“For not even his brothers believed in him.” – John 7:5
It’s humbling to remember that during His earthly ministry, Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe in Him! It was only after His resurrection that they came to faith and later became church leaders and Scripture writers. Most Christians have family members they dearly love who don’t believe in Jesus. It breaks our hearts but it shouldn’t surprise or discourage us.
If Christ’s own family didn’t believe for many years, it shouldn’t surprise or shake us when we have family members who don’t believe. If they could be so stubborn and hardened toward what many others could see in Jesus, the same is likely true in our families today. Unfortunately (from our human perspective) faith is a gift of God. We can’t persuade, pressure, or badger our believed relatives into God’s Kingdom nor can our faith suffice to make up for their lack of faith. They must come to faith on their own.
As followers of Jesus, we should be sure to share the truth and hope of Christ with them in the best ways we know how. We should be sure to do our very best to follow the example and commands of Jesus (all of them!) around them, because they have the most insight into our failures and hypocrisies. We should verbally live out the Gospel before them, freely confessing our sins and mistakes against them and asking forgiveness in the confidence that God has already forgiven us.
Beyond that, we must pray for them. Even as we do those others things, praying is the most important thing. We don’t save people. God saves people. Coming to faith in Christ is a spiritual act and the best tool we have for spiritual work is committed, diligent prayer. Speak. Act. Confess. Pray.