Living with Unbelievers in an Imperfect World
Living with unbelievers can crush your heart if you let it. Seeing how they act reminds you of your BJC (Before Jesus Christ) days. When you’re all in for Jesus, it hurts to see others not want Him. They don’t speak the words but you see in their eyes they think you’re an idiot. After all, you fell for the “accept Him and be saved” concept. Only a halfwit would do that.
Except, you moved from nonbeliever to believer and treated the unsaved as unbelievers. Immediately, you see in them what you didn’t before. Their outward behavior reveals what’s in their heart, what matters. And, it isn’t Jesus.
So, you face a dilemma. As a believer, you want others to experience what you have, to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. How do you live your faith surrounded by unbelievers without going back to your old ways? You learn how to deal with nonbelievers.
Living with Unbelievers Requires a Change of Heart
One unbeliever I know says that all ministers follow the same playlist. My first thought was “Yeah, they read the same Bible.” When this person listens to believers speak, they hear more of a drone rather than fresh messages filled with life-giving words.
Apparently, what they heard sounded rehearsed as though Christians hit the same play button when we open our mouths.
What can we do to change that perception?
Here are a few ideas to keep your relationship with God fresh. Unbelievers will notice.
Spend less time with Christians: Limiting your outreach to strictly Christian friendships jades your view toward non-believers. If you segregate them in your mind, you may step around them any time they come close. That doesn’t mean you seek them out as close friends but you can’t witness to others when marooned on church property with believers.
Don’t come off as too Christian: Don’t kid yourself. Unbelievers can spot fake Christians quickly and know when someone is genuine and authentic about their Christian faith. If your Christian faith is based on legalism rather than salvation, people notice and turn away from Christianity.
Think like God: Before you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God was always kind and extended grace for your unbelief. Develop the same mindset should an unbeliever ask you questions about being a Christian.
Bible verses about living with unbelievers
Colossians 4:5-6 – Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
I Peter 3:8-9 – Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.
Ephesians 5:15-17 – Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Pray often for unbelievers: Someone prayed me into God’s kingdom. It was either my Mom, Grandfather, or Grandmother. I don’t know. When you’re uncertain about who to pray for, ask God. You may already know the person or it could be someone you met once, or not at all. Pray that they escape from the devil’s snare and for God to give them a new, softer heart toward Him so they believe the Gospel message.
And don’t forget, imperfection surrounds us.
Living with Unbelievers in a Sinful and Imperfect World
What makes the world imperfect? As soon as you open your computer browser, there’s news about earthquakes, people starving and dying, tornadoes, and stories about the latest murders.
According to the Bible, the whole world groans under the weight of sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, humans inherited a sinful nature and all creation was cursed.
Romans 8:19-23
For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]. For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it—[yet] with the hope that nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children. We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons).
I’ve groaned more in the last 5 years than I ever have. I grow weary of living in this earth suit where there’s a constant fight between the flesh and the spirit. Living among unbelievers in an imperfect world that’s growing darker reminds me time is short.
So where does that leave us?
Living with Unbelievers: God Has a Plan
God put Adam and Eve in a perfect world. He forbade them to do one thing. They couldn’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Well, they did and made life excruciatingly hard for those who followed. Why? The couple brought death onto the earth.
Sure, God could put all of us back into a perfect world but He won’t. We’d do the same thing. We’d disobey God. But, we aren’t without hope.
Those who receive God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ will one day live in a perfect world.
Revelation 22:3
There shall no longer exist there anything that is accursed (detestable, foul, offensive, impure, hateful, or horrible). But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall worship Him [pay divine honors to Him and do Him holy service].
And, God will bring restoration by revoking the curse on the earth.
Revelation 21:1
Then I saw a new sky (heaven) and a new earth, for the former sky and the former earth had passed away (vanished), and there no longer existed any sea.
Until then, we continue to learn how to reach unbelievers. Living with unbelievers means staying close to God and letting Him change us. When we do, you and I will be different. So much so, others see the difference. That lays the foundation to tell them the good news.