I Am Christ’s Friend

 John 15:15

Jesus said“I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”

Some things in Scripture are harder to understand and believe than others. Christ, the Sovereign Creator of all things, the offended Judge who declared the penalty for sin to be death, the One who willingly died to pay that penalty and redeem us from bondage to sin, now calls us His friends. Certainly we would like to consider Him our friend; but are we really His friends? If He were telling someone about His friends, would He include us? Somehow this seems too much–too good to be true; but He insists it is.

Actually, Christ said, John 15:16“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.“

We are His friends by conscious choice on His part, even though He knows more about our inward nature than we will admit to ourselves.Furthermore, for His friends He promises, “Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you”

He has demonstrated His friendship by the greatest act of love imaginable, when He voluntarily died to save us from our sins.

John 15:13“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends“

His love for us surpasses human love.

v.9“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.” v.11“that we be filled with His joy. Yes, that our joy will overflow!“.

v.16He has “ordained” us as friends so that we“should go and produce lasting fruit“. What joy!

There should be a response on our part to His friendship. Almost as a self-evident fact, He states,

v.14“ You are my friends if you do what I command.“,

v.17 and His command is: “Love each other“.

How can we do less?