2 Corinthians 6 Discussion

Grace can be offered, heard, and even admired and still be wasted. That’s the tension we sit with as we open 2 Corinthians 6 and follow Paul’s urgent words: don’t receive the grace of God in vain, because now is the day of salvation. We talk honestly about the difference between being around Christian things and actually trusting Jesus, and why Scripture refuses to let us settle for a “close enough” spirituality.

From there we dig into one of the most misunderstood passages in Christian relationships: “do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” Yes, it matters for marriage, but Paul’s point reaches farther into business partnerships, church influence, and any setup where someone else can pull your conscience away from Christ. We break down what a yoke is, why shared direction matters, and how a believer can work alongside non-believers without getting bound to compromise or coerced into celebrating what Scripture calls sin.

We also explore Paul’s stunning view of the church as the temple of the living God, built on Old Testament promises that now describe Christ’s people. That identity fuels holiness, separation from idolatry, and a deep sense of God’s presence: he dwells with us, walks among us, and calls us sons and daughters. Along the way we reflect on Paul’s list of hardships as a mark of real ministry, and the emotional realism of being sorrowful yet always rejoicing.

If you care about biblical discipleship, Christian holiness, and practical wisdom for relationships, work, and culture, this conversation will sharpen you. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re applying this week.

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Transcript

Welcome And Chapter Roadmap

Pastor Plek 0:10

And welcome back to a chapter day. Keeps the devil away. I'm Pastor Plek. That's Pastor Holland. We're talking 2 Corinthians chapter 6. We're going to outline it. We're going to observe it, interpret, and then apply it so that you and Jesus can walk all day, today, on your way. All right, so here it is, verses 1 through 2. It's an urgent appeal. Do not receive God's grace in vain. Then verses 3 through 10, we're going to talk about the approved nature of Paul's ministry. Don't no stumbling block should be given to discredit the ministry. All right. Then verses 11 through 13, Paul has a plea to for openness and full reconciliation. He wants the Corinthians to be fully connected to him. And then he gets into some interesting command specifically of don't be yoked to unbelievers and kind of explains verses 14 through 18. All right. So let's talk about all of that. What are your observations here?

Pastor Holland 1:03

Okay. So he's saying not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Now, this is mainly like when this verse usually comes up is like when people are talking about marriage of like, don't marry a non-believer. Which I agree. Yeah. I I think it that principle does apply there. Um, it's interesting. It's like how people use First Corinthians 13 about love at their weddings, even though he's talking about spiritual gifts uh in the body of you know in a church. Yep. But it's like it's true. You can use that love passage in a wedding.

Pastor Plek 1:35

Because that's, you know, where you go, I will go, where you stay, I will stay, even though it's about a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law.

Pastor Holland 1:42

Yeah. And so this in context, he's not talking about marriage, but the principle does apply. So I like I think it is a right. And Paul does in 1 Corinthians 7, he says to marry in the Lord. So it does apply, but in context here, he's actually talking about um being yoked together with unbelievers um that have that are in their midst. So again, like last chapter, he he was imploring people to be reconciled to God, hinting at there's some unbelievers in the Corinthian church. Unbelievers that, you know, are are likely the ones that were opposing Paul and spreading, you know, the false teaching of the super apostles. And Paul's saying, don't yoke yourself together with these guys. It's going to take you away from the truth and divide the church, right? Yeah.

Pastor Plek 2:27

And I think it has many implications. One, businesses. And this is why I think don't yoke the business of the church with unbelievers. So don't allow those people to kind of steer the ship of the church. In the same way, I take, I apply this in many ways, and I would love to hear what your thought is. Like, don't be yoked to an unbeliever as a business partner. Don't be yoked to an unbeliever as a marriage partner. Don't be yoked to an unbeliever uh where you have to rely upon them and they have a say in your life because they don't have the same God representing them.

Pastor Holland 3:03

Yeah. Yeah. Where their um influence uh or control is going to steer you away from God. Um, don't a yoke is like, you know, a wooden bar that would connect two animals for, you know, plowing a field together or for pulling a wagon or whatever. Like it they gotta be moving the same direction. Otherwise, um uh the the it's not gonna work, right?

