Does God change His mind?

Does God change His mind?

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. – Lamentations 3:22

1 Samuel 15:29 “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

1 Samuel 15:29 And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” (ESV)

1 Samuel 15:29 And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!” (NLT)

“I may be wrong regarding any or all of them; but holding it a sound maxim, that it is better to be only sometimes right, than at all times wrong, so soon as I discover my opinions to be erroneous, I shall be ready to renounce them” (Abraham Lincoln).

It is difficult to admit that we all make mistakes. Even the best of us, including the likes of Abraham Lincoln. But what of God the Father? Does He make mistakes? Does He find it necessary to change? And what about immutability? If God is immutable, what actually changes?

Immutability is an attribute of God. God is unchanging in His character, will, and covenant promises.” God does not change His being, perfections, purposes, or promises (Berkhof). The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that “[God] is a spirit, whose being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth are infinite, eternal, and unchangeable.” Those things do not change.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

What can change? We are often puzzled, if not perplexed, regarding this question.

The confusion has to do with the difference between the Father’s divine attributes and His characteristics as a person. The Father’s attributes never change. But in personal interactions with people, He reacts. He feels joy and sadness. He feels satisfaction but also regret.

Stop to think about it. The Father, the Lord God omnipotent, indeed interacts with mere humans in space and time. He is watching and paying attention. He is sensitive and aware of the smallest details. He cares. He becomes personally involved. The Father responds to us when we respond to Him. He chooses to be in a personal relationship with us. He reacts.

How can we possibly describe this interaction? The human intellect is limited and unable to comprehend it fully. Also, there is a paucity of the human language to describe it. We can only make feeble attempts to explain our limited understanding of the personality and characteristics of the Father and His interactions with us. But a place to start might be to think of Him as responding and reacting rather than repenting and changing His mind.

“God is no robot. We know him as a personal, living God, not a static principle, who while having transcendent purposes to be sure also engages intimately with his creation. Our God is incomparably affected by, even pained by, the sinner’s rebellion . . ..  Rather, his feelings and actions toward men, such as judgment or forgiveness, are always inherently consistent with his essential person and just and gracious resolve (James 1:17)” (Constable).

REFLECT & PRAY

When we change, He responds.

Father thank You that You are always willing to receive me just as I am.

INSIGHT

Several Scriptures refer to the Father changing His mind. He relents and often reveals a sense of regret (Genesis 6:5-6, Exodus 32:14, Jonah 3:10, 2 Samuel 24:16).

The English word rendered regret, repent, relent, and change one’s mind comes fromthe Hebrew nacham. Nacham is an onomatopoeia; it sounds like the action that connotes: drawing breath forcibly, panting, or groaning. Visualize a disappointing loud sigh. The term reflects and extends the idea of “breathing deeply,” hence the physical display of one’s feelings, usually sorrow, compassion, or comfort (TWOT).

The Hebrew term nacham signifies a state of sorrow or regret regarding a perceived wrong. Embedded within is the desire to change or cease a particular course of action.

It is a response, a change of heart, in reaction to the actions of others. It has the sense of changing one’s mind, being sorry, repenting, relenting, regretting, grieving, being moved to pity, or having compassion.

While nacham is typically translated as repent, relent, or change mind, and appropriate, but is somewhat wordy paraphrase might be:

The Father being sensitive and in a relationship with a man, interacts and responds.

Immutability has nothing to do with it.

It is like trying to compare apples and oranges. On the one hand, immutability has to do with the attributes of God and the promises He makes. His character and nature are immutable. While interacting and responding to people has to do with the personality of God.

In 1 Samuel 15, the Hebrew word nacḥamexpresses two contrasting, seemingly polar opposite sentiments.

1 Samuel 15:11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.”

1 Samuel 15:29 The Glory of Israel does not go back on his word or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.”

