James 2:23
Direct interchanges between God and individuals don’t occur often in Scripture. But in Abraham’s life, his interchange with God takes the form of a true dialogue, a back-and-forth conversation between friends. But make no mistake—while the two shared this remarkably free exchange, God didn’t become Abraham’s “buddy.” Abraham never lost respect for the Lord’s awesome, holy omnipotence; after all, he built more than one altar for the purpose of sacrificing to the God he worshipped.
In the Middle East today, some people refer to Abraham as Khalil Allah, which means “friend of God,” or simply El Khalil, “the friend.” He is given this name not because he chose to befriend God—quite the opposite is true—or because his moral goodness won God’s heart. He was, after all, an ignorant, superstitious polytheist like his peers when God called him at Ur. Abraham bears this honoured title because God granted him all the blessings that go along with friendship, and by faith, he received them.
The Apostle Paul writes, “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1). Because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has satisfied all the requirements of morality on our behalf, and because He has suffered the consequences of our moral failure, we can legitimately call God our Friend. What is more, we enjoy the same benefits of divine friendship that Abraham received.
REFLECT
What blessings come with being a friend of God? How does it change your perspective to realize that God has chosen to make you His friend?
Since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. —Romans 5:10
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Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Faith for the Journey: Daily Meditations on Courageous Trust in God (Tyndale House Publishers, 2014). Copyright © 2014 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.