What A Friend We Have In Jesus.
Many believers will speak of Jesus as their friend; they may all join in the singing of “ What a friend we have in Jesus” but how many have come to the realisation that this song is a mere recollection of what we have gained from Jesus? Yet failed to comprehend that the concept of true friendship cuts two ways.
Jesus said: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” John 15:14. Jesus Himself is defining the true meaning of friendship from His perspective. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ spoke plainly about what it truly means to follow Him. His call was never casual, nor was it comfortable.
The Son of God invited all to come, but He made it clear that only those willing to surrender fully could be His disciples, His friends, and become heirs of His kingdom. True friendship with Christ is not based on our emotions, nor is it established by our words only, but on our continual obedience to His word and His will.
This truth must be firmly established in our understanding that friendship with Jesus Christ is not merited through our outward religiosity, but it has to be proven through our inward submission.
Jesus said: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” John 15:10. