Maybe you’ve heard the verse in second Corinthians that says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV)

I’ve seen a lot of people on social media use this verse and they use it out of context and in the wrong way. One woman made a video called “How to be a holy girl” and it talked about things like ‘girls’ shorts must be knee-length’ and ‘you can’t be friends with or be around unbelievers‘ and a whole lot of other things that are not even relevant to being a ‘holy girl.’

But the part about being friends with unbelievers stuck out to me. She used the verse from 2 Corinthians as a reference and a lot of people in the comments were like “You’ve provided so much clarity! So much wisdom in what you said.”

Y’all, her statement about unbelievers? This is literally blasphemy.

This woman apparently has never read any of the four the Gospels. If she read at least one of those books–Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John–she would have seen Jesus being friends, healing, talking to, and dining with these unbelievers! That was His mission–to heal the sick and save the lost.

Now, what Paul wrote can be commonly confused. I’m not diminishing this woman for her opinion, but I am saying that it’s wrong. Because it is wrong!

Before I explain what Paul is really saying, look at the image below. It’s two oxen, strapped together with something called a ‘yoke.’

When the oxen wear a yoke, they must move at the same pace. They are connected, and learn to understand each other at such a level that they work together in all that they do.

When Paul uses the word ‘yoked’ in his letters, he is referring to this farming tool. He is saying, “Do not be connected with an unbeliever like this, it will restrict your faith.”

He’s not saying, “Don’t be friends with unbelievers.” That doesn’t make sense! One huge point of Christianity is to reach others with the love of God who haven’t been reached. You can’t do that if you don’t know any unbelievers.

To add onto that, you’ll never learn if you’re only friends with Christians.

I’ve learned so many things about other religions from my non-Christian friends. I’ve learned why they aren’t a Christian, why they believe what they believe, and I’ve been able to learn how to better approach a conversation about Christ with unbelieving friends.

There’s nothing wrong with having non-Christian friends, but we are not supposed to be yoked with them. Their life choices, their beliefs, can easily impact our faith and our beliefs in negative ways.

So in conclusion: nonbeliever friends are amazing, and Christian friends are amazing too.

I hope this made sense! Thanks for reading. <3
~Willow