Paul begins a plea for harmony between him­self and the Corinthians. His heart is open to them; let theirs be just as open to him. But he barely gets started on this line when (as our Bibles print it) he interrupts himself to speak of some­thing entirely different in verses 6:14-7:1. We have seen (see Introduction) that a number of interpreters believe this section is actually a part of the letter to which Paul refers in I Corin­thians 5:9. Be that as it may, it does not fit either what goes before or what comes after, in spite of great efforts on the part of commentators to make it appear to do so. In any case, we shall take a look at it here, since we are following the text of the letter as it has come down to us. The main meaning is clear enough: “Do not be mismated with unbelievers.” This is the same advice to which Paul refers in 1 Corinthians 5:9, if not a quotation from the same letter. Paul explains what he means by this, in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11. He does not mean that Christians are never to have any dealings with non-Christians. He does mean that Christians ought not to have unbelievers in the church membership. This is a warning against accepting hypocrites as if they were genuine Christians. Now the unbelievers of whom Paul speaks are not people with some off­beat ideas; they are not imperfect Christians (otherwise we should all have to be shut out of the Church). They are (as described in 1 Corinthians 5) immoral, idol-worshipers, robbers, and so on; in 2 Corinthians 6 such words are used as “unbe­liever,” “iniquity,” “darkness.” The Scripture Paul quotes is taken from various books of the Old Testament; the central point, verse 17, is from Isaiah 52:11 and refers to outright pagans, the people of Babylon. People who rely on this passage to justify leaving a Christian church are misusing it. They read it as if it said: “Do not be mismated with people who do not believe precisely as you do.” This is not Paul’s meaning. What he is pleading for is a Chris­tian Church made of Christians; not— even partly— of people who are indifferent or opposed to Christ and his cause and his people. It is also a warning against trying to combine the Chris­tian Church with other religions. Christianity can be itself only when it is not mixed with other faiths. When a man becomes a Christian he is asked to leave his idols at the door.