Yokes, Salt, and Light

I have been reviewing these verses recently from 2 Cor 6.

11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 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.
 17 Therefore go out from their midst,
  and be separate from them, says the Lord,
 and touch no unclean thing;
  then I will welcome you,
18  and I will be a father to you,
  and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
 says the Lord Almighty.”
(2 Corinthians 6:11-18 ESV)

Mainly, the one I'm curious about is 2 Cor 6:14. Many use that verse in relation to marriage. "Do not be unequally yoked in marriage" is something I heard a lot when going through my divorce. Makes sense to me, although I'd never believed that before becoming a Christian. But, knowing that faith often drives your morals/drive/will to live, there's room for contention when you disagree with your spouse on basic tenets of life, particularly when you're raising children.

But there is more to these verses than marriage. It's about being unequally yoked with unbelievers. Some interpret these verses as limiting association with others. This, for me, is incomprehensible. How does one who is friends with non-believers, who has non-believing family, limit association and still be salt and light in the world? For, after all, from Matthew 5:

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that^[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Yet, limiting association is what some believe. I'm not going to link to those articles, because, well, I just don't buy it. I cannot buy it. God drew me in as a believer in my late 20s, raised by a Hindu and an agnostic, so that I would limit association with them? It doesn't make sense to me. How could I honor them as my parents this way? God knew they were my parents. That wasn't an accident.

I realize that my feelings lean a certain way here. This might mean that I interpret the verses the way  I want to. However, I have some others that I think are smarter than me, interpreting them in a way that does make sense to me. First, some interpret this to limit spiritual enterprises. One of the articles talks about the references to Belial and to the temple as pointing to wariness when it comes to worship-related enterprises. That seems to make sense to me. If you're going to have an enterprise related to the Gospel, why partner with a non-believer? And, getting back to marriage, what is marriage if it doesn't point to what we worship and expose the Gospel? It shows how we worship ourselves, our spouse, and/or God. So yes, secondly, I do believe these verses point to marriage, too.

1. http://provocativechristian.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/provocative-bible-verses-do-not-be-unequally-yoked-with-unbelievers/
2. http://theexpositor.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/being-unequally-yoked-with-unbeleivers/
3. http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/2008/06/unequally-yoked-what-it-means-and-how.html

I like this conclusion in one of the articles:

Be in the world; be involved in your communities; love your neighbors; do good work at your place of employ; honor the Lord with excellence in those things.

But don’t be of the world. If a nonbeliever is touched by the young people being changed in your area, don’t seek to approach them for co-ownership of your work, approach them with the life-giving truths of the gospel.