READ: JOHN 15:9-17; ROMANS 5:6-11; 1 JOHN 4:11

Relationships of any kind—with family or friends—are important to God. From the beginning, God made us to live in community. Shortly after He created Adam, the first human, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him” (Genesis 2:18). So God made Eve, Adam’s wife and the first human friend in history.

Besides Adam and Eve, there are lots of friendships in the Bible. David and Jonathan, King Saul’s son, were best friends and took care of each other when they faced tough times (1 Samuel 18:1-4; 20:1-42). Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were very loyal to each other, even when they both lost their husbands and faced poverty (Ruth 1–4).

Jesus had friends too—He had twelve followers called disciples who were especially close to Him. Jesus even called Judas “friend” when this disciple came to betray Him (Matthew 26:50). The next day, when Jesus hung on the cross, Luke 23:49 says, “Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.”

Jesus was willing to go to the cross and die that terrible death—for us. He knew that we all would betray Him through our sin, but He still wants to be friends with us. And the amazing thing is, if you know Jesus, God is friends with you (John 15:15; James 2:23). That’s because Jesus is God the Son, and the Father sent Him to make the way for you to be close to Him. By dying on the cross and rising from the grave, Jesus took the penalty for your sins (John 14:6).

If you know Jesus, not only are you God’s friend, but you also have a whole family of friends—other Christians! All those who trust in Jesus are adopted by God and are brothers and sisters in Christ. They make up God’s family. Throughout the Bible, God encourages His people to love and care for one another as He loves and cares for us, and to tell others how they can become friends of God too. Because, ultimately, friendship with God is what we were created for. And once we’ve experienced His friendship, there’s nothing better! • A. W. Smith

• What does it mean for God to be friends with you? (You can find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.)

• Can you think of any ways you’ve seen Christians around you act as a family of friends? What does it look like to act like a brother or sister toward our fellow friends of God?

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:11 (NLT)