This article is a specific application of a right understanding of our fellowship with God.

In previous articles I have talked about biblical fellowship.  Fellowship is sharing with other believers.  We share in a relationship that God has put us in.  We share in a partnership - a team - that God has put us on.  We share in spiritual conversation (communion).  We share our material wealth and possessions to selflessly meet each others needs.  We have all these things because we are believers.  As believers we are part of the same family, the same body.  We all share in Christ.  We all have the same goal, the same responsibilities, and the same resources.  The basis for our fellowship with each other is our fellowship with Christ.  If we do not have fellowship with God and with Christ then we cannot have true fellowship with others.  This is because we are not in a true relationship with each other.  We are not on the same team as anyone else (we fight for our own team - "ME").  We have nothing to say to others - we have no true wisdom outside of Christ.  We have no true humility to selflessly meet the needs of others.  But, if we are 'in Christ' (i.e. saved), then we have all that we need to enjoy sweet fellowship with other believers!

So, we can have fellowship with other believers - other members of the family, but what is the believer’s attitude toward fellowship with unbelievers?   

We know we have a relationship with other believers, but what do we have with unbelievers?  The implication is that we have no relationship with them.  We are not on the same team.  This is in fact the case. 

And, further, since we have no relationship with them, we should not try to ‘relate’ to them.  We should not try to grow a relationship, or experience a relationship with them.  We should not pursue friendship or intimacy with them. 

Since we have no partnership with them, we should not consider ourselves ‘teammates’ in life.  We should not ‘look for what we have in common with them’ but remember what we ‘don’t have in common with them.’ 

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to remind them of these very truths.  The Corinthians had been seeking this friendship – this on-going fellowship – with unbelievers. 

Paul had warned them of the danger of this in 1 Corinthians 15.33.  He said, 

1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”  

Apparently, the people did not listen.  Paul had to go into much greater detail to explain to them the perspective that the believer should have about seeking fellowship with unbelievers.  Look at 2 Corinthians 6.14-18. 

We are looking at the biblical perspective of fellowship between believers and unbelievers. As you read on, you must remember what true, biblical fellowship is.  It is not merely 'talking.'  It is not eating together one time.  Talking is an important part of fellowship.  Eating together could also be very helpful.  However, true fellowship is based on a true relationship based on Christ and a true partnership having been truly put on the Christ's team.  Because we have a relationship and partnership together, we have abilities and responsibilities - fellowship.  We share with each other.  We have something to share:

• Christ empowers us to give encourage and comfort to others with HIS truth. 

• Christ hears our prayers when we pray for others.  We give to others when we pray for them.

• We are rich in Christ - we have MUCH to share!

However, fellowship is more than just giving.  It is also receiving.  God put us in a relationship and partnership with other believers in order that we would receive from them.  Other believers have something to share:

• Christ empowers them to give encourage and comfort to us with HIS truth. 

• Christ hears their prayers when they pray for us.  They give to us when they pray for us.

• They are rich in Christ - they have MUCH to share!

As a Christian, you should be giving to believers and unbelievers (your first responsibility is to believers though - Galations 6.10).  You should not be setting yourself up to recieve from unbelievers what they think you need.  Unbelievers are not rich in Christ.  They do not have wisdom from God.  They do not have the same goals and desires.  Their prayers are not heard (except of course, their prayer of repentence).  They have no true understanding of what your needs are.  Their words of comfort are based on selfish, sinful, prideful wisdom. 

Look at how the Apostle Paul spells all this out.  What is the biblical perspective of fellowship between believers and unbelievers?

The perspective is summed up in 2 principles.  Here is the first one.

1. You are "ridiculously wrong" to seek fellowship with unbelievers. 

Notice the word ‘ridiculously.’  As Paul goes on to explain, it is absurd to think that a believer and an unbeliever can even coexist.  Certainly, to pursue fellowship for true, biblical fellowship’s sake is crazy.  

However, it is not only ridiculous, it is just flat out wrong.  Paul is giving a command here.   

Why is it ridiculously wrong?  Paul explains - It is an unequal yoke.  Having read these words, the Corinthians would have most likely thought of a particular OT law. 

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

To put an ox and a donkey together would be ridiculous and wrong.  For a Jew the donkey was 'unclean' and the ox 'clean.'  Besides that, the animals have two different natures.  They would not work well together.  It would be cruel to put them together.   

