God clearly states that when in the company of unrepentant people we "bless those who curse us", however, this does not mean we remain their friends. Also, we are always to show others the respect they didn't show us to remain faithful to the character of Christ Who lives in us.
Luke 6:27-29 "27But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well."
This does not mean they are our friends, those who continue to treat us disrespectfully are attempting to cause us to become angry and become like them, we must avoid them to protect our walk with Christ, unless it is impossible to avoid them, then we walk with Christ no matter what they do to us.
Proverbs 23:22-25 "…23 for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them. 24 Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, 25 or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."
The culture we live in every day is the way we will become if we do not continually seek Christ for cleansing and guidance. We live in a mean and wicked culture that follows their father the devil. We will follow our Father and His Son Jesus Christ to avoid being caught in the trap of the unruly, insolent and ill-mannered world around us.
What should set us apart from the world is our resolve to follow Christ while swimming upstream from the culture that batters us every day. I recall the account of Lot when God said that Lot was vexed daily because of the society that encompassed him every single day.
Sadly when we follow Christ we will find ourselves swimming upstream against what is going on in the church gatherings today. People in general are dedicated to their comfortable traditions far more than they love Christ.
Mark 7:13
"13 thereby invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
Pride is rampant in the church because the church has become apostate living in the world desiring all it has to offer without regard to what God thinks of it.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
No one can undo what God does, only He can change our hearts we cannot do that ourselves. When He changes our hearts we don't want to sin and are ashamed when we allow our flesh or the devil to entice us, so we confess it to be cleansed.
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does"
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