What do you do if someone you know claims to be a Christian but you know they are not and you want to help them?

This is a fantastic question! We do need to be a little careful when we start assuming that we know if someone is a Christian or not. Are you basing that on their actions or what they say they believe? The reason I’m saying that is because there is a BIG difference in the two.

There are a lot of people who say they’re Christian and may not act like it but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are not Christians. The Bible tells us that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 6:23). In fact, it also says there is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 6:10). Just because someone sometimes does doing things that Bible says they shouldn’t do or doesn’t do things they should do doesn’t mean that they haven’t accepted Christ into their heart. We have no way of really knowing a person’s heart but we can judge their actions and we can gently remind them that Christ Followers don’t act or think like that.

Now, if a person claims to be a Christian but tells you they believe something that contradicts what the Bible says is true, that is a completely different matter. For example, let’s say someone says to you, “I don’t believe that Jesus was really God’s son. I think he was just a man.” That is wrong thinking. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus was God’s one and only Son in John 3:16. Or let’s say they tell you that they believe in reincarnation … we know that belief is Biblically wrong. So, how do we help our friends see the truth?

Whether someone is not acting like a Christian or claiming something contrary to the Christian belief, we treat them the same way. With love. The Bible tells us to, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone that asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

It is not our job to judge a person’s heart … that’s God’s job. But, we can judge their behavior, speech and beliefs and respectfully tell them what we believe. Whether they choose to believe you or not, is their choice. I can promise you this:  God loves His people. He doesn’t want any of us to miss out on knowing Him. He will use the Holy Spirit to help someone that really wants to know who God is. Your mission is to share God’s love with them so that they can make a wise decision.