10/30/2023 – Friendship with God
James 2: 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
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The ultimate bond of grace is friendship. We find that when Abraham entered the covenant of grace through faith, he was immediately justified, and he was given what may well be the highest honor anyone can achieve.
Our faith is more than believing a doctrine. It is trusting a person. The covenant of grace is sustained by a relationship of mutual trust. You trust God always, and He entrusts you with His word.
There were many reasons that Christ decided to take on human nature and become like us. He had to become like us to pay for our sins. He had to become like us to be our high priest and represent us before the Father. But He wanted to become like us to have communion with us…to relate to us perfectly. His sacrifice is not a legal transaction, or a religious ritual, it is the gift from our best friend. He is the image of the invisible God- the image who understands us, the image to whom we can relate.
We thank God for the gift of friendship. One of the most precious gifts God has given us on this earth is the gift of friendship. He has given you friends on this earth; but above all, He has called you His friend. I want to explore now this wonderful relationship and discover together, in the word of God, how we can develop this gift in our lives. What response is fitting to such an amazing statement from our Lord Jesus Christ?