Aspects Of Divine Friendship

Just thinking about the 'positional' and 'experiential' aspects of divine friendship...

"You are my friends if you do what I command you. 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. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another." - John 15:14-17 ESV

On one side of the coin Jesus 'called them' friends and when God says you are something it becomes reality if it wasn't before.

"And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." - Genesis 1:3 ESV

Yes. Here we see Jesus say, 'There there be friendship.' and... poof... there was friendship. It wasn't because of their performance. Jesus' communication made it so. What He told them was 'friendship level' communication.

He was their friend but were they His friends? They were if they heeded His words. The Greek word for 'command' in verse 14 is entello (Strong's G1781) which is just 'telos' with a prefix. Telos is a word which signifies bringing something to a conclusion or it's intended purpose.

These commands are not tasks per se. They are 'ah ha' moments when we see the solution to the puzzle and act on it. We put the last jigsaw pieces in place because the structure has become clear. We finally figure out what that word is in the crossword puzzle. We had four out of eight letters but that fifth letter suddenly gave us the clue we needed and the word becomes clear so we write it in with ink and not just pencil.

If you have believed in Jesus God is your friend. He has been a friend to all mankind. He has demonstrated that friendship again and again but sending His Son to live among us and die on a tree for us was the ultimate proof.

For some today may be the first day they return the friendship and actively enter into it by believing in Jesus. Those who have already believed also have a choice. Will we walk with Him in an active knowledge of who He really is and live in 'experiential' friendship with God? Will we walk in the light not caring what it exposes about us because we trust the One we are walking with?

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