Is it a sin if I don’t associate with a family member because they live a life of using people for what they can get like freeloading, lies and no matter how many times you try to help them they don’t take any advice you give them to change their lifestyle? They keep putting themselves in the same bad situations.
Believers in Christ are warned about their associations in the following verses:
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers.; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? And what harmony has Christ with Belial, or has a believer in common with an unbeliever” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15…NASB).
“There be IMITATORS OF GOD, AS BELOVED CHILDREN…But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, DO NOT BE PARTAKERS WITH THEM; for you formerly were darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE UNFRUITFUL DEEDS OF DARKNESS, BUT INSTEAD EVEN EXPOSE THEM” (Ephesians 5:1, 6-11).
“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
I am assuming the family member you refer to is an unbeliever. These passages make it crystal-clear that we are NOT to associate with them and their ungodly lifestyles. They are still in “spiritual darkness” and are thus “sons of disobedience.” Because believers in Christ are now “children of Light,” we have nothing in common with them spiritually. If we were to continue to associate with them, we would eventually, become immoral in our lifestyle, for as we saw in the last verse quoted, “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
I recall hearing the story of a man who had a lovely songbird in a beautiful birdcage. One day he caught a sparrow and decided to put it in the birdcage with his songbird to see if the songbird would teach the sparrow how to sing. Guess what happened? The songbird forgot how to sing! After listening to the senseless “chirping” of the sparrow day after day, the songbird not only forgot how to sing, he learned how to chirp.” I think you can see what this illustrates. A believer may have every intention of spending time with unbelieving friends or family members to teach them how to live a good life, but their efforts with be in vain if their friend remains an unbeliever. Instead of “teaching them to live a godly life,” they will eventually “take on their bad habits and live an ungodly life.”
I want to close on a good note. We should NOT abandon our unsaved friends and family members altogether. We should still try to “win them to Christ by presenting the good news of Jesus Christ to them” whenever the opportunity presents itself (see Ephesians 5:15-16 with 1 Peter 3:15; Mark 5:18-19 and John 1:35-42). We should also “show them Christ” by letting them see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (see Galatians 5:22-23). After you witness to them, pray for the Holy Spirit to use the Word of God to convict them of their sin and to bring them to faith in Christ so they too can be born again (see John 16:7-9; 3:1-16; 1 Peter 1:22-23). Once they are saved, they will be a “child of God” and a “child of Light” and you will then be able to have wonderful fellowship with them (1 John 1:1-4; 3:10-16; 4:7; 5:1-2). (DO) (612.1)