When I except those who have not repented as my Friends, am I really doing them a favor?

Question

I am not at all suggesting that we lift ourselves above anyone.We are all sinners saved by grace, period !
But for us to except someone who has no intention of coming to Christ is like having a Doctor who is affraid to tell us we are sick and need help.Or a Parent who refusses to correct or teach their children right from wrong.I know that Christ befriended sinners. But was there any of these sinners who didn't repent, save Judas the son of perdition.
Please don't read anything into this that isn't there because it is not anymore than what I have wrote.Please don't judge me, and then tell me I am not to judge.

PLEASE READ MARK 6:11 before you answer this question

1.accept
2.accept
3.accept
4.accept
5.accept
6.accept
7.accept
8.accept
9.accept
10.accept

All better now.Now that I had that much needed spelling lesson would you like to answer the question please.

Is there really this many blind people in the world, or do you just oppose the truth? When I treat someone living in sin as if there is nothing wrong. I am telling them that its okay to live in sin. I will except you as you are and were all going to go to heaven some day. Wrong! If you haven't accepted Jesus, at judgement, and He can Judge, and He will Judge, rest assured.Your going to look at your friend that never said anything and say, Why didn't you tell me more instead of treating me as if all was well?

Answer 1

No. The fellowship is unfruitful.

Answer 2

Dear Don S,

First let me say this is an example of being careful of the words that you choose. Your question seems to suggest should you be friends with those who do not know Christ. The answer Biblically is an absolute: "Yes". Jesus was the friend of sinners. Jesus dined at Zaccheus' house. And we are told that we are salt and light- and light shines in the darkness.

We also must remember that evangelism is a process. Paul in Corinthians says some plant, some water, some harvest... it doesn't matter as long as people come to know Christ.

Yes as Christians - WE LOVE GOD and should take every opportunity to share that with people. When the opportunity is there to verbalize we should- be we don't always have to use words.

i play poker once a month with some old work friends and they all know that i am a Christian. When we get together- they drink beer, i drink soda, but we talk about our families, and amazingly when crisis strikes- they come to me for prayer- and for advice- and i do my very best to the very best friend that i can be to them.

Jesus is our perfect example and the Bible does talk about the rich young ruler- who walked away sad (did later come to repentance). We can all only hope to be like Jesus- but remember conviction of sin and salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit. It reminds us how much we have to grow in our dependence on God.

It's just like here on yahoo answers- you do your best to give a God-centered Biblical worldview- and for some people they begin to see the wisdom and truthfulness of God's word and while for others it only hardens their hearts. Either way- the results are up to God- but you do your best to share and trust the Lord will work...

Hope that helps. Kindly,

Nickster

Answer 3

I don't know how you can even ask that question and then say that you are not putting yourself above your friends. The point of this life to get as close as we can to perfecting our capability to love unconditionally as Christ did. You don't need to preach to someone to love them, if you think that you can reach someone that you are close to then you have every right to try (out of love) but if they don't except it then you simply need to support them and love. Not everyone believes the same as you, as I'm sure you're aware, and sometimes the best thing to do is let them live and love in their own way. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's wrong. Good is good. Excepting your friends the way they are is more than just doing them a favor it's giving them love, the real kind.

Answer 4

Dear Don,
Thanks for asking a question that I believe applies to all sincere christians--and cannot be answered in 10 seconds or five minutes. Read Mark 6:11.
I am not going to answer you with scripture references; I consider myself a mature believer and I am going to answer with the word of my testimony.
I wish I were more Christlike and perfect but I have feet of clay and daily I buffet myself. I also have teenage children who will tell you I am a man of integrity.
The best man at my wedding 26 years ago is not a christian. He knows I am. Over a period of many years he has told me how much I am wasting my time to go to church on Sunday and be invloved in church activities. His marriage has fallen apart and he is now divorced. He STILL is not open to Christ, but I stand right next to Christ and help knock at the door to his heart. I do not want to see my friend go to hell, and God is not willing that ANY SHOULD PERISH. I would wager that all Christians have similar people in their lives.
I therefore answer your question with a RESOUNDING YES, YES, YES. Haven't we ALL got unsaved family, friends, and neighbors? And who is my neighbor? There is a sermon without going further. We are the salt; let us give flavor. I cannot take my light and shine it upon certain people exclusively. If a man would have friends, he must show himself friendly. Do you not agree that the unbelieving husband with a believing wife is a subcompartment of your question? Does friendship stop when it becomes love? If I am to be Christlike, how can I not feel love for sinners? Is this not part of the mystery of God's love, that Christ died for us while WE were YET SINNERS?
Yes, we do all the unsaved people in our lives a favor as much as God did for us; to live our lives before them as a living temple of God. How else can they come to Christ except they see Christ in us?
In His Service,
John the Baptist

