Question:

54.1—I have friends who say they are saved but they don’t act at all like they are. I don’t want to talk about being good because they will always either ignore me, make my life awful, or avoid me. What should I do?

Answer:

54.1— I believe it will be helpful in answering this question to consider Philippians 2:14-16: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life.” These verses give us two things we can “do” toward those who, though they may profess to be saved, do not act like they are. (1) We can “shine as lights,” and (2) we can “hold forth the Word” to them.

(1) The way we shine as lights is by doing “all things without murmurings and disputings,” which means that everything we do should be done without complaining and arguing. We live in a “crooked and perverse [perverted]” world, which is characterized by complaining and arguing, so we will have a testimony for Christ, which will be seen by not doing those things. Only Christ can save souls and only He can give victory over the power of sin in our lives, but He desires to use those who are truly saved to show Christ by their actions. Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

(2) The Lord sometimes gives us the opportunity to hold forth the Word of life by quoting a verse from the Bible.  An example of this is when the jailor at Philippi asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  And they answered him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30,31).

We are not told to talk about “being good” to the unsaved or even to those who profess to be Christians but who are not living right.  Instead we should show in our own lives how Christ would act, and then, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,” which means that Christ means everything to us and is the Lord of our lives. We then will “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).