Ask Dr. Youssef: How do I lead my unbelieving loved ones to Christ?

QUESTION:

“How do I lead my unbelieving loved ones to Christ?”

ANSWER:

If you’re burdened for loved ones who refuse to accept Christ, don’t lose heart. You and I cannot convert anyone. You cannot change a person’s heart or forgive their sins. Only Jesus can do that. Your role is clear: Bring them to His feet—and let Him do the rest.

That’s what we see in Mark 2. Four friends carried their paralyzed companion to Jesus. The crowd was impenetrable, the obstacles overwhelming—but they would not give up. They climbed the roof, broke it open, and lowered their friend to the Savior’s feet. And Scripture says, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven'” (v. 5). Notice—it was their faith that moved the heart of Jesus.

This is how we bring our unbelieving loved ones to Christ: through undaunted faith in Jesus and irrepressible commitment to their salvation. Persist in prayer. Refuse to give up. Keep loving, keep speaking Truth, keep carrying them to Jesus even when they resist. They may not understand the Bible. They may not recognize their desperate need for forgiveness. They may not yet grasp that only Jesus can save. But God sees your faith.

And when you keep bringing them before Him—through prayer, through sacrificial love, through your faithful witness—He will honor it. He will act in His time. So don’t give up. Carry them to Jesus. Trust Him to do the miracle. Because only Jesus can forgive, only Jesus can save, and only Jesus can change a life for eternity.