When the Scriptures speak of the Father not changing His mind, the focus is on His integrity. He does not lie, nor does He go back on His word. He is consistent and can be trusted. Our faith in His promises rests upon this foundation.

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

Titus 1:2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God – who does not lie – promised them before the world began.

People are fickle and capricious. They flip-flop. The Father does not. He does not capriciously change His intentions or ways of acting. However, when people or circumstances change, the Father responds to the changes. As a result of Saul’s change in behavior, the Father expresses regret. Often the Father graciously responds to changes in people’s circumstances and conditions.

In the book of Jeremiah, when the people repent and change their ways, the Father repents and changes His mind in response (Jeremiah 8:6, Jeremiah 31:19). The same is true of human prayer. The Father responds to the pleas of Amos on behalf of Israel (Amos 7:3, 6).

Father has chosen to interact with people in the space-time continuum. He reacts to our decisions and prayers. How marvelous that the Father, the Almighty God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the one who holds all creation together by the power of his will, desires close communion with His human creatures.

When the Scriptures refer to God repenting or changing His mind, it’s not because something unexpected happened and He was taken off guard. The Father knows all things all the time including every eventuality. The Father has infinite and complete knowledge. From eternity past, He knew exactly how everything was going to happen.

As people change their attitudes and actions, a different aspect of His character is more fitting. So it was with Nineveh. When they were in sin, the Father reacted out of justice and warned of coming destruction. He responded with loyal love, compassion, and mercy when they repented. He forgave them.

The Father delights in responding to our change of heart, our repentance. He interacts and responds.

Does prayer change the Father’s mind? No, emphatically no. It is just the opposite. The Father’s infinite, eternal mind works to change our prayers to conform with His will. Pause and consider that.

He richly pours out His love and forgiveness on the undeserving. It matters not what we have done or how many times we did it. He takes great pleasure in restoring the children of the King to close fellowship with Him. The Father is always willing to begin again. Do-overs are an ever-present reality from His loving heart.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, without the burden

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2-11–1

Hearing from God

Hearing from God

I didn’t tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. – Nehemiah 2:12

John 10:27-29

 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,

 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.

21st-century research suggests that good communication is often the foundation of a good relationship. Good communication enhances relationships. But it is not a panacea. Dr. John Gottman, a clinical psychologist and the founder of the Gottman Institute, has observed that a couple’s communication pattern can predict a successful relationship and marriage. (Gottman, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work).

The epicenter of our Christian experience is intended to be our personal relationship with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. All children of the King are invited to know and experience the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Any barriers or chasms between them and us have been eliminated through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ begins we hear His voice and respond in faith by coming to Him.

John 10:27-28

 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.

However, “hearing the word from God” is often inherently cause for concern. Why is this so? There are many competing voices in the spiritual world. How can we be sure that the voice we hear is indeed from the Father?

1 John 4:1  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because there are many false prophets in the world.

Regrettably, we have more than our share of “enlightened masters,” gurus, and the new super spirituality of the church of Oprah. When we seek to hear from the Father, we must make sure that it’s His voice we are hearing and not our own thoughts or someone else’s ideas.

So how can we know when God is speaking? We have clear and concise guidelines. “God’s voice is always consistent with His Word. Any message must agree with what the Lord has already said in the Scriptures. His voice is quiet. God speaks to our hearts through His Holy Spirit in an inaudible but compelling way. The Lord speaks clearly. If we’ll tune our hearts to Him by setting aside time to read His Word and listen for His Spirit to speak, He will give us clear guidance” (Stanley).

REFLECT & PRAY

Psalms 37:5 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

Father I long to hear your voice and follow. Keep my heart open and responsive. Remind me not to draw attention to myself but rather to you.

INSIGHT

Some definitions are helpful.

Inspiration – In modern English, we use the term “inspiration” in two entirely different ways. First, “inspired” has the sense Of being “fired up,” motivated. People are inspired, and this type of inspiration moves or animates our minds, emotions, or wills. Biblical inspiration is quite different.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

Paul teaches that the Scriptures are the inspired work or product of God. Paul focuses on the Bible, which is inspired, not the Father’s people used to write it.

