Today, in America, we live in a society where dreams can easily become a reality. In this fostering society of the entrepreneurial spirit, a hurdle is often faced, or a question is raised by Christians entering into the business world. “When is it okay for me to work for, do business with, or enter into business with a non-believer?” With proper understanding of scripture and the nature of the Gospel, I believe that while we can not make it black and white, we can definitely put some heavy contrast in the shades of gray. However, you should be prayerful about any and all decisions in life, following the promptings of the Holy Spirit prior to and after reading a random blog post.
Having now identified the question, I believe there are a few scriptures that pertain to these situations. However, there are some differing opinions on whether the most relevant scripture in the Bible is indeed relevant. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14 the Apostle Paul writes “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”. Some students of the Word would say that this scripture simply describes seeking out marriage or intimate relationships with non-believers. This may be a fair and accurate statement, but I feel it warrants a deeper look. But first, let me address a few issues that this text does not speak to, so we can avoid confusion and the verse being taken out of context. Firstly, this verse is not a call to divorce your unsaved spouse. Paul has already given the command to “marry only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39), but if you have already married an unbeliever Paul clearly states in (1 Corinthians 7:12-14), that if you are married to an unbelieving spouse, you should not divorce but pray for them. Secondly, I do not think the scripture concerning “being yoked” is a call to isolate ourselves from the world. We are clearly taught in scripture that we are to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:13-16) and it is impossible to avoid the world without leaving it (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).
Now that we have determined what the verse is not telling us, we can work towards determining what it is saying. Right from the start, I feel it pertinent to exegete a few words in this scripture that have a direct affect on how we interpret this verse, “unevenly yoked”. This word in the Greek is “heterozugeo” Strong's # 2086. It is a compound of Strong's #'s 2087 and 2218 and could mean to “yoke up differently”, to “associate with discordantly” or to be “unequally yoked with”. I think the context of the scripture here fits clearly with the used definition in the ESV translation and that is how we will address it from here. So what does it mean to be “unequally yoked” to an unbeliever? Well if we examine the context and contents of this scripture we can see that there is spiritual context here, “what has the light to do with darkness” vs 14, “What accord has Christ with Belial?” vs 15 and so forth. That point taken, perhaps we should look for other scriptural references. Like any good Christian, I would immediately look to the reference section of one of my study bibles. There I would be pointed to (Deuteronomy 22:10), where we see some very similar language. The verse reads, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together”. Why wouldn't you plow with an ox and a donkey together? Well, the first reason that would come to mind, for anybody who has plowed with an animal, yes I have, is that these two animals keep a very different pace. The second thing that would come to mind is that motivation for these two beasts would be different as well. So to yoke up these animals would prove folly for the man doing the plowing, and maybe even dangerous to one of the animals yoked.
Geoff Ashley resident theologian at “The Village Church” wrote a positional paper on marriage titled “Should A Believer Marry An Unbeliever?” In it he cites the passage from 2 Corinthians 6 and suggests that its context “has applications beyond marriage”. I agree whole heartedly with Geoff here, especially after considering the context of these scriptures. I think that these sacred words definitely apply to Christians considering going into business with a non believer. This scripture implies that there is a great difference between a believer and a non-believer. Biblically, the goals, motivations, methods, and general demeanor are completely different for a believer than from the rest of the world. The verses listed above, would imply that we are speaking of intimate relationships here. What is more intimate than sharing or attempting to work together towards a common mission for a business?
Reflecting on the what we have discussed so far, I think each of us will have to examine our motives and goals for our business choices, by being prayerful by consulting God the Spirit in these matters. If our business is to be a ministry, if the goals of our employment are intimate and we use our employ as a ministry, then I think it much more wise to be yoked to another believer in these situations. If you are only at your job as a source of income, by all means, do all things as though unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23), but do not feel compelled to quit your job just because your boss is not a believer. I can see where some confusion would occur, but I think the overall theme of scripture is clear and this verse clearly points us in a general direction, but again I can't stress enough how important it is to heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit in this life. He is our guide and gift! All that said, I would like to conclude this “positional” with some qualifying questions. Questions one might ask to gauge just where their employ and mission cross paths, so that we send you away with some tools for probing and assessment.
Are the fruits of my labor measured by any type of response to the Gospel?
Is this a business that I own and intend to operate under Christian ethics?
Do my mission efforts exist completely outside of the context of my employ?
Is my reputation directly affected by the actions of another person?
If my reputation is affected by the actions of another, are they a believer?
