Three Types of Friendships to Pursue
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.—Gen. 1:26, 27
In our efforts to connect the dots from Scripture to daily living, we will find ourselves opposed. Satan doesn’t want us to live a faithful life.
This spiritual battle takes place in our souls as much as it does from outside sources. Besides the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, godly counsel from companions is the power God provides to walk alongside us.
Types of Good Friends
I believe every Christian should develop three kinds of friendships:
Mentors: godly people who have gone before us and show us the way (as Jesus does in John 13:1-20).
Peers: wise companions and friends who walk beside us (Prov. 13:20)
Disciples: those of a younger generation that we train and serve (e.g. Titus 2:3, 4).
So in addition to godly counsel, we need godly friends: people who mentor us, people who walk beside us as peers, and people we watch out for in the next generation. They can be one-on-one relationships or small groups.
The Picture of Good Friends
The truth is, we are not meant to do life alone. If we are made in the image of God, we reflect something of the Trinity. Genesis 1:26 gives us a glimpse of this holy Community.
God says “Let us make man in our image…” The plural pronouns give us the first indication that God is not singular in nature but plural. Together, they agree to create humanity.
Friendship is not merely a human value. We value it because it is the basis of relationship between Father, Son and Spirit. We reflect His image in our relationships as we link arms to serve and love one another.
The Purpose of Good Friends
In fact Genesis 2:18 goes even further. Friendships are essential, not optional, for “it is not good that the man should be alone.” We are not intended to live in isolation.
This is a key feature of being human—relationship with God, relationship with one another. This is true even if you are single.
Not only are we to live in community, we are to live in communion with a larger body (1 Cor. 12:12-30). We interact with each other. In doing so, we sharpen each other (Prov. 27:17) and build up one another (1 Thess. 5:11). Additionally, believers work together to build up the body of Christ to maturity (Eph. 4:12-13).
The Importance of Good Friends
Not surprisingly, then, we need to not forsake meeting together (Heb. 10:24-25). I think this exhortation is in the Bible because God knows that we naturally tend to be lone rangers. Independent. Self-sufficient.
But the truth is, we are not. The strategy of predators is to look for those who are isolated, those lagging behind because they are young, immature, weak, or sick. They are easy pickings and therefore targets of their attack. Being with others protects us through this journey here on earth.
The Benefits of Good Friends
These friends help us tackle sin by being safe places to confess sin.
They are honest confidants who pray for us as we are in the midst of temptation.
They help us keep our commitments to work out repentance and develop new patterns of faith.
These friends provide wise counsel as we plan.
Last, but certainly not least, good friends help us live out the Gospel. They preach the gospel to one another as well as to themselves. They remind each other of God’s story.
With that story in view, we encourage each other to live a life of worship and thanksgiving in all that we do. This is the language of friends who are walking and 1/19 growing in grace together, seeking to spur one another on to live for Christ and eternity with a biblical worldview in the ordinary issues of life.
Friendships like this take effort and time to develop. Perhaps you have been hurt before and are a little gun-shy.
If that is the case, I encourage you to start small. Make a plan to develop one or two potential friendships with people you feel comfortable with.. Look around you. Is there someone already in your circle that you’d like to get to know? Will you step out of your comfort zone and start by asking them a question, just to get to know them? Test the waters. Then take the next step. Invite them out to coffee or over for dinner.
It does take effort. It does take time. But when we wisely and thoughtfully engage with those around us, we will be building relationships that help us stay walking with Christ faithfully through our days. It protects us from Satan’s guerilla warfare. It gives us hope when the inevitable sufferings of life descend.
And who knows? Your gesture of friendship might be the very thing that another person needs too.
Who will you befriend today?