Pastor Plek 3:27

So I never advise uh a believer to marry uh a non-Christian, and I never advise a believer to get in business with, like become like 50-50 business partners with a non-believer.

Pastor Holland 3:40

Yeah. And so you can see the danger of within a church, you have people that are opposed to Paul rising up into leadership potentially, um, or at least, you know, becoming very influential. And, you know, Paul is like, he's the apostle who, you know, had the gospel given to him by Jesus for the sake of that church. And there's people who are dividing and um rising up against Paul, and he's having to address it and warn them. That's good.

Pastor Plek 4:07

Okay, um, let's talk about what else we got here.

Pastor Holland 4:12

Um, how about uh it's really interesting in verse 16 to 18, the end of the chapter where he quotes um this is let's see, he's quoting uh Leviticus, he's quoting Isaiah, he's quoting these old testament um promises and he's applying them to the church and showing that the church is the fulfillment of um you know God's promises to his covenant people. Yeah. And he's he even says in verse 16, we are the temple of the living God. We are the temple. He's speaking of the church as Christians, um, and says that, you know, I'll make my dwelling among them and walk among them. I will be their God, they shall be my people. He's not talking about one particular, he's not talking about um ethnic Israel um here. He's talking about uh the church, true believers, the church, and the importance of the purity of the church. And so, and therefore he says, you know, separate from um those who are idol worshippers or who don't believe.

Pastor Plek 5:19

I I do love he quotes uh Isaiah 49 in that very first one. At that time, I decided to show my favor. This I'm going from like uh Isaiah 49, I listened to you in the day of salvation, I have helped you. Like he's just I will protect you, make a covenant mediator to rebuild, to um and this is actually going back to uh Isaiah, but he's quoting it for the in a favorable time I've listened to you in the day of salvation, I've helped you. And he's he's applying that to the church, even though you could have said, Oh, wait, isn't that your or your that was like a time for Israel, but now it's now applied to the church specifically here.

Pastor Holland 5:56

Yeah. Um he's he's really trying to, he knows that there's unbelievers in the midst of this church, and he's trying to convert them. Yeah, he wants them to, he's saying, Behold, uh, now is the day of salvation. Verse two. Um, we want you to believe in Jesus. Um, so yeah, I just I love his heart here.

Pastor Plek 6:13

Yeah, is this do we I can't remember, is this what the stumbling block in here was that last chapter?

Pastor Holland 6:18

Um uh he says in verse three, we put no obstacle.

Pastor Plek 6:21

Yeah, he's trying to get all off like he wants to do whatever it takes to get some people saved.

Pastor Holland 6:26

Uh-huh.

Do Not Receive Grace In Vain

Pastor Plek 6:26

And that means I want to remove for you any stumbling block. It might be me, it might be some crazy super apostle's teaching. And if I have hurt you in some way, I listen, my bad. I am sorry. If I I can own whatever I need to own, I don't want to get in the way of your salvation. Yeah. Here's the thing I I would love to what do you think about this? We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. What do you think he means by that? Because in vain would mean like receive the grace of God for nothing.

Pastor Holland 6:52

Yeah. I think of like the author of Hebrews talks about this and quotes some of the Psalms. Um, the generation in the wilderness who heard God's word were with God's people, but they rejected, they did not have faith. Um, it says, you know, they were not united. Um uh their hearing was not united with faith. Right. They didn't hear with faith. They heard God's word. And so, you know, Paul's saying, I don't want you to receive the grace of God in vain. I don't want you to hear the gospel and and not believe it and think that, you know, you're fine.

Pastor Plek 7:26

Like, do churchy things, show up to church, partake in all the church things, experience Holy Spirit power all around you, and then go and find out, oh, I actually didn't actually believe. I just loved being around this group of people and thought I was part of y'all.

