Should A Christian Never Associate With Unbelievers?

[Guest shiloh357]

Shiloh,

I'm going to Respectfully disagree with you Brother,perhaps you didn't mean what you said to come across as it did? at least to me anyway.

 

Shiloh, you make it sound like being a born again believer is an exclusive club and we as believer's have the sole job of keeping unbeliever's out....

GOD say's  otherwise....

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+11&version=NIV

 

Shiloh, if that sheet hadn't fallen, then the Gentiles would still be on the outside  looking in......

What I said is that they should not be part of your inner circle of friends, nor should they be the ones from whom you seek advice on life issues.   I did not say we are to shun them or to keep them out.  The point is that we can associate with them in terms of being friendly and helping them in times of need, but our assoication with them is necessarily limited.   I really don't see anything in my comments that ndicates that we should avoid unbelievers or attempt to keep them out.   I think you need to go back and read my comments a little more carefully.

[Guest shiloh357]

 

Unbelievers should not be part of your inner circle of friends.  They should not be part of any group of friends that you seek for advice or influence.  Fellow beleivers who are mature and wise in the Word of God should be your primary associations and friendships.  We are not avoid unbelievers and we an associate with them on an inoccuous level, but our primary assoications and relationships should be with believers.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with this, in part. I agree that unbeliever should not be part of group from which we seek advice or influence up to a point. We are also called to be salt and light, and we can't do that unless we are among the lost. "A city on a hill cannot be hidden," or words to that effect. I am currently in circumstances where I don't have too many options about believing fellowship (the face to face over a cup of coffee kind) - other than church on Sunday and online. I refuse to be a "lone wolf" Christian. It would be nice to have a group of believing friends I could see during the week, but that hasn't been an option for me for quite some time. I don't like it, but its life in the real world.

 

Yeah, you are  reading something into what I said that I did not intend and I am not sure how you arrived at that, as nothing in my comments indicate that we should disassociate ourselves from unbelievers.   As I stated,, they should not be our closest friends or those that we seek advice from on life issues, but I never advocated complete dissociation.  I think it goes without saying that we need to be accessible and touchable where unbelievers are concerned, but we are cautioned in Scripture regarding relationships and to make good choices as to who we let into our lives.

[Kali_Ko_Kat]

 

 1 Corinthians 15:33

³³ Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

 

Proverbs 1:10-19

My son, if sinners entice you,

Do not consent.

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us,

Let us lie in wait to shed blood;

Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹² Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,^[a]

And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;

¹³ We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,

We shall fill our houses with spoil;

¹⁴ Cast in your lot among us,

Let us all have one purse”—

¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them,

Keep your foot from their path;

¹⁶ For their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

¹⁷ Surely, in vain the net is spread

In the sight of any bird;

¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood,

They lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its owners.

 

Proverbs 4:14-19

 

Do not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶ For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

Good guidelines to follow. However, it does not say to NOT associate with unbelievers. They do say to be careful when do associate with them.

Keep in mind that not all unbelievers engage in anything those verses say to be wary of.

I have good friends who are unbelievers. They lead explemplary lives. These are some of my inner circle. I can talk to them about anything and will receive good advice from them. They have been there for me when my "Christian" friends were not. We have been friends for a long time. I will not toss them aside because they are not Christians.

In addition, there is someone in my family who is an atheist. This person was raised in a Christian home and grew up as a Christian. As he got older he strayed from that and for whatever reasons is now an atheist. That does not make me love him any less. It is not enough to make me not associate with him. It's not enough for me to never want to see him again. I talk to him often. I love him to pieces and would give my life to protect him and will not remove him from my inner circle.

My point is that we can be around unbelievers and if our faith is strong and we are secure in our faith we can overcome any temptation to engage in non-Godly things if they are thrown at us. BTW, I would rather be around unbelievers who live a good life than a "Sunday morning Christian". You know the ones I mean, party hard through the week, do things that hurt their witness, and think showing up at church on Sunday with a show of faith is all they need to do.

[The_Patriot21]

better way to put it, who did Jesus hang out with?

[nikki1]

 

 

 1 Corinthians 15:33

³³ Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

 

Proverbs 1:10-19

My son, if sinners entice you,

Do not consent.

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us,

Let us lie in wait to shed blood;

Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹² Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,^[a]

And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;

¹³ We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,

We shall fill our houses with spoil;

¹⁴ Cast in your lot among us,

Let us all have one purse”—

¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them,

Keep your foot from their path;

¹⁶ For their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

¹⁷ Surely, in vain the net is spread

In the sight of any bird;

¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood,

They lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its owners.

 

Proverbs 4:14-19

 

Do not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶ For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

Good guidelines to follow. However, it does not say to NOT associate with unbelievers. They do say to be careful when do associate with them.

Keep in mind that not all unbelievers engage in anything those verses say to be wary of.

I have good friends who are unbelievers. They lead explemplary lives. These are some of my inner circle. I can talk to them about anything and will receive good advice from them. They have been there for me when my "Christian" friends were not. We have been friends for a long time. I will not toss them aside because they are not Christians.