So, why is fellowship with an unbeliever ridiculous and wrong? 

You are complete opposites (v.14).  How are you (as a Christian) an opposite from an unbeliever?

(1) You are on different teams. Paul uses a word meaning ‘partnership’ to let them know they are on two different teams.  How can you work together?  You have a big “R” on your jersey.  You play for righteousness.  The unbeliever wears a “U.”  He plays for unrighteousness.  You oppose each other.  He wants righteousness to lose.  You want unrighteousness to lose. 

For people from 2 different teams to work at a friendship, they have to set aside the fact that they are on 2 different teams.  Paul is saying that we need to remember that we are on different teams. 

It makes sense to fellowship with your teammates.  It should be natural. 

Do you find it easier to make friends with unbelievers or believers?  Do you appreciate them both the same?  Should we ask what team you are really on? 

(2) You live in different realms. Paul refers to light and darkness.  These are often use to point to holiness and unholiness in daily living.  Paul says in Colossians 1.13 that... 

Colossians 1:13
[God] rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son 

After we are brought into the kingdom of light, we walk in the light.  We do not walk in the darkness. 

1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  

A true Christian is characterized by walking in the light, and the believer never steps outside of the darkness.  Ephesians 2.1 says that unbelievers live their whole lives in the sphere of sin.  He never steps outside the ‘circle of sin.’ 

It is ridiculous to for light to share with darkness.  Only contamination will occur – and, that is exactly what happens.  Believers that insist on maintaining and cultivating friendships with unbelievers have ‘corrupted morals’ as Paul predicted in 1 Corinthians 15.33.  They are believers that hide their lights under a bushel. 

The unbeliever lives in a different sphere.  If you are receiving from them, it is contaminated. 

Pursuing fellowship with an unbeliever is ridiculously wrong because you are opposites.  Here is another reason.

You could never complement each other (v.15). Paul uses the word ‘harmony’ in verse 15.  The Greek work looks like ‘symphony.’  This helps us to understand what Paul is trying to tell us.  In a symphony many instruments play together.  They each play in order to complement another.  No one joins the group if they think they can sound better alone.  On the contrary, they join the symphony so that they can produce something better.   

Paul says this kind of thinking when it comes to believers fellowshipping with unbelievers is ridiculous.  You don’t want to help the unbeliever’s song to sound better.  He needs to quit playing his song and learn another one.  You don’t want to get help from an unbeliever to play your song.  He has nothing to give you.

(1) You have different leaders. You are led by Christ and by His Spirit.  He is led by Satan.  The unbeliever lives according to the Prince of the Power of the Air (Ephesians 2.1-3).    These two leaders are conducting two different orchestras.  What leader/conductor are you following? 

(2) You have different lives.Your lives are radically different. You have life-giving power from God. Your spiritual life is generated by Christ.  We saw this in our study of John 15.  There Jesus explained that only those that are genuinely attached to the true vine will experience life and growth and fruit-bearing.  

While you have life-giving power from God, he is disconnected from the branch. The unbeliever has no true life.  He has no power.  He is in slavery to sin.  He has no spiritual life.  He is eternally dead.   

How can a dead branch complement a living branch?  He just makes it look ugly.   

Pursuing fellowship with an unbeliever is ridiculously wrong because you are complete opposites.  In addition to that…

You each have prior commitments (v.16).

The apostle Paul wants us to remember these prior commitments.  You see, it is possible to forget that you are committed to something, and that the unbeliever is committed to anything.  In fact, many might even think an unbeliever isn't committed to anything, but he is.

You are committed to God, which is a commitment to hate idols. This is the commitment to follow Christ which is a reception of the gospel.

He is committed to idols, which is a commitment to hate God. Paul reminds us that an unbeliever is committed to idols.  He is loyal to the gods of pleasure, money, etc.  He is always loyal to himself.

So, we have seen the first principle regarding the perpective a believer should have about fellowship with unbelievers.  It is ridiculously wrong to pursue fellowship with them.  Here is the second principle.

2. You are to pursue a separation from unbelievers and unto God. 

We are to remain separate from unbelievers.  We are to focus on those relationships, and make sure that we remain separate. 

