Be Ye Not Unequally Yoked With Unbelievers

[Standing Firm In Christ]

2 Corinthians 6:14 (KJV) 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:15 (KJV) 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

2 Corinthians 6:16 (KJV) 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV) 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,

2 Corinthians 6:18 (KJV) 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 

 

[Genevanpreacher]

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,

4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

 

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

 

Edited June 21, 2015 by Genevanpreacher

[Miss Daisy]

I too, can copy and paste verses from the Bible all day. I'm assuming you're referring to not wasting our time debating an atheist? 

[Standing Firm In Christ]

The atheist admits growing up in Church.  He's received seed and the seed has been watered.  Only God can give the increase.

 

ever planted a garden?  Too much seed in one mound is fruitless.  Likewise, too much water drowns a seed.  Best to stop seeding and watering and let God do his work.

 

 

[Miss Daisy]

Hopefully, we've planted some seeds that will one day bear Holy fruit and given him something to think about. I think he left because he was the one who was unable to answer our questions and/ or God's working in him a lot and he doesn't want to make the decision to follow Christ but wants to be able to tell himself that we weren't able to answer HIS questions so it's our fault if he doesn't follow God.

[Saintnow]

Hopefully, we've planted some seeds that will one day bear Holy fruit and given him something to think about. I think he left because he was the one who was unable to answer our questions and/ or God's working in him a lot and he doesn't want to make the decision to follow Christ but wants to be able to tell himself that we weren't able to answer HIS questions so it's our fault if he doesn't follow God.

yep...he left with a blanket insult against Christians blaming them for not entertaining him enough for him to hang around....acting like we want him to leave and burn in Hell rather than to listen to God and be saved from it.  He doesn't want to hear what the Bible says about him and his beliefs, he heard enough of it in his fundamental upbringing.  He's only trying to work up the nerve to come out of the closet among his family and fundamental friends as an atheist.  Sooner or later they will find out his unbelief by his own words and actions. 

[John81]

yep...he left with a blanket insult against Christians blaming them for not entertaining him enough for him to hang around....acting like we want him to leave and burn in Hell rather than to listen to God and be saved from it.  He doesn't want to hear what the Bible says about him and his beliefs, he heard enough of it in his fundamental upbringing.  He's only trying to work up the nerve to come out of the closet among his family and fundamental friends as an atheist.  Sooner or later they will find out his unbelief by his own words and actions. 

Sadly, if his family doesn't know of his unbelief that means he's been faking being a Christian, maybe even presenting himself as somewhat of a "good Christian". Being duplicitous seems to be a character trait for this one.

[Ukulelemike]

Did I miss something? I feel like I missed something. What did I miss?

 

[TheSword]

The atheist admits growing up in Church.  He's received seed and the seed has been watered.  Only God can give the increase.

 

ever planted a garden?  Too much seed in one mound is fruitless.  Likewise, too much water drowns a seed.  Best to stop seeding and watering and let God do his work.

 

 

I respectfully disagree. The seed that does not grow is destroyed and no longer capable of growth. Some fall by the wayside and are snatched up, some begin to sprout but die because the roots were shallow, some get scorched because there's no root at all, and some are choked out by the surrounding weeds/thorns. Those seeds are no longer in play. (Matt 13:1-8) 

The ground must be tilled and sown again for there to be anything watered or increased. I've planted many gardens and you don't just throw up your hands and walk away when it looks bad. You dig in and do whatever it takes, up to and including starting over, to make the garden hospitable for growth until the garden is no longer yours to tend.

In my opinion, best to till, seed, water, fertilize, weed, prune, and balance as long as you have a garden.

[Ukulelemike]

I respectfully disagree. The seed that does not grow is destroyed and no longer capable of growth. Some fall by the wayside and are snatched up, some begin to sprout but die because the roots were shallow, some get scorched because there's no root at all, and some are choked out by the surrounding weeds/thorns. Those seeds are no longer in play. (Matt 13:1-8) 

The ground must be tilled and sown again for there to be anything watered or increased. I've planted many gardens and you don't just throw up your hands and walk away when it looks bad. You dig in and do whatever it takes, up to and including starting over, to make the garden hospitable for growth until the garden is no longer yours to tend.

In my opinion, best to till, seed, water, fertilize, weed, prune, and balance as long as you have a garden.

Actually, by recent experience, I find that not to be completely true.

I have been tending to my garden lately, and in my garden bow where I planted my tomatoes this year, I found something I didn't expect in there among them: a bean. Now, I haven't planted beans in three years, in that box, or anywhere. Yet there it is, a bean sprouting up. Apparently it has been dormant since we didn't water or compost the box the last couple years. But this years as we planted, we put in more compost, minerals and lots of water, and lo and behold, a bean is growing where no bean was planted since three years back.

So that tells me that seed CAN go dormant and wait until a better nourishing and water is come. And the word of God is the greatest seed of all. So if the seed doesn't grow, keep nourishing it and loving it and watering it, and maybe the Lord will do something unexpected with it.

[TheSword]

Actually, by recent experience, I find that not to be completely true.

I have been tending to my garden lately, and in my garden bow where I planted my tomatoes this year, I found something I didn't expect in there among them: a bean. Now, I haven't planted beans in three years, in that box, or anywhere. Yet there it is, a bean sprouting up. Apparently it has been dormant since we didn't water or compost the box the last couple years. But this years as we planted, we put in more compost, minerals and lots of water, and lo and behold, a bean is growing where no bean was planted since three years back.

So that tells me that seed CAN go dormant and wait until a better nourishing and water is come. And the word of God is the greatest seed of all. So if the seed doesn't grow, keep nourishing it and loving it and watering it, and maybe the Lord will do something unexpected with it.

Certainly, but the premise I'm getting at is not to give up on the garden, especially since it belongs to God. Just as you said, "keep nourishing it and loving it and watering it." We are not at liberty to stop working until the Master calls us home.

[Standing Firm In Christ]

Actually, by recent experience, I find that not to be completely true.

I have been tending to my garden lately, and in my garden bow where I planted my tomatoes this year, I found something I didn't expect in there among them: a bean. Now, I haven't planted beans in three years, in that box, or anywhere. Yet there it is, a bean sprouting up. Apparently it has been dormant since we didn't water or compost the box the last couple years. But this years as we planted, we put in more compost, minerals and lots of water, and lo and behold, a bean is growing where no bean was planted since three years back.

So that tells me that seed CAN go dormant and wait until a better nourishing and water is come. And the word of God is the greatest seed of all. So if the seed doesn't grow, keep nourishing it and loving it and watering it, and maybe the Lord will do something unexpected with it.

this reminds me of when I moved to a thirty-nine acre farm in Coleridge, NC back in 1993.  Now, the farmland had been uninhabited for nearly four years.  Yet, while setting up parameters for a fence where the horses would be corralled, I happened across an interesting thing... A pumpkin on a vine!  Around sixteen inches in diameter and fully ripe.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Standing Firm In Christ

[John81]

Professor was pointed to Christ many times but he had no interest in the Gospel, no interest in the state of his soul, his only interest was in wanting people to debate with and even then he didn't want to actually debate, he simply wanted to present his opinions and then reject out of hand anything opposed to them.

He fled because he didn't want to face the most important matter in his life. Seeds have obviously been planted in him by others, it seems like there has been watering in his life, and he received both again here as well.