There is a saying I have heard; "show me who your friends are and it will show me who you are."
Those people we enjoy speak volumes about our own character. When we limit ourselves to those who are worldly and pleasure-seeking we reveal that we value the world more than we value God. And, the acceptance of the world far outways what God thinks.
We choose our friends based on what we enjoy. Often I have heard people say "I have many kinds of friends, they don't have to be Christian for me to enjoy them." Then they use the excuse that maybe they will witness to them but in truth they rarely do.
They will claim that just being around unbelievers is a witness, but it is not. God said; "bad company corrupts good character." He also told us to share the gospel boldly without apology.
Then they will say; "Christ hung out with unbelievers", no He did not just hang out to be friendly or to enjoy them. They were His enemies if they did not trust in Him. He spent time with unbelievers to bring them the gospel and to convict them of their sinful nature.
Using excuses to justify remaining in company with those who hate Christ is a way of demonstrating that those who do it are not dedicated to Christ or those who hate Him would be repulsive to them. We love the unbeliever by telling the truth and being willing to lose them over it with the hope that they will think about what we have told them.
The minute we share the truth of Christ and His Word with our unbelieving friends is the moment they walk away from us most generally. If an unbeliever remains comfortable with us then we are not being bold enough about their sinful condition. We are also accepting sin in our presence without boundaries and standards just to remain friends with them.
James 4:4-8
"4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
The truth is that when we spend most of our time with unbelievers or spiritual pretenders we eventually become like them unless we speak up with the truth. The more we speak the truth to them the likelier it is that we will lose them as friends. The Bible teaches us to let them go and turn them over to Christ, He knows better than we what they need and when they will receive it.
Remaining in the lives of unbelievers just to be friends is a way of staying connected to friends we don't want to lose, it has nothing to do with God's Love.
Proverbs 13:20 "One who walks with wise people will be wise, But a companion of fools will suffer harm."
If you think you can remain friends with those who hate God and will not be affected by them, think again. They will always dilute our walk with Christ and worse yet, perhaps it reveals our desire to love the world more than Christ.
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