Dear Liberal Friend,
I am so sorry about how our friendship has turned out. I was so excited when I first learned that you were a Christian. Fellowship and relationships with others of like faith are very important to me. However, I quickly learned that your definition and my definition of being a “Christian” are completely different.
When one says they are a “Christian,” I assume their thinking and lifestyle would be aligned with the Bible. Your “Christianity” is not what is described in my Bible. As a matter of fact, most of the time, you did not want to discuss the Bible. When the conversation did lead to spiritual things, you quickly went on the defense and accused me of judging or argued the doctrine. We have spent more time discussing “what the Bible really means,” as you keep saying, rather than agreeing on the things of God.
My other friendships with Christians have never been this strained. It has always been easy and perfectly natural for my other friends and me to talk about the things of God because we are interested in them. You, obviously, are not.
I may not have been saved as long as you have been, but I do know that the Bible teaches a Christian should live differently than the unsaved. You seem to be very comfortable dressing like the world, talking like the world, acting like the world, doing things the world does, going to places that the world goes to, and your philosophies are often identical to what the ungodly world thinks. It is hard to tell any difference between you and the unsaved. I am not comfortable doing many of those things, and I feel some of them are against what God teaches in his Book for us to do.
The consequences of worldliness and sin have much to do with why I got saved. The world is losing and not heading for Heaven, but to Hell. I have no interest in thinking and looking like the losing side. I lived that way before salvation, and I certainly did not have the joy or peace I do now by obeying the Lord. I think it is far safer and biblical to be more like Christ.
Clearly, the Bible tells us to talk to others about Christ, so they also can be saved and have the promise of Heaven. Proverbs 11:30 says you are wise if you do this. You have ridiculed and tried all you can to stop me from doing this. No, I do not think it “is pushing God’s Word down their throat” by telling them. If someone did not tell me how to be saved, I would not be. I would feel very selfish if I did not share salvation with others and would be disobedient to God’s biblical command if I did not.
When I do witness to others, I quite often hear the word “hypocrite.” The unsaved world knows how Christians should live. They have seen so many that call themselves Christians, and know that they do not live the way they should. After seeing more living the wrong way, they quickly assume that all Christians are hypocrites and live the wrong way of living. I certainly am not perfect and am still growing spiritually, but the people they are referring to are not people like me but are people like you.
I love being saved. It is so exciting to know that Christ died for all my sins and paid the price for them so I could go to Heaven. I owe Him so much. My desire now is to live for and serve Him. Your liberal theology and lifestyle are doing much to harm and weaken the cause of Christ. It is giving those trying to serve and live for God a bad name and is hurting the testimonies of those that are trying to live right.
Sadly, I think it is time to part as friends. No, I do not believe myself “holier than thou” as you keep accusing me. I know what I was, and that I can fall back into my old ways. I am concerned that your disobedience may rub off on me. Association with your unchristian lifestyle will also hurt my Christian testimony. I desire to be more like “Christ,” and I want to have that reputation, so until your lifestyle becomes more Christ-like, our fellowship will have to stop.
Regretfully,
Bill
“Worldliness is a life-style that matches those of the unsaved, and it is far from having an appearance of a Christ-like, biblical-based, obedient-to-God life.”
It’s sad but true! Liberal people are very unstable in they’re ways. Liberal people will eventually make a liberal church. We must always try to do our best at witnessing to liberal people but,,,if we hang around them ,,,like you said we can easily become liberal ourselves. If what people say or do don’t line up with God’s word we cannot be a part of it. Thank you for this post.
This is true to a point of not being around those who claim to be a Christian and warap how the Bible tells us how to live . Yet we are to be an example to them by how we live .
@Bob…we were having a talk at work a couple of days ago about how people will try to justify the way they are living by adopting and parroting these liberal thought patterns. These issues are all heart issues. Honestly, I cannot understand how anyone claims to be saved that does not want to draw closer constantly to God by reading his word, praying, and living right as defined by the word. It is a lack of vision for themselves where God is concerned. It is fully a type of rebellion whereby people refuse to come under the spiritual authority of a shepherd; they refuse to obey anyone, especially God. There was never any real change in their heart.
What a shame, to be so close, yet so far.
Excellent!! Sadly we can find liberal “christians” in a good solid church.