A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 ESV
I’ve often heard it said you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family. Family members will let us down. And when we get saved, there will be family members who may mock us or even accuse us of a false salvation. But if we have a true friend, then we understand what our Scripture passage says. This is the person who sticks with you through all of life’s ups and downs. They are there to pull you up when you fall into a pit, and they are there to bring you down a notch when you get too high-strung. They know the real you, and they stick around anyway.
This is summed up in Proverbs 17:17, which says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
One of my good friends had started going to a church, and I noticed a key ring she had gotten there. The key ring had inscribed on it, “Friends don’t let friends go to hell.”
While this is true, it may seem sticky at times. We want to be true to our besties, but what if we get saved or rededicate our lives to Christ, and they remain in sin? What if they don’t understand our newfound zeal for the Lord?
Do we address their sin? How do we handle this? We want them to have this new life that we have found in Christ, but we don’t want to offend them, right? I have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. I am happy to say that two of my best friends seemed to have that same experience at the same time I did, so that made things easy. We were growing together. And while one of them has gone her own way and been busy with family obligations, I remain close to my other friend, and we can talk openly and freely about our relationship with Christ.
If that has not been your experience, then the first thing you should do is pray and ask God for guidance and wisdom. Secondly, you should be aware of your witness to this friend at all times. I don’t just mean when you speak to them, but be aware of your actions as well. The hope is that they will see how happy you are in the Lord and will want what you have.
The other thing we must do is be gentle. I have had people approach me with a “holier than thou” attitude, and I can tell you I wasn’t impressed. Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.”
We are to gently restore someone when they are sinning. This means we approach them with love and kindness. We recall a time when we too were lost in sin and maybe share that with them and tell them what Jesus did for us and how he died for all sinners. We don’t join in their sin, but we gently discuss it with them.
Our hope should be that they not only be our friend but become our brother or sister in Christ. Then we can grow with them as Christians. We are all works in progress, and it is so awesome when you can work together with someone you love as a true friend. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” We need to work with other Christians to stay strong in our relationship with our Lord and Savior.
We all know that when it comes right down to it, we can’t stop anyone from going to hell. It’s a personal choice we all make. But we can do our best to show them how awesome life with God can be.
Have a great day!