A thorough, balanced, and eminently useful exposition. Includes introduction, outline, translation, and notes on the Greek text.
“The passage (vv. 14–18) conveys the message not to form any covenant relationships with unbelievers that violate the covenant obligations a Christian has with God.56 The Greek text reveals that being unevenly yoked means having a connection with a person who is entirely different. In this text, it relates to an individual who is not a member of the household of faith and who can cause a believer to break covenant with God.” (Page 228)
“Rather, he refers to the time during which he was still unconverted and became acquainted with Christ’s teachings. At that time, he refused to acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son and honor him as the Messiah. From the moment of his conversion, however, Paul saw Jesus Christ through spiritual eyes and understood that Christ’s death and resurrection occurred for the benefit of all believers. At the time of writing, he expected the Corinthians to imitate him by following Jesus. Thus, they are not to judge others from a worldly point of view; instead, they must regard one another, including Paul, from a spiritual perspective.” (Page 192)
“The significance of this Greek verb is that Paul and all believers are completely dominated by the love of Christ, so that they live for him.61 As Paul writes elsewhere, ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ (Gal. 2:20). As for Paul himself, he states that Christ controls him. And this claim his opponents can never utter, for they are governed not by Christ but by their own ambitions.” (Page 187)