"He was called the Friend of God."
James 2:23
Do you have friendship with God?
What is Good Friendship?
“A friend loveth at all times…” (Proverbs 17:17a) Your best friend is the one who knows the worst about you, and loves you just the same, and that best friend is God, the Lord Jesus Christ who sticks closer than a brother. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) The true source, foundation, and example of friendship is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is Bad Friendship?
Something that is temporary, unfulfilling and won’t last, and often it’s found in the things of the world that draw our love away from God being our first love. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
What is Friendship with God?
After receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can now have friendship with God. So we can pull up a chair next to us during devotions knowing it’s not empty, we can speak to God as we are driving down the road knowing He’s listening, or wherever we are we can recognize that God is right there with us, and He will never leave or forsake us.
David had Friendship with God and taught Solomon to have the same.
David, the King of Israel sat down with his son Solomon and wanted to give him the most important advice for his life. David advised Solomon to give himself to seek to know God, not just to know “about God,” but to know Him as “friend to friend.” “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:” (1 Chronicles 28:9a)
Adam had the first Friendship with God
Genesis 1 and 2 speaks of how God created Adam, and put him in the garden, and gave him guidance to work in the garden by dressing and keeping it. This showed the Lord desired to have a close relationship with man, but it was Adam who turned away from God. Man’s sin held him back from closeness with God, and unforgiven sin will always keep a gap between friends who are close to each other. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:8-9) Adam’s sin put a wedge between Him and God, but God is came to look for his friend Adam, and called Him by Name. Why did God call Adam by name? You always call a friend by their name. Adam, had friendship with God in the beginning and their friendship was reconciled through a blood atonement post fall.
Abraham had Friendship with God
By faith, Abraham left his country because he had a friendship with God in which he believed by faith the promises a far off, embraced them, and confessed them. “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23)
Moses had Friendship with God
During the time of the wilderness wandering, God told Moses to make Him a sanctuary so He could dwell among His people. When it was built, Moses went into it and talked with God. “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” (Exodus 33:11a). Moses had friendship with God and his relationship with God influenced Joshua to follow after him.
All 12 Tribes of Israel in the Future Kingdom will have Friendship with God
The new covenant relationship described in Jeremiah 31:31-34 is one of a close relationship with God, where all the Jewish people have a future personal knowledge of God because of salvation and forgiveness of sins. “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
The Disciples had Friendship with God
The Lord Jesus Christ expressed the intimacy of closeness with His Disciples when He said, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15)
Today, we too can have a close relationship with God that stems from salvation and forgiveness of sins giving us an eternal friendship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator, Savior and Friend. By confessing the Lord Jesus Christ we are declaring a desire to have a close friendship with God. This friendship is built on the new covenant relationship of being saved from sins and completely forgiven by God, who became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:15)
How can we have friendship with God?
God promises that if anyone seeks God with all his heart he will find Him. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) If a person wants to truly know who God is, God will reveal to that person that He is the Lord Jesus Christ, and it’s up to them to accept that friendship with God.