The hard truth of the Gospel is that we are enemies of God until He redeems us. James 4:4 says that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” and “Whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
So, Jesus came to reconcile our sin problem. As He dealt with sinners, He never condoned sin. Jesus said to the man He healed at the pool of Bethesda and to the woman brought to Him after being caught in adultery, “Sin no more” (John 5:14 and 8:11). Jesus met their greatest need, salvation. His primary concern was always to deal with the problem of the heart more than with the problem of the body. Sometimes that was not received well, but Jesus never weakened the truth to make it more palatable. For instance, in Matthew 19, Jesus laid out the truth to the rich young ruler, but when the man walked away, Jesus did not run after him and soften the truth. He simply allowed the man to choose. He allows us to choose as well. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus remained sinless, refused to water down the truth, and still had compassion for sinners. This is being a friend.
Oh, but the joy of being His friend in salvation! The Bible tells us that Jesus is our best friend. One reference to Jesus as our friend is found in Proverbs 18:24b, “But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Jesus is that close friend once we are His. He told His disciples just before going to the cross that He no longer called them servants, but instead, He called them friends! Why? The same reason He can call us friends—He chose us and appointed us to bear fruit, and to do so as His friend. (See John 15:15-16.)
