Last time, we concluded with a question: “Is yoking an ox with a donkey unequal?” The answer is yes! But why is that? The Word of God in Deuteronomy provides clarity: “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together” (Deuteronomy 22:10, ESV).

This is one of the ceremonial laws God gave to His people. As we discussed earlier, these ceremonial laws carried spiritual significance, teaching the Israelites the importance of purity and holiness. While some of these laws may no longer seem relevant to us or hold direct significance to our Christian faith today, Deuteronomy 22:10 provides insights that help us understand Paul’s message: “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” (2 Corinthians 6:14a, ESV).

So, let’s examine this in detail. Any farmer knows that the first step to effectively yoke two animals for plowing is to ensure that the animals are relatively equal in body size, nature, and stride length.

An ox is naturally large in body size and volume. It consumes a significant amount of grass, hay, or grain at a time to sustain its strength. Oxen primarily feed on green plants, though not all types of greenery. They are designed to handle heavy labor, such as plowing fields or carrying heavy loads like a yoke. Oxen move slowly and methodically, enabling them to work efficiently without undue strain. They are generally cooperative and can be easily trained to work as part of a team.

A donkey, on the other hand, has a relatively small and lightweight structure, making it ideal for lighter loads and transporting goods and people over long distances. Donkeys have remarkable endurance, particularly for traversing uneven terrain. They are agile and tend to move quickly, allowing them to navigate varied landscapes with ease. However, donkeys are naturally less cooperative in teamwork, often exhibiting independence and stubbornness. They have a broad diet that includes shrubs and tougher vegetation, which contributes to their notoriously unpleasant breath. In fact, this foul breath can be harmful—even lethal—to an ox if the two are yoked together.

Do I really need to state the obvious conclusion? An ox and a donkey should never be yoked together! Of course not, because they are not equal partners. If they were forced to work together, both would suffer with every step they take.

Just as it is for the ox and the donkey, so it is for a believer being “yoked” with an unbeliever, especially in marriage. Both will suffer because believers and unbelievers are fundamentally different by nature. Unbelievers are those born of their mother and father, while believers experience a second birth. This second birth, in addition to their natural one, gives believers a new and distinct nature that sets them apart from unbelievers.

The Word of God describes believers in Jesus Christ this way: “He [Jesus] came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11-13, ESV).

The Bible refers to unbelievers, who have not experienced the second birth through the Spirit of God, as “natural persons.” In contrast, it describes believers as “spiritual persons.”

As the Bible states: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15, ESV).

Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who was trying to understand who Jesus truly was on his own:

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’” (John 3:1-3, 6 ESV)

Just as there is a natural, created difference between an ox and a donkey, there is a profound difference between believers and unbelievers. They are two distinct beings with different purposes, diets, and destinies. The daily sustenance of believers is the Word of God, while unbelievers feed on anything but the Word of God. Believers live with their focus on eternal life—the life to come—while unbelievers live solely for this world, awaiting death.

Believers, alongside their Savior, also need the support of other believers to journey with them in their pilgrimage. Their second birth often brings added burdens and sufferings in this life, making encouragement and partnership with fellow believers essential. But if believers marry unbelievers, how can they find encouragement and comfort from those who are spiritually dead? They simply cannot.

It is critically important for a married couple to share the same faith, as faith serves as the foundation influencing all major decisions—where to live, when to have children, how to raise them, what schools to choose, and much more. When couples are unequally yoked, meaning they have different faiths, their marriages often face significant challenges.

Adam Clarke (1762–1832, UK) offered this insight on such marriages:

“A very wise and very holy man gave his judgment on this point: ‘A man who is truly pious, marrying an unconverted woman, will either draw back to perdition or carry a cross throughout life.’ The same can be said of a pious woman marrying an unconverted man. Such individuals cannot sincerely pray the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation,” as they plunge into it by their own choice.”

Such a sobering thought!

Here is the full passage that warns Christians against partnering (or marrying) unbelievers:

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.’” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18, ESV)

Simply put, the Word of God clearly warns believers never even to entertain the idea of partnering with unbelievers.

That being said, I want to conclude this discussion on unequal partnerships with the following passage. This is to ensure that no one interprets this discussion as a justification for divorcing their unbelieving spouse if they are already married to one:

“…if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases, the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” (1 Corinthians 7:12b-16, ESV) . . . cont’d ///