We are at the same time to be separated unto God.  When we do this, the promise is that He will welcome us.  When we avoid fellowship with unbelievers and seek closer fellowship with God, He will give it to us! 

Conclusion

So, what does this mean?  You may be thinking, what is fellowship and what is not?  Here are some practical applications of Paul's words: 

• Do not 'partner together' with others in ministry when doctrine is played down.  There are many parachurch ministries that don't require those involved in the ministry to be clear on the gospel.  Because they don't require this, you will find people of many denominations that come together for the ministry.  Having many denominations together is not necessarily wrong for having a 'partnership in the gospel' (fellowship), but it is when people come from certain denominations that deny the true gospel.  For example, if the person believes it is okay to worship and pray (a form of worship) to someone else other than God, like Mary, that is a gospel issue!  If the person agrees that you can earn God's favor by taking Mass, that is a gospel issue!  Catholocism teaches both of these things.  Catholocism denies the true gospel.  If a person claims that 'he has never heard these things at his Catholic Church,' it is necessary to require that the person leave the church having received correct information about what his priest and church profess to believe. 
• Do not attempt to worship with others that deny important doctrines of the faith – the gospel.  Worship conferences are becoming more popular these days.  Who are you worshipping with?  Are they believers?  Do any profess to believe something contrary to the gospel?  Do those leading in worship allow people that profess a false gospel to worship with them?
• Do not seek a friendship for friendship’s sake with an unbeliever.  The Bible does not forbid friendship with an unbeliever for the sake of evangelism.  "Friendship evangelism" is not necessarily wrong.  What is wrong, is friendship for friendship's sake.  Friendship evangelism is a relationship of you giving and the other person receiving.  Who is giving the advice?  Who is receiving the advice?  Who is cheering up who?  Believer's relationships with other believers should always be for the goal of giving the gospel to the unbeliever.  That does not necessarily mean that every conversation will be about the gospel, but that is always the goal.  If the gospel is not your focus, what is your focus?  What else would you want to give them?  What else would you want to get from them?   Consider every ‘fun’ time with an unbeliever to be an opportunity to share the gospel.  Don’t have a 'give-take' relationship with an unbeliever.  Have only a 'give' relationship.
• Do not seek comfort and encouragement from an unbeliever.
• Do not look for joy and satisfaction from an unbeliever.
• Do not date someone unless he/she is obviously a Christian.  Do not marry someone unless he/she is obviously a Christian.
• If a person rejects the gospel over and over again, ask yourself why you would get together with them 'by choice' again.

Evaluate your relationships with unbelievers.  If you are choosing to hang around them without the main goal of sharing the gospel with them, then you have some other goal.  What is the goal?  If you are trying to give them something else, what is it?  Why would you give that to them instead of the gospel?  Are you merely trying to help them live a comfortable life on earth without caring about their eternal state?  How could you be that unloving?  Don't make it look like life is okay without God.  Don't make it look like eternity is not important.  Set apart Christ as Lord in your heart (1 Peter 3.15).

Perhaps, you are thinking that you hang out with the person 'just for fun.'  Again, why would you not be trying to share the gospel?  Where is your heart for God?  There is another issue with having a relationship 'just for fun.'  It is natural in any relationship to share ideas, desires, goals, opinions, values, etc.  Certainly, in your time of 'having fun' you are exchanging words that communicate ideas, desires,...  Are you 'receiving' or 'giving?'  If you are only 'giving,' then certainly you would begin with the gospel.  Why would you give wisdom about politics without giving the gospel?  Why try to help people be moral without the gospel?  It is impossible. 

Chances are pretty good that you are 'receiving' more than you think if you are not intentionally giving them the gospel. 

1 Corinthians 15:33: Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”  

 

Proverbs 28.23: He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

 

Proverbs 14.7: Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

 

Proverbs 27.6: The kisses of an enemy may be profuse, but faithful are the wounds of a friend.

One final question for you if you really enjoy 'having fun' with an unbeliever (or unbelievers):  What do you find so attractive?  What do you find in the unbeliever that you need so much?  What does he find that you can't find in an believer?

1 John 2.15-17: Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not fromt he Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

It is ridiculously wrong to pursue fellowship (give-take relationships) with unbelievers.  You are instead to pursue a separation from them and a separation unto God.