One of my close friends talked to me the other night about his struggle with a family member. He was saying that Rachel (for the sake of calling her a name, though I won’t use her real name) was once a Christian who believed in the power of prayer, went to church with her family, and believed in the saving grace of God. But the last few months and years has completely turned away from what she was thought to be truth. She has thrown out her belief in Christ, her relationships with her family, and turned to drugs, alcohol and relationships that don’t satisfy. Her presuppositions and beliefs have changed… what she views and holds to be truth have changed.

I was talking with my close friend about it last night… He said it was a struggle. He still loves and cares for Rachel. But how does he go about talking to her and telling her that what she is living and trusting in and believing in is all a lie? How does he tell her that what she is doing is wrong? According to our presuppositions and our beliefs, we know that drinking and doing drugs are wrong. God talks about that in His word. Our bodies are temples of Him, and we have the responsibility to care for them.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

But how do you try to explain and tell that to someone who doesn’t believe that drinking and getting drunk is wrong? How do you tell that to someone who doesn’t believe that sleeping around is Biblically wrong? I don’t have the answers… I just know that is a very real struggle for me, as well as for many of my friends who have non-Christian friends who they deeply care about and love. I encouraged my friend to continue to love and care for Rachel as he was and still is doing… as well as to commit her to prayer and to God’s hands.

But I would like to know what you think. What advice would you have for someone in this situation? How do you go about handling a friendship like this?