Answer 5

Speaking from personal experience..before I was saved, my husband's family who are "Christians", treated me with "distance" & disgust. (All except one...this one showed me acceptance regardless of who I was or what he may have thought I was doing..) He just "loved" me for me..(not for what he thought I should be, and not judgementally, he just accepted me as one of God's Creations) & showed me more about Christ in his simplistic acceptance that anyone I ever met! No man can truly know what is in the heart of another, as a matter of fact...sometimes we don't even know our own hearts. If you are hanging around people that are grossly sinning & you are a part of that circumstance, then by all means...do NOT be a part of that! However if people are willing to be your friend & listen to you tell them about Jesus...then what have you really lost? For does not God's Word say that it will NOT return "void"?. If your "unsaved" friends are hearing the Word from you...and your living YOUR life for Christ, then YOU may be the person that God will use to help that particular friend or friends into the precious relationship with Christ that WILL save them, when all is said & done. Preaching at people will only get you so far, but speaking to your 'friends' & living what you speak..now that can be life changing!

Answer 6

We don't have to accept the unrepentant as our friends but we do need to be a friend to them. We are to love the sinner but hate the sin. Jesus Himself spent the majority of His time with sinners. He came to cheating tax collectors, cursing fishermen, adultresses, murderers, and so many others like them and called for them to follow Him. We should be examples of Him in our words and deeds. When someone curses at me because I am a Christian, I realize that it is not me they are attacking but God. I don't take their words personally when they are mean. If it was not for the grace of God, I could be the person on the other side of the fence. I am no better than they are, I am forgiven, that is all. I believe and I received the grace of God through the finished work of Jesus dying on the cross to take away my sins. If they do the same, we are family.

Answer 7

Yes you are. If everyone who is saved refused to be you friend would you feel loved, excepted, or precious to God. Probably not. People who are not saved typically choose not to be around saved people because they do not want to feel as though they are being judged and/or condemned. By being friends with those who have not repented as of yet you are being their example of what living the live a saved soul can be. Remember that just because you except someone, it does not mean that you condone what he/she is doing. I have friends who do many things that i disapprove of, and they know that I do not agree and will not participate. However they also know that I am here when they need me. I have many friends that simply by excepting them as they are and showing them Gods love and acceptance, I have been able to get them to listen to me and eventually go to services and become saved themselves. So continue to except them as they are, be an example of a saved soul, and be there to show them the path when they are ready to walk it.

Answer 8

NO ONE EVER has any intention of coming to Christ.
It is human nature to run away from God, not to God.
God does the seeking, and if anyone is ever saved it is because God went and got them.

It just might be that your friends will obey the command to repent when they have seen you obey the command to Love.

If you are not willing to love your friends unconditionally as they are now, then you're not doing them any favors at all, all you're doing is giving them one more excuse to reject Christ.

I'm not judging you, I'm trying to help.
So I'm gonna tell you just like my Dad told me, "You are the best christian that someone knows, and if you don't show that person the love of Christ no one will!"

They are in your life for a reason, and you are in their life for a reason.
Nothing happens by accident.

Answer 9

hanging out with sinners (if you are helping and witnessing that is good).
If you are sinning with them and not repenting (if you are telling them you are a christian) that isn't good.
If a person has a problem in a certain sin area they need to avoid "hanging out" with people who do what their week in.
Lost,"religious",etc. People need to know about Jesus and see someone living for Him.The lost don't need someone to claim christianity but still act like the lost.

Answer 10

You theocratic, dogmatic charlaton!

Remember this, Jesus was not a christian, he was a jew. Jesus had nothing to do with the shaping of the modern christian religion, so unless you have built a time machine, I don't see how you will ever hope to 'bring your friends to christ'.

Nothing that you think you know about the christ character can be trusted for two very significant reasons:

1. Jesus christ died around 34A.D., the christian bible was written (new testament), compiled and the parables were voted upon over three hundred years later in greek.

2. There is no accurate story of his life has been recovered bar the dead sea scrolls that are highly subjective due to the fact that they were written by the saccarii.

All of what you know about this jesus character is what has been idealised in the bible, so for crap sake, leave the judging and segregation to pollititions and get of your high horse. You are no better and no more secure in your world because you beleive in something.

Answer 11

People are going to tell you not to judge since that is in fact what you are doing. I do not think you should base your friendships on how good of a relationship you believe your friends have with god.

If they are acting in ways you don't agree with though, then it is understandable if you do not want to hang out with them.

The idea that telling someone about Christ is equal to a parent or doctors responsibility is egocentric. Maybe they do not worship your god or simply do not believe. That is their right.