The Bible portrays a profound intimacy between God and humanity through the person of Jesus, who calls His disciples friends. In John 15:15, Jesus explains that He no longer regards them as servants, but as friends, to whom He has revealed the Father's will. This friendship is marked by selfless love, as seen in John 15:13, where Jesus lays down His life for His friends, demonstrating the depth of His devotion. The value of such friendships is also highlighted in Proverbs, where it is written that a friend loves at all times, and that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, as noted in Proverbs 17:17 and 18:24, a truth that is also acknowledged in James 2:23, which speaks of Abraham as a friend of God.
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No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.
Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.