speaking of christianity, i have a question about born again christians 1) how is it ( i know of a person who is a so called "born again" christian) that this born again christian i know has friends that don't not only follow his beliefs and the way he supposedly lives his life but do stuff that i know are blatantly against what his GOD and the bible says.
can and should a born again christian have friends with people who are the polar opposite in beliefs and the way they live their lives? does this make this born again christian a big ole hypocrite?
Christians often have FAMILY MEMBERS who don't hold to the same religious beliefs. So it's not such a stretch that they have friends in the same boat.
Jesus befriended sinners as well. But, where the line was drawn is that He DID NOT compromise what was right to be buddies with them.
And, therein lies the rub. He didn't excuse sinful behavior or sugar-coat it. At the same time, when He saw that people were hurting, He helped them.
A perfect example is the woman caught in adultery, often erroneously identified as Mary Magdelene. Jesus befriended her and forgave her for her sin. He didn't excuse it or make light of it, nor did He suggest that she didn't deserve the death penalty (BTW, the guy with whom she got freaky should have been dragged there to be executed, too. But, that's another issue). He forgave her and told her "Go and sin no more".
When Peter first met Jesus, his reaction was,
"Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord". But, Jesus became His friend, as well, and stayed His friend EVEN AFTER Peter denied even knowing Him.
Therefore, I'd say that "NO", being friends with non-believers doesn't make a Christian a hypocrite....PROVIDED that he doesn't compromise his beliefs or condone sinful behavior.