Should saved
have friendship with unsaved
1 John 5:19, We know
that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the
wicked one, In 1 Corinthians 4:4 devil is mentioned as god of this age, John
12:31 ruler of this world and accuser in Revelation 12:9-10, He is our
“adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter
5:8) , the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians
2:2).
This shows that this world is full of
unrighteousness and infirmities. World here means people of this world which
are not saved / re-generated by our Lord Jesus.
The
“good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18) is that which includes the daily
resistance of this enemy (1 Peter 5:9; James 4:7),
the daily refusal to give him an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27),
and the daily stand against his schemes (Ephesians 6:11).
The purpose
of the wicked one mentioned in John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and
that they may have it more abundantly.”
As mentioned
above Devil is called wicked, God of this age, ruler of the world, accuser and
the adversary and that means we are living in the land of the wicked one and land
of our enemy. We are saved from the wicked world which is under the power of
the wicked one and we now do not belong to this world.
Should we
have friendship with the world/ people of this world which would means un-equally
yoked, unequally joined with the power of darkness then we are in danger.
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). 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). All these things represent
those who have not been saved. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.
For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can
light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). First Corinthians 15:33 tells us that bad company
corrupts good character. Unbelievers are slaves to sin being under the power of
wicked one (John 8:34), and Christians are slaves to God (1 Corinthians 7:22).
If we become deeply involved
(either by friendship or a romantic relationship) with non-Christians, we are
setting ourselves up for turmoil. It can (and does often) cause the Christian
to stumble in his walk, fall back into a sinful life, and also turn others away
from God (by misrepresenting God and Christianity).
Another detrimental effect of
closeness with unbelievers is our tendency to water down the truths of
Scripture so as to not offend them. There are difficult truths in the Word of
God, truths such as judgment and hell. When we minimize or ignore these
doctrines or try to “soft pedal” them, in essence we are calling God a liar for
the sake of those already in the grasp of Satan. This is not evangelism.
Although these close
relationships are not recommended, it does not mean we turn our noses up and
ignore unbelievers, either. Second Timothy 2:24-26 tells us that as servants of the Lord, we are to be kind. We should gently
teach those who oppose the truth, and be patient with difficult people but not
friends. Matthew 5:16 tells us, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that
everyone will praise your heavenly father.” So walk as children of light and so
shine that they also see the light.
God Bless you.