Pastor Holland 7:40

Yeah. This to me, when Jesus says, Um, many of you will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, do many miracles, cast out demons? Um, the these are people who received the grace of God in vain, who heard the gospel, who heard about Jesus, but did not actually submit their lives to Jesus, didn't actually put their faith in Jesus, just tried to kind of um enjoy the benefits corresponds to all the sort of like warning passages of Hebrews, Hebrews 6 in particular.

No Stumbling Blocks To Salvation

Paul’s Hardships And Real Ministry

Pastor Plek 8:10

Exactly. Yeah. Um, okay, what about I I mean, I really appreciated the this sort of like, I don't know, rhythmic beat that he goes on. Um verse four to ten. He's like, you know, but as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way by great endurance in affliction, hardship, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger, by purity of knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love by truthful speech, the power of God, the weapons of righteousness for the right hand for the left, honor and dishonor through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, yet are true, unknown and yet well known, dying and behold, we live as punished and not yet killed. As sorrowful yet always rejoicing as power, but as poor yet making many rich as having nothing yet possessing everything. I I love that. Man, it's awesome. I like it. I feel like that's the Christian life. You have this dichotomy all the time of like having nothing but having everything.

Pastor Holland 8:59

Yeah. And I would say, yeah, you can tell me what you think about this. I would say this is why Paul needed to be single. Um, his ministry, when you just look at it, you go, beatings, imprisonments. Anyone who's like, yeah, I want to send my wife and daughters to go get beaten imprisoned. I'm that's like really hard for me to. I'm like, this is this is Paul as a single dude saying, I'm gonna, the things I'm gonna have to go through, you know, are like it would be it would be crazy. Yeah, irresponsible. It would be crazy to bring a wife and small children to get beaten, punished, um, imprisoned, all of these things, you know, uh sleepless nights, hunger, um, shipwrecked, we know, from other things, you know, whipped with lashes, all these things that he went through. I go, this is probably why God called him to celibacy and singleness.

Pastor Plek 9:52

Now that now, to be fair, that doesn't mean you might not be called to go with your family on some crazy thing. I think of Elizabeth Elliott with Jim Elliott. I think of you know the missionaries in India who just like get slaughtered and like And it may, it may, you may not be able to avoid it, period.

Pastor Holland 10:06

Sometimes just like if you're in a you know a hostile country to Christianity.

Pastor Plek 10:09

Like I'm sure many kids in this time died because they not because they were going as a missionary, but because their parents were Christian and they wiped them out.

Pastor Holland 10:18

Yeah. And so there's reality that you can't as a as a Christian, sometimes the suffering just comes to you. Yep. But in terms of like who are we gonna send out into the mission field to go potentially get beaten, punished, starved, imprisoned. I'm like, single dudes. Yep, that's a great opportunity.

Why Singleness Fit Paul’s Calling

A Vulnerable Paul With Open Heart

Pastor Plek 10:35

Yeah, okay. Um what what other should we get into some truths about the nature of man here? Yeah. Um, how about Paul is affectionate and vulnerable? I mean, when I think of Paul, like in general, like without like apart from if I were to talk about Paul, I think of like judge, you know, I'm not saying I would, but like most people would say like judgmental, kind of upset about stuff. But here he's very vulnerable. I will do any, whatever it takes to make things right with you. If I've harmed you in any way, like let me know. I want to make it right. Yeah, that's wild. He says our heart is wide open. It's like I am like I would do anything for you. Um, that's the amount of love I have for you. And you see him kind of go from like, I'm gonna come discipline you, I love you. I mean, it it's all the normal affections of a father.

Pastor Holland 11:26

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It sounds a little crazy when you try to explain it, but if I feel like parents get it really understand this with your kids because you can be like, I'm so frustrated with you, and I need you to not do this. And but that's all coming from a place of love. A place of love and wanting to protect them. Um because you really care about their well-being, their growth, their maturity. Yeah. Um let's see.

Pastor Plek 11:50

How about um humans can uh uh how about they're they're capable of genuine transformation? Like I I love ver look at verse 10 and 11. Let me see if I can like sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing everything. We have spoken freely to you, and my heart is wide open. Like I I'm willing to do whatever it takes, be whoever I need to be to restore um relationship here.

