By: Robert Serreyn
Question? I have a christian friend that no longer believes the Bible, what do I do?
Answer:
I TRULY UNDERSTAND your heartache, I had a dear christian friend (who, years ago that had lead me to the Lord) that walked away from serving the Lord.
It is hard to see a dear friend go down that path.
To answer the question, here is what needs to be done…
– Pray for them, Prayer IS KEY above all else.
Pray that they will heed to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and get back right with the Lord.
(James 5:16) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
– Talk to them IF POSSIABLE and TRY TO get them to see the error of their ways.
(James 5:19, 20) Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; (20) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
V19 – CONVERT = Turn back to serving the Lord.
V20- SINNER = Backslidden Christian, DEATH = Physical Death.
Shall hide a multitude of Sins. = If confession of sin is made to the Lord Jesus, then he will forgive and forget.
(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Jeremiah 31:34) And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
(Hebrews 8:12) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
– If they REFUSE to listen to you, the Lord, or the Word of God then you MUST DO what 2 Thessalonians 3:14 says.
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
– OBEY NOT = Will not listen.
– NOTE THAT MAN = Mark or Consider that christian as a brother / sister in error and serving not the Lord.
– HAVE NO COMPANY WITH HIM = (Self Explanatory), have no fellowship with them.
This is for your protection, you do not need to be hindered from serving the Lord just because they will not do so or have fallen into unbelief.
ALSO if the backslidden christian WILL NOT listen, or turn back to the Lord, then PHYSICAL DEATH might be the end result.
A good example of the above mentioned is the Church of Cornith.
The Church of Corinth WOULD NOT judge themselfs for the MOCKERY they were making out of the Lord Supper, therefore the Lord had to PLACE JUDGEMENT upon them through Sickness, Weakness, and Death.
(1 Corinthians 11:26 – 32) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (30) For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.(31) For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
V29 – DAMNATION = Judgement
In Conclusion:
One of the HARDEST THINGS to do, is to, CORRECT or even worse yet STOP FELLOWSHIP with a fellow believer or friend in the Lord if they have walked away from serving the Lord or have fallen into unbelief or false doctrine.
For your protection spiritually a christian MUST MARK a wayward Believer and have NO FELLOWSHIP with them otherwise if you don’t you will eventually become hindered in your service to the Lord which will result in lost blessings and rewards for yourself.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know IS Jesus Christ as savior, just simply believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and DIED and shed his blood, was BURIED and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead to pay for your sins.
-Christ DIED for you – Romans 5:8
-Christ PAID your sins in full – 2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24
-BELIEVE (Trust In Completely) in Christ ALONE as the complete payment of sin for salvation – John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8,9
“For the wages(payment) of sin is death (eternal torment in hell); but the GIFT(salvation) of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23
IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH