Is It OK to Call God My Friend?

No Longer Servants But Friends

It’s true: Jesus is our friend.

However, it may be helpful to note what friendship with God doesn’t mean. This isn’t a relationship of equals. We don’t think of Jesus as our buddy. Jesus is—and will always be—our king. And yet, it’s also true that our king has invited us to be his friends. He wants us to think of ourselves as friends. He said: “No longer do I call you servants, but I have called you friends" (John 15:15).

“No longer do I call you servants, but I have called you friends.” —Jesus

What does this mean? It’s helpful to think about what it means to be a servant and to be a friend. A servant only comes when there’s something to do, but a friend is welcome anytime. A servant is told what to do, but a friend is told why. A servant will bring the food to the table, but a friend eats it with you.

When Jesus gives this contrast, he wants us to see he desires us—he wants us to view ourselves as his dear friends. He wants us near him, near his heart.

God Befriends Us First

What does it look like to live in friendship with God?

First, we have to be befriended by God. Nobody starts out in this life as a friend of God. We are enemies of God; we’ve rejected him. So, we need to come to God by the cross of Christ through faith and repentance, and then we begin to become his friends.

Made for Friendship

Drew Hunter

Exploring a biblical vision of true friendship, this book demonstrates the universal need for friendship, what true friendship really looks like, and how to cultivate deeper relationships.

Regular Communication

Second, we talk with God. Friendships thrive with communication and conversation. The Bible is a great gift of God wherein he speaks to us and we respond to him in prayer. We should think of Bible-reading and prayer not just as spiritual disciplines, but as the way that we relate to God as a friend. It shouldn’t just be a once-a-day kind of thing; throughout the day, as we meditate on Scripture and we speak with God, we relate to him as a friend.

Finally, we should live life with a great sense of privilege. Jesus wants us to think of ourselves as his friends, and not just his servants. We don’t have to go through any moment of this life fundamentally alone, unknown, or misunderstood because we always have our greatest friend with us.

During every moment of our day, we can walk in friendship with God with a great sense of privilege.

Drew Hunter (MA, Wheaton College) is the teaching pastor at Zionsville Fellowship in Zionsville, Indiana. He is the author of Made for Friendship and the Isaiah and Matthew volumes in the Knowing the Bible series. Drew and his wife, Christina, live in Zionsville, Indiana, and have four children.

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