The Bible speaks a lot about friendship. It gives us a framework to build a strong and lasting friendship that is rooted in strong values and moral principles. We all need close friends who we can rely on and trust to help us through difficult times. Friendship is a way to experience the companionship of God in the midst of life.
How do we become the kind of friends that The Bible speaks of? The Bible encourages us to offer kindness, hospitality, loyalty, and love. The Bible tells us that we should pay special attention to how we treat our brothers and sister in Christ. It says, “Welcome one another as Christ welcomed you.” As followers of Christ, we are to also put aside our differences in an effort to make sure that our relationships are strong and based on love.
Forgiveness is another important part of having a sound friendship. We must be willing to offer and extend forgiveness when we have been wronged, just as we would want God to forgive us of our own sins.
The Bible also teaches us to turn away from strife and gossip among ourselves. Instead, The Bible tells us, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4: 29).
Being kind to one another is also key in a Bible-based friendship. Doing good to others and being patient and gentle are all attributes that, if practiced, can help foster a true and lasting friendship. We should aim to “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11).”
Real friendship is a gift from God to us and should be cherished. We can look to the Bible to guide us in how to love and appreciate our friends. Jesus even said, “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born to help in times of trouble (Proverbs 17:17).”
Fostering relationships in our lives that are based on Christian values is the ultimate goal of being a friend that The Bible speaks about. If we follow the word of God, we can lead strong and faithful friendships with each other.
What can we learn from the best friendships in The Bible? Abraham and Lot, David and Jonathan, and Paul and Barnabas were all committed friends. Their relationships were built upon trust and loyalty and they were willing to sacrifice and even die for each other.
Friendship at All Costs
One of the best examples of friendship in The Bible is the story of David and Jonathan. Their friendship was so strong that at one point, Jonathan gave David his robe, his own weapons, and even his own crown. This story of friendship helps us to actualize that friendship in the Bible goes above and beyond and shows us how deep and meaningful it can be.
The Bible also teaches us to extend our friendship even to our enemies. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Luke 6:27).” Extending kindness and love to our enemies can be difficult, but The Bible tells us that it is the right thing to do.
The ultimate example of friendship in The Bible is of Jesus and us. Jesus expresses His friendship to us through the gift of His life and by His death on the cross. He is the ultimate friend and He gives us an example of true friendship that we must strive to emulate.
The Bible makes clear that how we as friends treat one another speaks deeply about our own hearts. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).” It is a call to sacrifice and give our lives over to our friends in order to show them love.
We must also remember that a strong and lasting friendship takes more than just words. We must be patient, kind, and generous with our friends. We must also remember that our friends are human and, like us, make mistakes. We must be willing to forgive so that our friendships can remain strong.
Friendship with God
A strong friendship with God is one that calls us to a deeper spirituality in Christ. God respects us as individuals and wants us to follow Him in our lives. He offers us an intimate friendship that goes beyond anything we could ask for, and His gift of grace and mercy allows us to become closer to Him each day.
The Bible reminds us of the blessings that God has given us through our friendships with Him. It says, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:13-14).”
We can also find strength in scripture when we are feeling alone or disconnected from God. Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” These words remind us that God is only a prayer away.
The Bible encourages us to seek friendship with God first and foremost. Jesus said, “In the same way, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4).” Being friends with God means a commitment to our faith and a dedication to keeping it alive and growing.
The Bible also tells us that God wants our prayers and that He hears them. He wants us to cast our burden on Him and trust Him with our words and the most intense thoughts of our hearts. Through prayer, we can find strength and solace from God.
Living Out Our Friendships
Living out our friendships in Biblical ways is not easy, but it pays off in the long run. We must be willing to forgive, to love, to be kind, and to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our friend.
We are also reminded to lay aside our differences and focus on our love for one another. We can encourage others to do the same, so that every friendship grows deeper and more meaningful.
The Bible speaks of joy, peace, and oneness as The Holy Spirit works within us. Through this, the Lord stitches us together in a beautiful tapestry of love. He takes us, broken and bruised, and binds us into one holy fellowship with Him and others.
We can pay attention to the words of Jesus and understand how to interact in a way that is consistent with Biblical principles. We do not have to be perfect, but we can strive to make our relationships centered on the love and goodness of God.
The Bible tells us to bear one another’s burden and lift each other up when things become too difficult. It also reminds us to love our friends, and their friends, and even our enemies.
Showing Appreciation and Respect
Friendship in The Bible ought to have all the same respect and appreciation that any interpersonal relationship deserves. We must be honest, open-minded, generous, and supportive of our friends. We can learn to appreciate each person’s unique qualities, rather than comparing them to others.
The Bible also encourages us to thank God for our friendships. It says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).” By exercising gratitude and thankfulness for the friendships in our lives, we can appreciate the gift that God has given us.
We must also remember to express our love to those in our lives who need it most. We can show them that we care and support them even in the most difficult of times. Simply being available for our friends when they need us is a powerful way to show them that we care.
The Bible also encourages us to put others first in our friendships by being willing to sacrifice our own comfort for the benefit of our friends. We must be willing to confront and correct our friends when needed, in order to bring them closer to God.
Final Thoughts
Finally, we are reminded to never take our friends for granted. The Bible says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity (Proverbs 17:17).” This means that no matter the circumstance, a true friendship will never fail us.
A husband of one wife, father of two beautiful girls, laborer of Lord, Jesus Christ, and a servant to God’s His saints. I hope to encourage you by God’s grace. Thank you for stopping by.