In addition, there is someone in my family who is an atheist. This person was raised in a Christian home and grew up as a Christian. As he got older he strayed from that and for whatever reasons is now an atheist. That does not make me love him any less. It is not enough to make me not associate with him. It's not enough for me to never want to see him again. I talk to him often. I love him to pieces and would give my life to protect him and will not remove him from my inner circle.

My point is that we can be around unbelievers and if our faith is strong and we are secure in our faith we can overcome any temptation to engage in non-Godly things if they are thrown at us. BTW, I would rather be around unbelievers who live a good life than a "Sunday morning Christian". You know the ones I mean, party hard through the week, do things that hurt their witness, and think showing up at church on Sunday with a show of faith is all they need to do.

 

 

I agree with your comments.  Very well said.

[coheir]

 

 

Unbelievers should not be part of your inner circle of friends.  They should not be part of any group of friends that you seek for advice or influence.  Fellow beleivers who are mature and wise in the Word of God should be your primary associations and friendships.  We are not avoid unbelievers and we an associate with them on an inoccuous level, but our primary assoications and relationships should be with believers.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with this, in part. I agree that unbeliever should not be part of group from which we seek advice or influence up to a point. We are also called to be salt and light, and we can't do that unless we are among the lost. "A city on a hill cannot be hidden," or words to that effect. I am currently in circumstances where I don't have too many options about believing fellowship (the face to face over a cup of coffee kind) - other than church on Sunday and online. I refuse to be a "lone wolf" Christian. It would be nice to have a group of believing friends I could see during the week, but that hasn't been an option for me for quite some time. I don't like it, but its life in the real world.

 

Yeah, you are  reading something into what I said that I did not intend and I am not sure how you arrived at that, as nothing in my comments indicate that we should disassociate ourselves from unbelievers.   As I stated,, they should not be our closest friends or those that we seek advice from on life issues, but I never advocated complete dissociation.  I think it goes without saying that we need to be accessible and touchable where unbelievers are concerned, but we are cautioned in Scripture regarding relationships and to make good choices as to who we let into our lives.

 

Shiloh, i agree with you. Unbelievers are not to be close friends. many verses tell us this. You are to associate that does not mean best friends or even friends just associates.

After reading many posts on Worthy I think if there were two list made in random order of importance; one of things the bible says to do and the other a list of things not to do. People have a tendency to reorder the list according to their belief of importance. And many will remove some of the lower level things on the lists all together as not important at all. A little leaven; leavens the whole lump.

[Guest shiloh357]

better way to put it, who did Jesus hang out with?

Jesus ate with the rich and poor alike.   Jesus didn't "hang out" with sinners, but Jesus was also not inaccessible to them, either.   Jesus close personal friends were Peter, James and John.  They are the ones He was closest to during his earthly ministry.  Jesus reached out to the sinners and was not ashamed to be seen with them.   Jesus was completely comfortable  around those the religious crowd despised ,but He did not make them His close, personal friends.

[Fez]

How other do we make disciples if we don't seek out unbelievers? I get with the hang out with part, but one has to if one wants to make any impression?

[missmuffet]

better way to put it, who did Jesus hang out with?

But we are not Jesus.Jesus could do many things that we can not.

[missmuffet]

 

 

 

 1 Corinthians 15:33

³³ Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

 

Proverbs 1:10-19

My son, if sinners entice you,

Do not consent.

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us,

Let us lie in wait to shed blood;

Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹² Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,^[a]

And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;

¹³ We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,

We shall fill our houses with spoil;

¹⁴ Cast in your lot among us,

Let us all have one purse”—

¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them,

Keep your foot from their path;

¹⁶ For their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

¹⁷ Surely, in vain the net is spread

In the sight of any bird;

¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood,

They lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its owners.

 

Proverbs 4:14-19

 

Do not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶ For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

Good guidelines to follow. However, it does not say to NOT associate with unbelievers. They do say to be careful when do associate with them.

Keep in mind that not all unbelievers engage in anything those verses say to be wary of.

I have good friends who are unbelievers. They lead explemplary lives. These are some of my inner circle. I can talk to them about anything and will receive good advice from them. They have been there for me when my "Christian" friends were not. We have been friends for a long time. I will not toss them aside because they are not Christians.

In addition, there is someone in my family who is an atheist. This person was raised in a Christian home and grew up as a Christian. As he got older he strayed from that and for whatever reasons is now an atheist. That does not make me love him any less. It is not enough to make me not associate with him. It's not enough for me to never want to see him again. I talk to him often. I love him to pieces and would give my life to protect him and will not remove him from my inner circle.

My point is that we can be around unbelievers and if our faith is strong and we are secure in our faith we can overcome any temptation to engage in non-Godly things if they are thrown at us. BTW, I would rather be around unbelievers who live a good life than a "Sunday morning Christian". You know the ones I mean, party hard through the week, do things that hurt their witness, and think showing up at church on Sunday with a show of faith is all they need to do.

 

 

I agree with your comments.  Very well said.

 

It depends on how we associate with them.Yes,I have casual friends who are not Christian.But I have very little in common with them.We as Christians are in this world not of this world.They are.We as Christians should always remain humble and never give the impression to anyone that we are better than them.We are all sinners.