Lesson 42 Explore 1: Questions From Readers
At 2 Corinthians 6:14, to whom is Paul referring when he uses the term “unbelievers”?
At we read: “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers.” If we look at the context, it is evident that Paul is speaking of individuals who are clearly no part of the Christian congregation. This understanding is supported by other Bible verses that record Paul’s use of the term “unbeliever” or “unbelievers.”
(2 Corinthians 6.14: Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness?)
For example, Paul reprimands Christians for going to court “before unbelievers.”
(1 Corinthians 6.6: Instead, brother goes to court against brother, and before unbelievers at that!)
Here, the unbelievers are judges serving in the court system of Corinth. In his second letter, Paul states that Satan “has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.” The eyes of such unbelievers are ‘veiled’ from the good news. These unbelievers have made no move toward serving Jehovah, since Paul earlier explained: “When there is a turning to Jehovah, the veil is taken away.”-
(2 Corinthians 3.16: But when one turns to Jehovah, the veil is taken away.)
(2 Corinthians 4.4: among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.)
Some unbelievers are involved in lawlessness or idolatry.
(2 Corinthians 6.15, 16: Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: “I will reside among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”)
However, not all are opposed to Jehovah’s servants. Some show an interest in the truth. Many have Christian mates and are happy to stay with them.
(1 Corinthians 7.12-14: But to the others I say, yes, I, not the Lord: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is agreeable to staying with him, let him not leave her; and if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is agreeable to staying with her, let her not leave her husband. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in relation to his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in relation to the brother; otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.)
(1 Corinthians 10.27: If an unbeliever invites you and you want to go, eat whatever is set before you, making no inquiry on account of your conscience.)
(1 Corinthians 14.22-25: Therefore, tongues are not a sign for the believers but for the unbelievers, whereas prophecy is not for the unbelievers but for the believers. So if the whole congregation comes together to one place and they all speak in tongues, but ordinary people or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you have lost your minds? But if you are all prophesying and an unbeliever or an ordinary person comes in, he will be reproved and closely examined by them all. The secrets of his heart then become evident, so that he will fall facedown and worship God, declaring: “God is really among you.”)
(1 Peter 3.1, 2: In the same way, you wives, be in subjection to your husbands, so that if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives, because of having been eyewitnesses of your chaste conduct together with deep respect.)
However, Paul consistently applies the term “unbeliever” to individuals who, as mentioned above, are no part of the Christian congregation, which is made up of “believers in the Lord.”-
(Acts 2.41: So those who gladly accepted his word were baptized, and on that day about 3,000 people were added.)
(Acts 5.14: More than that, believers in the Lord kept on being added, great numbers both of men and of women.)
(Acts 8.12, 13: But when they believed Philip, who was declaring the good news of the Kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were getting baptized. Simon himself also became a believer, and after being baptized, he continued with Philip; and he was amazed at seeing the signs and great powerful works taking place.)
The principle found at is a valuable guide for Christians in all areas of life and has often been quoted as providing wise counsel for Christians seeking a marriage mate.
(2 Corinthians 6.14: Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness?)
(Matthew 19.4-6: In reply he said: “Have you not read that the one who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said: ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together, let no man put apart.”)
A dedicated, baptized Christian wisely does not seek a marriage mate among those who are unbelievers, since the values, goals, and beliefs of unbelievers are so different from those of a true Christian.
What, though, of individuals who study the Bible and associate with the Christian congregation? What of those who are unbaptized publishers? Are they unbelievers? No. Individuals who have accepted the truth of the good news and are progressing steadily toward baptism should not be called unbelievers.
(Romans 10.10: For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.)
(2 Corinthians 4.13: Now because we have the same spirit of faith as that of which it is written: “I exercised faith, therefore I spoke”; we too exercise faith and therefore we speak,)
Before his baptism Cornelius was called “a devout man and one fearing God.”-
(Acts 10.2: He was a devout man who feared God together with all his household, and he made many gifts of mercy to the people and made supplication to God continually.)
Would it be wise, then, for a dedicated Christian to pursue courtship and marriage with someone who has been accepted as an unbaptized publisher, since, strictly speaking, Paul’s counsel recorded at could not apply in that case? No, that is not wise. Why not? Because of the direct counsel Paul gave regarding Christian widows. Paul wrote: “She is free to be married to whom she wants, only in the Lord.”
(2 Corinthians 6.14: Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness?)
(1 Corinthians 7.39: A wife is bound as long as her husband is alive. But if her husband should fall asleep in death, she is free to be married to whomever she wants, only in the Lord.)
In harmony with that counsel, dedicated Christians are urged to seek marriage mates only among those who are “in the Lord.”
What is the meaning of the expression “in the Lord” and the related expression “in Christ”? Paul speaks of individuals who were “in Christ” or “in the Lord” at and
(Romans 16.8-10: Give my greetings to Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. Greet Apelles, the approved one in Christ. Greet those from the household of Aristobulus.)
(Colossians 4.7: Tychicus, my beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me.)
If you read those verses, you will see that such ones are ‘fellow workers,’ ‘approved ones,’ ‘beloved brothers,’ ‘faithful ministers,’ and ‘fellow slaves.’
When does one become a “slave in the Lord”? That happens when he willingly does what a slave has to do and disowns himself. Jesus explains: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and continually follow me.”
(Matthew 16.24: Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and keep following me.)
A person begins to follow Christ and fully subject himself to the will of God when he dedicates himself to God. Thereafter, he offers himself for baptism and becomes an ordained minister with an approved standing before Jehovah God. So, then, to ‘marry in the Lord’ means to marry someone who has demonstrated that he is truly a believer, a dedicated “slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”-
(James 1.1: James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes that are scattered about: Greetings!)
A person who is studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses and who is making fine spiritual progress is to be commended. However, he has not yet dedicated himself to Jehovah and committed himself to a life of service and sacrifice. He is still making necessary changes. He needs to complete the major changes involved in becoming a dedicated, baptized Christian before contemplating another major life change, such as marriage.
Would it be advisable for a Christian to pursue courtship with someone who seems to be making good progress in his Bible study-perhaps with the intention of waiting until he gets baptized before marrying him? No. The motives of a Bible student could well become confused if he is aware that a dedicated Christian wants to marry him but will not do so until he is baptized.
For the most part, an individual is an unbaptized publisher only for a limited period of time, until he progresses to the point of baptism. So the above counsel to marry only in the Lord is not unreasonable. What, though, if someone is of marriageable age, has been brought up in a Christian family, has been active in the congregation for a number of years, and serves as an unbaptized publisher? Well, what has held him back from giving his life to Jehovah in dedication? Why does he hesitate? Does he have doubts? While he is not an unbeliever, he cannot be spoken of as being “in the Lord.”
Paul’s counsel on marriage is for our benefit.
(Isaiah 48.17: This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk.)
When both prospective mates have dedicated themselves to Jehovah, their commitment to each other in marriage has a solid, spiritual foundation. They share the same values and the same goals. This greatly contributes to a happy union. Moreover, by ‘marrying in the Lord,’ one shows loyalty to Jehovah, and that leads to enduring blessings, for “with someone loyal [Jehovah] will act in loyalty.”-
(Psalm 18.25: With someone loyal you act in loyalty; With the blameless man you deal blamelessly;)
[End of article.]