The Greek word translated as inspired is theopneustos. Theopneustos literally means inspired by God or God-breathed. Theopneustos is made up of theos – God + pneo – to breathe.

Illumination – There are times when we read the Scriptures that “God speaks to us.” It is as though what we read was written just for us at that moment in our lives. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. He came to help us to understand the Scriptures.

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.

Revelation – Revelation is “God’s disclosure of Himself.” In a technical sense, revelation is disclosing information not previously known or known only to God. The Bible is the revelation of God to man, par excellence.

2 Peter 1:20-21

 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,

 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

There is a common thread for each revelation found in the Scriptures, regardless of the means or method by which it came. It was a personal communication from the Father to the individual that received it. The nature of this personal interaction between the Father and people is explained and defined in a rather unlikely place, the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a man with a mission, a calling from God to restore the defenses of Jerusalem and boost the morale of the returning exiles. Nehemiah writes,

Nehemiah 2:12 I didn’t tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem.

Nehemiah states that the Father laid/put on his heart what He wanted him to do. The Father was directing or guiding his path in a very specific fashion. This is the essential core, the baseline, of what it means to listen to God. The Father wishes to communicate with us. When He does, He places thoughts, ideas, feelings, and even plans into our minds and hearts.

“Nehemiah felt that God had put into his heart what he had planned . . . He felt that he was led by God to what he was to do. God ‘had inspired’ (GNT) him, ‘was prompting’ (NEB) him, or ‘had put the thoughts into his heart about what he should do” (UBS).

This verse provides the what and the Who, but not the how. “What my God had put in my heart is a translation that veils the process by which an inspired plan was developing in Nehemiah’s mind” (Schoville).

“The immediacy of the action expressed by a present participle, ‘what my God was prompting me to do.’ He was forming the plan in his mind as he went, convinced that his thoughts were being framed by God” (Williamson).

The Hebrew word translated as laid or put is nathan. Nathan primarily means to give, put, set, or set up. Nathan marks the act, which sets something in motion.

To complete the task of rebuilding would take extraordinary leadership, confidence, and determination. “Nehemiah was to face many problems and much opposition, but his sense of divine direction would give him confidence. He was humbly aware that it was God who had entrusted the project to him and would give him the wisdom by which it would be accomplished (Breneman).”  

What does this imply? “This suggests that God leads people step-by-step as they respond in obedience to earlier directions. He guides them as they understand the circumstances and face the dilemmas of each new challenge” (Smith).

When we “hear from God,” we run the not-so-subtle enticement to draw attention to ourselves and not to the Father who was behind the message. Nehemiah, however, stipulates quite clearly that “the project was not his. It was from God and ‘for Jerusalem’ – not from Nehemiah nor for his prestige” (Kidner).

To hear from the Father and follow Him requires a soft and open heart.

Hebrews 4:7 Today, when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.

Proverbs 3:5-6

 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

© Dr. H 2022

Sin sharks ∙

Sin sharks ∙

But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. – Numbers 32:23

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Job 34:21 For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do.

There is a common shark stereotype that sharks have almost a supernatural ability to sniff out even the smallest drop of blood and find their “prey” from many miles away. This stereotype is fostered and promoted by “shark attack” movies.

Indeed, sharks have a strong sense of smell. They can detect small amounts of chemicals (including blood) in the water. They often rely on their sense of smell to hunt and find prey. But their sensitivity does not stretch over vast distances. Some sharks can detect smells at about one part per 10 billion. One part per 10 billion is roughly equivalent to one drop of blood in a backyard swimming pool.

Oceans are far larger than swimming pools. There is little chance that a shark could smell a drop of blood in an ocean from a mile away.

