True friendship is a gift and doesn’t come easily. Forging genuine friendships in a culture marked by division and disposable relationships can be tricky. How does the gospel shape our view of friendship? What is different about a Christian friendship?
Friendship Forged in Christ
At the centre of a gospel-shaped friendship is our union with Christ. We have been saved by grace through faith, and we are made alive in Christ with all the spiritual blessings that flow from that relationship. One astonishing reality of our new life in Christ is that Jesus calls us friends.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15.15).
Jesus is our truest, closest friend who knows the depths of every joy and hurt in our hearts. He knows every flaw, weakness, and sin, and still loves us with an everlasting love. He promises to be a constant refuge in the storms of life and never leave or betray us (Hebrews 13.5).
Knowing that we are in Christ frees us from expecting another person (friend, spouse) to satisfy our deepest desires to be seen, known, and loved. It motivates us to forgive one another because God in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4.32). It compels us to consider the demands we may place on others to fulfil all of our emotional and relational desires. In short, having Jesus as our truest friend frees us to give and receive love without clutching to it too tightly or expecting something in return.
Friendship is About More Than Friendship
What bonds this kind of friendship together is more than shared interests or a similar life stage. It is a desire to grow in Christlikeness (Romans 8.29) and to be a tool in God’s hand to strengthen one another’s faith.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27.17).
It also displays God’s love to a lost world. We are united in Christ and on mission for Christ so that the world may believe that God sent his Son (John 17.21). And when a friendship aligns with God’s purpose and design, there is a deep joy experienced together, striving side by side for his glory to reach the ends of the earth (Habakkuk 2.14). Friendship is about far more than friendship.
Pursuing Gospel-Shaped Friendships
Let’s strive to be the kind of friend who loves at all times (Proverbs 17.17) because God first loved us. Let’s pursue friendship that points one another to Christ and displays to the world that Jesus is better than the sweetest relationship we will have on this earth. Let’s push against the self-focused culture around us and forge friendships that are outward-focused on how to “stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10.24), and let’s run hard together the race set before us for the glory of God.
These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.