Pastor Holland 12:16

I also think you know, the the juxtaposition thereof, he he says, we are treated in verse eight is how he starts this sentence. We are treated as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. Um and like Jesus was called a man of sorrows, right? Like Christianity has this kind of um very uh the this emotional depth of you can be sorrowful and rejoicing at the same time. Right. You can be sorrowful about your own sin or about the brokenness of the world, um, about evil and wickedness and suffering, and at the same time rejoice and hope that Jesus is alive, you know, that he's with you and that he's coming back one day. And so you don't just pick one or the other. You can experience sorrow and joy together, even. Okay.

Sorrow And Joy At Once

Pastor Plek 13:02

Um, how about the character of God here? What do we got?

God’s Fatherhood And Holy Separation

Pastor Holland 13:06

We have um God is gracious, receive the grace of God, not in vain. God is a gracious God, he is a God who saves. Um, in a favorable time, I listen to you. In a day of salvation, I have helped you. Um, God hears our prayers and cries and responds graciously to save sinners.

Pastor Plek 13:25

How about God is a father to Christians? Verse 18. I will be a father to you and your son, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. He's quoting uh where is he quoting from here uh in 18. I think it's Isaiah Isaiah, right? Yeah, uh or yeah, Isaiah 43. Um Yeah. I I love it.

Pastor Holland 13:51

I mean, that to me is so powerful and um a father to us. Um, and just the fact, you know, I'll make my dwelling among them in verse 16. I'll be their God, they shall be my people. He's covenantal, he wants to be with us. Um, he's Emmanuel. Um, he's not a God who uh, you know, is like just tr just transcendent and far off. Um he's a God who is uh imminent, near, present, personal. It's awesome.

Pastor Plek 14:21

How about this too? Like God as a father doesn't want us connected to the things of this world. Don't be yoked to unbelievers, a direct relationship to he is a dad who doesn't want his kid connected, yoked to something that's of not of God. Yeah. Even if even if they're not like, I don't know what the right word for this is, not like overtly evil, right? I mean, like they're not Christian, but they're just a universal person. The universe kind of, but you're ultimately gonna run in conflict because if you're not serving Jesus, you're serving the Father of lies.

Pastor Holland 14:55

Yeah, pretty much. So there's no like neutrality or like kind of harmless religion. Any religion that's not um, we worship God, yeah, the God of the Bible through faith in Jesus Christ, is ultimately a competing religion.

Pastor Plek 15:11

Or any religion says, I reject the savior of the world.

Pastor Holland 15:13

Yeah.

Pastor Plek 15:15

Leads to death, truly. Yeah. I mean, that's the whole like it has, yeah, the outcome of that is death. All right. Um, how about um oh, how about this? God, and maybe another way of saying that, like God demands out of his love, holiness and separation. Like we're consecrated for to be separate from the world.

Pastor Holland 15:35

Yeah, go out from their midst, yeah, be separate from them.

Pastor Plek 15:39

All right, let's look at some application. Uh, sin to void or confess, a promise to claim, example to follow, or command to obey, or knowledge to believe. What do you got here?

Pastor Holland 15:47

No fellowship with darkness.

Pastor Plek 15:50

Um, yeah.

Pastor Holland 15:51

Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

Pastor Plek 15:53

That's in marriage, that's in business. Anything where their decision affects your life. Now, that can you go work for a non-believer? Absolutely. I think that's totally okay. But what I'm saying is or have a non-believer work for you. I think that's also okay. But don't go into like a 50-50 partnership or some sort of like whatever that looks like, where you are having to count on them and their word and their life, because they don't come to the same God.

Pastor Holland 16:23

And there may be times where your faith in God will, you know, require you to um to walk away from a certain job. Like you're saying, you can work for a non-believer, but there if the non-believing boss says, all right, now we're all gonna put on our um LGBTQ pride t-shirts this week, and because we want to show our support of homosexuality and transgenderism, and you as a believer, you know, you've got a responsibility to go, I'm not gonna be yoked with that. Right. Um, and if not wearing that shirt means I can't work at this job.

