The Stranger Becomes A Friend

Thinking about faith this morning. Really this word means trust and in order to trust we must be aware of a thing and some of it's attributes.

The word 'stranger' is used for a person who is an unknown quantity. We know they exist but we don't know much about them other than that they are different from us in some way. They are outsiders.

"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ' God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' " - James 4:4-6 ESV

This speaks to me. A stranger could be an enemy or they could become a friend.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." - Romans 8:5-9 ESV

Some teach that the natural man hates God and the soul needs 'help' from God in order to believe in Him but when i look in the scriptures i see that individuals see God as a stranger and God is estranged from man and will never 'buy into' the system we have created that is outside His holiness.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility." - Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV

The fallen man sees God as a powerful stranger who made rules and then demanded we follow them but the cross shows us a God who loves us and bridges the gap by coming to us and serving us. If we look at God through the lens of the Gospel we see that He Is a friend and not an enemy.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." - Hebrews 11:1-6 KJV

I could go on and quote the whole chapter...

Faith is seeing God as He Is and that pleases Him. It is impossible to please God if we see Him as a stranger or an enemy. Once we see that He loves us we can give Him love in return and that is a glorious exchange.

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