What do you think about non-believers?

327 how do you think about not believing ones I turn to you with an important question: what do you think of non-believers? I think this is a question we should all ponder! Chuck Colson, founder in the USA of the Prison Fellowship and the Breakpoint Radio program, once answered this question with an analogy: If a blind man steps on your foot or pours hot coffee on your shirt, would you be mad at him? He himself replies that it would probably not be us, precisely because a blind person cannot see what is in front of him.

Please also remember that people who have not yet been called to faith in Christ cannot see the truth before their eyes. Because of the Fall, they are spiritually blind. (2. Korinther 4,3-4)But at just the right time, the Holy Spirit opens their spiritual eyes so that they can see. (Epheser 1,18)The Church Fathers called this event the miracle of enlightenment. When it happened, it was possible for people to come to faith; to believe what they now saw with their own eyes.

Although some people, despite seeing eyes, decide not to believe, it is my belief that most of them in their lives will eventually respond positively to God's clear call. I pray that they will do this sooner rather than later so they can experience the peace and joy of God's knowledge already at this time and tell others about God.

We believe we recognize that non-believers have misconceptions about God. Some of these ideas are the result of bad examples of Christians. Others have come from illogical and speculative opinions about God that have been heard for years. These misconceptions aggravate spiritual blindness. How do we respond to their unbelief? Unfortunately, many Christians respond with the construction of protective walls or even strong rejection. By erecting these walls, they overlook the reality that non-believers are as important to God as believers. They have forgotten that the Son of God did not come to earth just for believers.

When Jesus began his ministry on earth, there were no Christians yet—most people were non-believers, even the Jews of that time. But thankfully, Jesus was a friend of sinners—an advocate for non-believers. He understood that “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthäus 9,12)Jesus dedicated himself to seeking out lost sinners so that they might accept him and the salvation he offered them. He thus spent a great deal of his time with people whom others considered unworthy and unworthy of attention. The Jewish religious leaders therefore branded Jesus as "a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." (Lukas 7,34).

The Gospel reveals the truth to us: Jesus, the Son of God, became a man who lived among us, died, and ascended into heaven; he did this for all people. Scripture tells us that God loves the world. (Johannes 3,16)This can only mean that most people are non-believers. The same God calls us believers to love all people as Jesus did. For this, we need the insight to see them as not-yet-believers in Christ—as those who belong to him, for whom Jesus died and rose again. Unfortunately, many Christians find this very difficult. Apparently, there are enough Christians who are ready to condemn others. However, the Son of God proclaimed that he did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. (Johannes 3,17)Sadly, some Christians are so keen to condemn non-believers that they completely miss how God the Father views them—as His beloved children. For these people, He sent His Son to die, even though they could not (yet) recognize or love Him. We may see them as non-believers or unbelievers, but God sees them as future believers. Before the Holy Spirit opens a non-believer's eyes, they are closed with the blindness of unbelief—confused by theologically false concepts about God's identity and love. It is precisely under these conditions that we must love them, rather than avoid or reject them. We should pray that when the Holy Spirit empowers them, they will understand the good news of God's reconciling grace and accept the truth in faith. May these people enter into the new life under God's guidance and rule, and may the Holy Spirit empower them to experience the peace that is given to them as children of God.

When we think about non-believers, let us remember Jesus' commandment: "Love one another," he said, "as I have loved you." (Johannes 15,12)And how does Jesus love us? By letting us share in his life and his love. He doesn't build walls to separate believers and non-believers. The Gospels tell us that Jesus loved and accepted tax collectors, adulteresses, the demon-possessed, and lepers. His love also extended to women of ill repute, soldiers who mocked and beat him, and the crucified criminals at his side. As Jesus hung on the cross and remembered all these people, he prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!” (Lukas 23,34)Jesus loves and accepts everyone, so that they may all receive forgiveness from him, their Savior and Lord, and live in communion with their heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus gives us a share in his love for the non-believers. Thereby we see them as human beings in God's property, which he has created and will redeem, despite the fact that they do not yet know the one who loves them. Keeping this perspective will change our attitude and behavior towards non-believers. We will accept them with open arms as orphaned and alienated family members who yet have to get to know their true father; as lost brothers and sisters who are unaware that they are related to us through Christ. We will seek to meet non-believers with the love of God so that they, too, may welcome the grace of God in their lives.