However, when sharks detect a smell, they “are extremely good at picking up on the smallest molecules to direct them to prey sources,” says Mike Price, Curator at Sea World San Diego.

On land and in the ocean, molecules that produce smells disperse over long distances and become diluted. Sharks need only one or two molecules of potential prey to be able to locate their source. In particular, when they encounter blood molecules in the water, they have an extraordinary ability to find the origin of the blood.

There is also a great deal of misunderstanding regarding Numbers 32:23.

Numbers 32:23 Your sin will find you out.

It is often interpreted to mean that you cannot get away with sin. Instead, your sin will be found out and exposed. Secrets thought hidden will be uncovered and revealed. Consider the story of Moses when he “secretly” killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:14). It soon became public knowledge. Or David’s “private” sin with Bathsheba and his effort to cover it up (2 Samuel 11:1-17). It was front-page news in heaven and soon made the headlines of the Jerusalem Post, circa 3000 BC. And so it remains until this day.

While our dirty laundry is often dug up and disclosed, it is not always the case in this life “There are a great many sinners who get by with their sins and are never found out by anyone else” (McGee).

The phrase “Be sure your sin will find you out” is often used in evangelistic appeals, and it can have that application (Wiersbe). Upon closer inspection, “That is not what it says at all” (McGee).

If that interpretation is incorrect, what does it mean?

The original intent was to admonish the Father’s people to keep their commitments (Wiersbe). When a promise is not kept, it is a sin before the Father. To ferret out its primary meaning, it is necessary to examine the context.

In this passage, the wording is striking. Sin is personified. It is as though it becomes a sentient being on a mission. Your sin will find you out. When someone sins, the sin itself becomes like a private investigator. It seeks to find out “who done it.”

And ironically, sin is also the prey that is sought out. Our personal sin shark detects our blood (sin) in the water. It will track us down and find us out. In other words, an act of sin becomes like a shark on the hunt.

“Sin is a tireless pursuer when it comes to seek it’s just payment: like a shark that smells blood, it will never leave a wounded swimmer alone. It comes on relentlessly, seeking its wages . . .” (Duguid and Hughes).

Our sin has destructive outcomes. It becomes our own worst enemy. It is as though sin itself emits an aroma. And at the same time, sin becomes a determined hunter. It detects its own scent, and it will ruthlessly pursue the sinner responsible.

REFLECT & PRAY

Sin has unavoidable and unintended collateral damage. It is best to stay out of those sin shark-infested waters.

Father thank You are the God who sees me (Genesis 16:13). You that You know everything all the time. We cannot hide from You, nor should we wish to.

INSIGHT

What is the context and meaning of the passage? It has to do with following through on commitments and keeping promises. All the tribes of Israel were responsible for being involved in conquering the promised land. Two tribes of Israel, Reuben and Gad, proposed a slight modification to the plan.

“The tribes of Reuben and Gad were herdsmen and requested permission to settle east of the Jordan where the land was especially suited to pasturing flocks and herds” (Wiersbe). They wanted approval to build pens for their livestock and fortified towns for their wives and children on the east side of the Jordan. They would then lead the rest of the 12 tribes in the battle. After the conquest, they would return and live on the land they selected (Numbers 32:16-19).

Moses accepted their proposal but sternly admonished them to keep their promises. If they failed to do so, it was a sin. But their sin is not just between them, the rest of the 12 tribes, and Moses. It would be a sin against the Father Himself.

Numbers 32:23 But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

The Father misses nothing. He sees everything all the time. When we commit Him, He knows if we are keeping it.

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

“There will come that time when the chickens come home to roost. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap’ (Galatians 6:7). I don’t care who you are, or where you are, how you are, or when you are, your sins will find you out. In the way that you sin, that is the way it is going to come home to you some time. That is the meaning of this statement, ‘Be sure your sin will find you out’” (McGee).

Of course, the Father’s awareness and omniscience are like a sword that cuts both ways.