Pastor Plek 16:56

And I think that's the reason why I says don't be yoked, like it's one thing to quit, it's another thing to divest yourself of all the you know, like of equity and and like you've got a full business with this person, and now they're going off the rails, following the world, and you're like, whoa, where did this how did that happen?

No Obstacles Without Watering Truth

Pastor Holland 17:11

Yeah, because to be yoked is, you know, essentially a lot of times you would have two animals where one was older, stronger, and more mature than the other one. And being yoked together, not only do you get more power from two animals, but you get training, and the weaker one um kind of like learns the learns how it's done from the one that's pulling it along. And so you don't want to get pulled along into worldly ungodly ideologies and practices. Really good.

Pastor Plek 17:38

Okay. Uh how about yeah, I think that's a good, that's the sin to void. Um, how about the promise to claim? Now is the day of salvation. Amen. Like today, you could turn from your sin and trust Jesus and have it available immediately. It's it's salvation on demand. You can have it now.

Pastor Holland 18:00

On uh, yeah, on request. Um, what about we put no obstacle in anyone's way? Oh, nice. Um, I think that's one to talk about, just understand what he's saying and not saying there. Um, because some people will go, uh, we'll put no obstacle in any anyone's way, including um doctrine. Right. And so we're gonna just like, you know, um You know, I like Jesus and all my Hindu gods. Yeah. I because I don't want to, I just want you to come to Jesus. And uh, but when he says we're gonna put no obstacle anyone's way, um, he means like circumcision. Well, like without lowering the standards of doctrine, without compromising on sin. Um he yeah, he's he's not saying that we're gonna water down the truth. Um, he's saying that we're we're going to try to make a clear path to the truth. Does that make sense? Yeah.

Pastor Plek 19:00

Like, would you add anything to that? Or yeah, I think that it becomes challenging. Um you might not obviously there's if when you become a Christian, there's still stuff in your life that you haven't worked out yet.

Pastor Holland 19:11

Yeah.

Pastor Plek 19:11

But like Jesus is the only way I turn from my sin and turn to him. Um God is a triune God, God the Father, God the Spirit, um, God the Son. I I think you know, it's some basic doctrine stuff that is the essential. Is that be a good way to put that? I don't know if that that's helpful. I I do feel like um some of some stuff that transforms in your life is progressive sanctification that you begin to come more like Jesus. But I think it's more like when you come to Christ, you're saying, I'm opening up my life. Whatever Jesus you tell me to do, I'm gonna do it. Yeah. Amen. Um, how about yeah, which I guess command obey. Do not receive God's grace in vain. Fully respond and then don't just participate in church services, fully surrender to Him and get the joy that comes from being comforted by knowing that God has chosen you and you're his.

Pastor Holland 20:10

Amen. Yeah, knowledge to believe, God is a father to us. Verse 18. That's comforting. Comforting knowledge to believe. You're loved by God.

Pastor Plek 20:19

Yeah. Um, how about knowledge to believe? Uh how about this? Um, he is a living God who dwells in believers as his temple. Like uh, so there was the tabernacle, there was a temple, and now it's the church. He indwells the church, which is why a Sunday morning worship experience where all the believers who gather together sing and praise and listen and take communion and watch baptism. It's it's an exciting experience to be a part of God's people because God's spirit is very present.

Pastor Holland 20:55

Amen. Um separate yourself um from you know, he said earlier um in First Corinthians, the end of First Corinthians, I believe, that bad company corrupts good morals, right? And so just this reality, you know, it's like don't have fellowship with unbelievers, but even just like pay attention to your surroundings, to um how the your group of friends, your coworkers, the music you listen to, what you watch, et cetera, um, like how it's influencing or potentially even controlling you. Um, and there may be some things you need to separate yourself from.

Pastor Plek 21:34

Man, I think that's a good one to end on. Hey, thanks so much for joining us today. We'll see you next time on a chapter a day.