Christ First Forum

The Righteous Among The Unrigteous
By Frank B. Holmes

Psalm 1:1-6
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD.
And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

How are Christians to live in a world full of unsaved, unrighteous, unholy, evil haters of God, despisers of good, non believing people?

What does the bible, God's word say about how we are to conduct our lives, the saved among the unsaved?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:“ I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”

17 Therefore“ Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”

18 “ I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty.”

Separation from the world involves more than keeping your distance from sinners. It means staying close to God! It is hard enough dealing with our on fleshly desires, so we don't need the influences of unsaved sinners drawing us away from God.

You might ask; if we are not to fellowship with the unsaved or unrighteous, then what are we to do?

I want to share four areas that I see that cause more problems in the life of believers among the unbelievers and how to deal with them.

1. The righteous among the unsaved in Marriage!
1 Corinthians 7:10-16 gives biblical principles for the married believer.

10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.
11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.
13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.
16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

A. Notice that Marriage in God's eyes is honorable and is sanctified. v.14

B. When your marriage to a non believer causes you to compromise and deny your faith to preserve the marriage, then it has gone too far. For that would be worse than separation or divorce! Examples of this would be Immoral acts that leads a spouse to sin! Constant physical and mental abuse! A spouse that keeps you from worshiping the Lord or attending church! I do not advocate divorce but it must be made clear on the part of the believing spouse who is first in their lives!

C. If one becomes a Christian after marriage and your spouse is not a believer, remember that you don't have to be married top a christian to live as a christian! Remember that God will give you the strength do endure all things in Him and He may be using you to bring or draw your spouse to Him.

2. Lets look at the saved among the unsaved in dealing with our children.

The bible says train up a child in the way that it should go and when they get old they will not depart from it! Proverbs 22:6 Simply establish your home as a house that serves the Lord. Let it be know that as for you and your house you will serve the Lord and do what it tells us in Deuteronomy 6:5-9 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

And when it come time to send them out into this world, let them go and let God deal with them. Pray for them diligently and it may not be in our lifetime but I assure you eventually they will return unto the Lord according to His promise!

3. What about the righteous among unbelieving parents?

a. Pray for them without seasing and as long as they have life there is hope. My father did not get saved till he was 71 and I have seen them as old as 92 get gloriously saved.

b. Be an example in your words and deeds. Let them see Jesus in you!

c. Share the gospel as often as you have opportunity without forcing it on them and giving testimony to what Christ means in your life.

d. Most of all, Never, Never, Give Up!

4. The saved among the unsaved friends and acquaintances.

I believe this is where we have the greatest struggles because we don't want to lose friends or make enemy's.

Ephesians 5:1-18 Is a guide for every believer on how they are to live there lives among all non believers or the unsaved.
Lets look at v.1,2 where it says:
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Just as children are to imitate there parents , we are to imitate Christ and that is in love. This sometimes is the hardest of all, because the lost does not see you telling them that they need the Lord is loving!

v.3,4 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Improper language should have no place in the Christians conversation because it does not reflect God's gracious presence in us. Not to mention the other things in v.3. How can one glorify God and remind others of his holiness and goodness we we do just the opposite!

V.6,7 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
We are not to be partakers with non believers in the area of business, daily relationships concerning areas of life and partnerships.
As followers of Christ we are taught to go and preach the gospel to all, but no where does it tell us to be partners or buddies with them. This means that we are not to condone the lifestyles of people who are lost and show signs of sexual immorality, hatred toward God and His church. For bad behavior and evil practices. In fact it says that we are to abhor what is evil and cling to what is good. It does not matter if these people claim to be Christians or not! If we give into such tolerance then they can pollute the body of Christ and endanger the unity and purpose of our fellowship. We can befriend unbelievers to the point of sharing and leading them to Christ, be we must be leery and aware of those who are viciously evil, immoral, or opposed to all that Christianity stands for. These type of people are more likely to influence you for evil then you can influence them for good. Simply because of the human nature to sin!
v.8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light!

Notice in v10-14 of Ephesians 5 where it says:
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
14 Therefore He says: “ Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

It is very important for believers to avoid the fruitless deeds of darkness! (Any Pleasures That Leads To Sin) But we must go even further then that. We must also expose their deeds when they are evident to us.
Here is the main reason why: Because your silence may be interpreted as approval!

What God is looking for are Christians who will take a stand for what is right and what is commanded of us by our Lord. Christians mus in love speak out for what is true and right from God's word!

V.15-17 says: 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Keep your standards high! Be careful how you live. Be wise and understand the Lord's will for your life by getting into the word and praying.

V.18 Finnally And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit!
By increased obedience, the more one is obedient the greater the filling. Obedience is better than sacrifice!

If one chooses to follow their on will concerning the saved among the unsaved, then you are heading for trouble, confusion and heartache. But if you follow these guidelines given to us in Ephesians 5:1-18 your journey through this rebellious and perverse generation will be rewarding.

I would like to close by saying this: Many times we will find ourselves in the company of immoral believers as well as the unsaved. A righteous brother or sister who has been saved, but living in sin. Then what are we to do?
1. Restore them in love, if you can! But if they will not heed to your warnings then do what it tells us in 2 Thessalonians 3:6
But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.

Brothers and sisters, Proverbs 1:10 10 My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent. v.15 says: My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path. 2 John 1:11 says: for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. Ephesians 5:7 says: Therefore do not be partakers with them.

The bible is real clear on how the righteous are to live among the unrtigeous or unsaved. If you have been partakers with the unrighteous or allowed the unsaved person to lead you astray, then it is time for you to separate yourself from that and expose the very deeds of darkness that has drawn you in. The word church means called out! Come out from among them so that your colors will be clear to all who see you.

The righteous person that God called and saved you to be!