He holds a Th.M. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth] the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Bible Verses About Heaven. They may still have some things in common, but certainly not many things. And yes, almost everyone has these types. But a lot of confusion and disagreement on this topic of Christian friendships comes from not defining the word friend. This “acquaintance” friendship is a more shallow type of friendship, but it is a friendship nonetheless. Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
And Jesus was unique in that sin couldn’t defile Him. Especially if you tried to witness, and they rejected Christ. On one hand you have a very light friendship, on the other a very close friendship. 2 Corinthians 6:14 - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? The “religious leaders” of Christ’s day had this philosophy of “pagan friend shedding.” Seeing Christ eating and drinking with unbelievers (befriending them), they began to look down upon him. What about spending time outside of the office, or school, or whatever? Enter your email address below and hit "Submit" to receive free email updates when new content is written for this site. It just won’t work folks (it never has and never will). The one thing we will not be able to do in heaven is to bring an unbeliever to Christ. We should love everyone as our self. “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Should Christians be friends with non-Christians? Michael Patton is the director and teacher of The Theology Program (TTP). Bible Verses About Grace He sought to win the lost and to disciple the won.
Bible Verses About Trust We should stay away from foolish people (Proverbs 13:20, 14:7), from people who lose their temper easily (Proverbs 22:24), and from the rebellious (Proverbs 24:21). Also notice another point: Jesus hung with them long enough to be friendly and share the gospel, and then moved on to other people and other areas. He certainly didn’t hang with sinners for the thrill or exposure of sin, or because they had similar interests. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. What constitutes a “friend?” When we say friendship, do we mean mere acquaintances we interact with at the office or at school? 9:12). The spectrum can swing from one extreme to another. Do you want a relationship with a person who may rub off on you in a bad way? Bible Verses About Love Bible Verses About Forgiveness Even if they reject the gospel, we Christians need to maintain this type of a friendship with all people.
We need to be loving, kind, and gentle with all people. Bible Verses About Peace
The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. The book of Proverbs has a few wise verses on believers befriending non-believers: "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (Proverbs 12:26). The Kingdom will be here soon. There was a great balance in his ministry. He once said something like, “Sometimes when a person converts to Christianity they ask if they should leave their old friends.
2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV), Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV), But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. Matthew 5:16 (NIV), The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:31. Who is your neighbor? Hell brings great distress to the heart of unbelievers, and it should bring great distress to our heart as well.
Anyone you see or come into contact with, so be loving and friendly with everyone. Should a true Christian be best friends with a person who supports abortions? He could touch sinners without sin touching Him. Let me share an account I read this morning, about a friend of the prophet Jeremiah.
God’s word speaks against it. So if there is a co-worker of a different faith, you need to be nice, friendly, and loving to that person, even if they disagree with you. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.