A Biblical Theology of Friendship
“Made for Friendship” — Chapter Six Reflection
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
Loving sacrificially can be one of the hardest things a Christian is called to do, but it is also one of the most rewarding. For a little sixth grader, my first encounter with sacrificial love was going over and sitting with the new girl in our class at lunch instead of sitting with my best friends. I was uncomfortable, but God called me out to do it. In doing so, I gained an awesome new friend and my faith in the Lord grew. The Lord calls us to sacrificial love like Jesus to cultivate friendship with Him. And in a weird way, when we follow Jesus’ call to sacrificially love our friends like Jesus, we become closer to Jesus ourselves.
Throughout Made for Friendship, Pastor Hunter has excellently outlined the importance of having godly friendships with one another and how to create these relationships. Uniquely, this chapter highlights not only the importance of deep, human friendships, but the importance of the greatest friendship of all: friendship with God. Pastor Hunter reveals God’s greatest desire: To see Jesus’ death on the cross as God’s greatest act of friendship and to apply that sacrificial love to our daily lives and friendships.
Friendship from the Beginning
First of all, before creation, there was love and friendship in that God created humans to walk with Him in friendship. Upon sin’s arrival, friendship with God took form in servanthood to him, not truly a side-by-side or a face-to-face relationship. Even with sin’s separation, God still offers his friendship wholeheartedly, and He proves that through sending his son, Jesus. Jesus died on the Cross to tear down the barrier of sin so that we may reach out and have true friendship with God. It was the ultimate act of glory. I love how Pastor Hunter explains this, “Jesus received the opposite of what he deserved to save us from exactly what we deserve” (pg. 132). Jesus saved us from sin, the very thing preventing us from friendship with Him, to make that relationship possible. True friendship with God can look different for everyone. To me, true friendship with God is through worship. I lay down everything at the Cross and praise him for all he has done. It is in these moments of worship I feel my friend, Jesus Christ, right by my side.
Friendship with God through Friendship with Each Other
Jesus’ death on the Cross allows us to walk with God in true friendship and have this precious relationship eternally, but while we are on this earth, this sacrifice should be an example for our human friendships. To cultivate our friendship with God, we have to have fellowship with each other for both relationships to flourish deeply. The best way to love our friends like Jesus does is to love sacrificially. Lay down our lives for them. It may not look like death on the Cross, it could simply be taking the time to just listen to them.
Personally, I took this as a challenge to be a more selfless friend, to step back out of my need for control and simply be a kind and loyal friend. Through this, I pray the Lord will prosper my friendship with Him to better understand his greatest glory.
My challenge to you is to reflect on the closest friendships in your life. How can you love more sacrificially like Jesus? Are your friendships just focused on the human side of things? Or are they also focused on God and the spiritual?
