Everybody is a believer. We just believe in different things. While some people believe in the power of hard work, some others believe in the comfort of their morning coffee. In this article, the unbelievers I will refer to are those who have not come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. They are those who have not received Jesus as their Lord and saviour. They are those who are not yet born again.
The believer in Jesus Christ is described as light while those who don’t believe in Jesus are called darkness. (Ephesians 5:8). This refers to the state and location of their spirit, and this also affects everything about them. Man is a tripartite being: He has a spirit, a soul and a body. When a man gives his life to Jesus, he is translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:13). As magnificent as this translation sounds, not everyone chooses to turn to Jesus.
How, then, should we, who have decided to follow Jesus, relate with those who don’t know Him…yet?
- Love them as Jesus loves them: This is the first duty of believers towards unbelievers. It is important to love them as Christ loves them. While some believers become critical and downrightly judgmental of unbelievers, some other believers tend to take it to another extreme. They compromise their faith because they want to appear loving and accommodating. Such believers deny the Lord like Peter because they want to look good. Let’s take a cue from Jesus’ response to men while he was on earth. He loved all men enough to die for them, yet he didn’t commit himself to them because he knew what was in man. (John 2:24-25). His love for man was passionate yet uncompromising. As a Christian, love your unbelieving classmates, yet don’t compromise the standards of Jesus Christ because of them.
- Put on your wisdom and gentleness hat always: Some unbelievers can be very antagonistic toward your faith in Jesus Christ. Some might be downright mean and they might try to do everything to hurt you because you believe in Jesus. Towards such people, Jesus instructs:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16
Jesus gives us two weapons to handle such wolves. He tells us to be wise; to lean on His wisdom and not on our understanding. (Colossians 4:5) And he tells us to be harmless. In other words, he says, ‘love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.’ (Matthew 5:44). ‘This is impossible,’ I hear you say. Not when you have the Holy Spirit and submit to Him!
- Be a neon sign, not a shadow light: How does seeing a neon sign in the dusk make you feel? Peaceful and hopeful, right? As believers, our lives should be pure and transparent, leading men to Jesus. Christians who lead hypocritical lives end up driving people away from Jesus. Just like a shadow light, which means an area of relative darkness, they represent Jesus in a distorted way.
- No unequal yokes: In ancient times before machines took over the ploughing work, two oxen were yoked together to do the work. Farmers often picked oxen that had similar weights and heights. Then, they put a yoke, a wooden crosspiece, on their necks. As long as the oxen were of similar build and height, they would get the job done quickly and efficiently. If the oxen were of different weight and height, one or both of them would suffer immensely under the yoke. As believers, God firmly warns us not to put our necks under any kind of yoke with unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 6:14). To be unequally yoked means to get into any form of intimate relationship or partnership with them. Such yokes can cause us to compromise or eventually destroy us. Samson’s relationship with Delilah shows us how damaging an unequal yoke can be. (Judges 16).
- Pray for them always: Do you have an unbelieving parent, friend, neighbour or roommate? Then, pray for them. Don’t pray the prayer of the sanctimonious Pharisee (Luke 18:10-12). Instead, pray heartfelt and sincere prayers for them. Often, people don’t want to know how much we know God until they have seen how much we care about them. Praying for unbelievers is one way to show your care towards them.
In conclusion, as believers, we are Christ’s ambassadors on earth. Our conduct and lifestyle should attract unbelievers to God, not repel them from seeking Him. Let your light SO SHINE before the unbelievers around you so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16).
Shalom.