2 Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 5-5-2

© Dr. H 2022

                                      

The extra thing ∙

The extra thing ∙

He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. – Luke 6:31

Luke 6:31-36

 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

 32 If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!

 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!

 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

 35 Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.

 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Comparing ourselves to others seems to be part of our human DNA. It makes a lot of sense. It helps us determine if we are fitting in, doing well, and finding out where we stand in the pecking order. Comparing ourselves with others may often boost our self-esteem, but it is not always in our best interest.

The Father’s standard for children of the King is not being just as good as everyone else or even a little bit better. The Father’s standard for His family is to be much better than ordinary in our actions, thoughts, and moral values. The Father’s ethical and moral code involves “the extra thing” (Stanley).

The Lord Jesus Christ “described the common ways of sensible conduct and then dismissed them with the question, ‘What special grace is in that?’ [Or, more colloquially, ‘why should you get credit for that?’] So often, people claim to be just as good as their neighbors. Very likely they are. But the question of Jesus is, ‘How much better are you than the ordinary person?’” (Barclay)

What is the standard by which our conduct is to be judged? “It is not our neighbors with whom we must compare ourselves; we may well stand that comparison very adequately; it is God with whom we must compare ourselves, and in that comparison, we are all in default” (Barclay).

The question each of us must ask ourselves is challenging. How do I measure up to the Father and what He is truly like? There is never really any contest when He is our standard is there? The Father is always perfect in all His ways, thoughts, emotions, and actions. We, on the other hand, not so much.

Why is the standard so high for the children of the King? The Father dreams that each child of the King aspires to grow to spiritual maturity and become like Him wherever possible. We are to take on His character and communicable attributes: love, goodness, kindness, gentleness, and mercy, to name a few.

We are to love our enemies and seek their highest good. That is precisely what the Father did for us.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The golden rule goes far beyond reciprocity. Even sinful, wicked, “normal” people practice reciprocity to some degree or another.

REFLECT & PRAY

We are most like the Father when we act like the Father. We should reflect the profound inner transformation constantly underway within our minds and spirits.

Father thank You that You are kind and merciful. You chose not to give me what I deserve. But instead, You showered me with grace and provided me with things I could never have earned or obtained by my own effort.

INSIGHT

The kind of love that the Father requires of children of the King is selfless love. We are to love those that hate us, scorn us, despise us, use us, and seek to do us harm. Many of us were like that towards the Father before we met Him and were adopted into His Forever Family. Many of us hated the very thought of God and wanted to stay as far away from Him as possible.

Mercy is not simply feeling pity; it means acting with compassion. Instead of just sympathizing with us, the Father did something about our desperate condition. He sent His Son to save us from sin and its horrendous consequences. We are to demonstrate the Father’s kindness to others despite their treatment of us (Barclay).

How is it possible for us to even imagine trying to live like this? The Scriptures do not teach that living out our faith is hard. Rather, it is impossible without supernatural enablement. Without the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit within, we are simply unable to achieve the extra thing.

Being merciful to those who do not deserve it is contrary to our natural inclinations. Our fallen DNA screams out against it. It is possible only through the power of God’s Spirit within us. What we naturally want is justice. To extend mercy seems to say the offense against us was not very bad – but this is a misunderstanding of the word mercy. Because where no wrong has been committed, there is no need for mercy.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

The essence of mercy is not merely refraining from giving people what they have coming to them. Instead, it is, doing good to or for them.

When you are merciful, you give others what the Father has given to you. And aren’t you glad that He does not immediately deal out retribution for every sin you commit? So remember, the Father wants you to trust Him with all your hurts. And He also wants you to treat others (even your enemies) as you want to be treated – with mercy (Stanley).

Charles Stanley, whom I greatly admire, has often said, “Look your best, do your best, be your best” (Stanley). That is very hard. But in light of Luke 6:31-36, what the Father is asking is even more challenging. “Look His best, do His best, be His best.”

