I am deeply thankful and grateful for God’s grace and mercy that allow me to be here today to continue the “Marriage is Spiritual” series. In our last post, we concluded with a posing one question: “What happens, for instance, if a farmer decides to yoke a donkey and an ox together?”

However, I feel like I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself, so I want to take a step back to address an important point before tackling that question. As you know, we are still working to understand one key verse: “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14, ESV)

The word “yoked” from the above verse led us back to the Old Testament to understand its implications, prompting us to cross-reference it with Deuteronomy 22:10, which states, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” Before exploring the reasons why God’s Word forbids His people from yoking an ox and a donkey together, we first need to ask about the purpose of this law and similar ones.

As you may already know from the Bible, God created a nation from the lineage of one man, Abraham, and called that nation Israel. God chose this nation from among all others for His own glory. The people of God were enslaved, serving Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Through Moses, God delivered them from Egypt with a mighty hand, overcoming all who resisted their exodus. You can read this story in detail in the first five books of the Bible, particularly in the Book of Exodus.

God brought His people out of Egypt, not to leave them in the wilderness but, to give them a land that was, at the time, occupied by wicked and sinful people who had rejected God and His repeated calls to repentance. As an act of judgment, God commanded His people to destroy these nations and take possession of their land. However, this process was challenging, primarily due to the fear and unbelief of God’s people. During this extended journey to bring His people to the land of the pagan nations, there was a significant risk of them mingling with these nations and adopting their sinful lifestyles. To safeguard them, God gave His people what is now referred to as the “Ceremonial Law,” designed to ensure they remained completely free from the influences of these sinful cultures. Some examples of these laws include:

“You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.” (Deuteronomy 22:9-11, ESV)

This law was intended to teach God’s people about purity and holiness, encouraging them to separate and purify themselves from sinful and wicked lifestyles so they could glorify God and honor His name. Their calling was a call to holiness, as emphasized in Scripture:

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’” (Leviticus 19:1-2, ESV)

Did God’s people obey all His laws—Ceremonial, Moral, and Civil—and become the holy people they were called to be? No, they did not. In every aspect of their lives, they strayed, rebelling against God and His laws and turning to worship the idols of the pagan nations around them.

Why did they disobey? Because they were descendants of fallen Adam, inheriting a sin nature that rejects God and His Word. Was there any hope for them, then? Yes, there was only one hope. From Genesis 3:15 onward, God had promised to save them by sending a Messiah, a Savior. Those who placed their hope in the coming Messiah, believing and trusting in God and His Word, passed from this life into the next to be with God.

Then the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4, ESV).

After completing all the work assigned to Him by His Father, Jesus ascended to heaven, promising to return and take with Him those who believe in His substitutionary work on the cross on their behalf. Does God’s call to holiness change for us, who now live under the New Testament, because Christ has come?

No! God is immutable—He does not change. His call for His people in the Old Testament remains the same for His people in the New Testament. Peter, addressing those who believe in Jesus Christ, reinforces this by quoting Leviticus 19:2:

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16, ESV)

How can people in the New Testament remain holy? Is it by striving to keep the Ceremonial Law and other laws that God gave to the people of the Old Testament? No! Because, as we remember, every human being born of Adam has a sin nature, whether living under the Old Testament or the New. Did God change His Ceremonial Law for New Testament believers? No, for God is unchanging, and so is His Word. His Word is eternal.

Now the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came for His people to live a pure, holy, and obedient life before God on their behalf, perfectly fulfilling all of God’s laws. He also came to bear the penalty for their sins and transgressions. Jesus said,

“And so for their sake and on their behalf I sanctify (dedicate, consecrate) Myself, that they also may be sanctified (dedicated, consecrated, made holy) in the Truth.” (John 17:19, AMPC).

Therefore, Jesus fulfilled all of God’s laws on behalf of His people and became their righteousness. Paul writes:

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31, ESV).

Did you catch that? Jesus Christ Himself became for us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption from God! He died the death we deserved, lived a righteous, pure, and holy life on our behalf, and continues to live eternally so that we, too, may live eternally in Him. Does this mean we have no part in our salvation? Absolutely not! Not even a single part! Theologians refer to this as “Monergism”—the belief that salvation is entirely the work of God alone, without any cooperation or contribution from humans.

However, this does not mean that Jesus believes in God on behalf of His people, allowing them to live however they choose simply because Jesus has done it all for them.

Remember, God’s call is unchanging—He calls His people to live in holiness and purity. While God does all the transformative work in a believer’s life—giving them a new heart, pouring out His Spirit, and granting grace and anointing—it is the believer’s responsibility to live out or “work out” what God has worked within them. As the Word of God says:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, WORK OUT your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who WORKS IN you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13, ESV, capitalization added for emphasis)

Yes, salvation belongs solely to the Lord. However, providing evidence of saving faith and living a life for the glory of God are the believer’s responsibilities. For instance, God does not read, study, or meditate on His Word on behalf of believers—they must do this themselves. God has already given them everything they need to live a life that honors and glorifies Him, as it is written:

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3-4, ESV).

So, for singles who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God instructs:

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14, ESV)

Unequally yoked? What does this really mean in practice? The Word of God provides a clear illustration:

“You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” (Deuteronomy 22:10, ESV)

Is yoking an ox with a donkey unequal? Yes! Why is that? . . . cont’d ///