Luke 6:36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 5-1-2

© Dr. H 2022

Best friends forever ∙

Best friends forever ∙

I no longer call you slaves because a master does not confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. – John 15:15

1 Peter 1:8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

Friends was an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004. During its ten seasons, it depicted the lives of six twentysomething friends: three men and three women, living in the heart of New York City.

Over the course of ten years, this somewhat typical bunch of buds worked through family trouble, past and future romances, difficulties, humor, sadness, and situations that demonstrated what it means to be a true friend. It addressed everyday human experiences: falling in love, breaking up, jobhunting, dealing with parents, marriage, and becoming parents. It was a classic sitcom and became one of the most popular TV shows of all time.

It had a tremendous impact on US and international culture. It is a conflictless “hangout sitcom” that revolves around the idea of the importance of good friends. According to a pop-culture expert at the University at Buffalo, Friends is “one of those rare shows that marked a change in American culture.” It presents a lifestyle that revolves around friends creating and sustaining relationships and seeking help from each other. 

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you” (Elbert Hubbard)

“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing… not healing, not curing… that is a friend who cares” (Henri Nouwen).

“There is nothing better than a friend unless it is a friend with chocolate” (Anonymous).

Good friends are hard to find. Even more so in a fragmented, hectic, independent, somewhat isolated social media culture. Being “friended” or “unfriended” on social media is not the same thing as true friendship.

REFLECT & PRAY

“The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity” (Ulysses S. Grant).

Father I can hardly believe that You and Your Son are my Best Friends Forever!

INSIGHT

Each child of the King has been “friended” by the Lord Jesus Christ. And that friendship will last throughout all eternity.

John 15:15 I no longer call you slaves because a master does not confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

The Lord Jesus Christ has declared that His disciples are not mindless robots or coerced slaves. Instead, they are His unique and special friends. If we are His friends, then He is our friend! What an extraordinary idea. Friendship with the eternal Son of God.

You are my friends implies a stunning level of comfortable personal interaction with one who is also the eternal, omnipotent Creator of the universe. In the OT, only Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and, by implication Moses (Exodus 33:11) are called “friends of God.”

Here Jesus extends this privilege to all obedient believers (ESV).

It is hard to take this in and believe that it is even remotely possible to be close to a holy and righteous God and be best friends with Him. But such we are. And what a unique and marvelous friendship it is.

As a friend, the Lord Jesus Christ prioritized His time to be with His friends. He lived closely with His disciples for three years and proved to be not only their Lord and Savior but also the best friend they had ever had. In a fashion similar to the Friends TV series, they went through family trouble, all manner of difficulties, successes and failures, times of joy and pleasure, and extreme sadness and loss.

The Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates and embodies what it means to be a true BFF (best friend forever).

Speaking to “doubting” Thomas, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29).

1 Peter 1:8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

“Unlike the disciples, we have never physically walked with Jesus, but this does not exclude us from His friendship” (Stanley).

The eternal and unalterable reality is that each child of the King who has trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord becomes His friend.

Apart from these remarkable words of the Lord Jesus Christ, how can we be even more confident in His friendship?

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

The reality of our best friend forever status with the Lord Jesus Christ is confirmed for all time because He laid down His life for us.

The Lord Jesus Christ shows us how to be friends, true friends. It is all about caring, giving, self-sacrifice, and following His example. The Lord Jesus Christ tells us to love one another as He has loved us. We should concern ourselves with what is best for others and be willing to put them first. The standard that He set for us is incredibly high and humanly impossible to achieve in our strength alone. For some of us, it may even sound ridiculous.

Philippians 2:5-8 

 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,

 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

How can we possibly do this?

The Father is at work. He is at work all the time. And He invites us to participate in what He is doing. When we do so, He enables us to do what He desires for us to do.

Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

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© Dr. H 2022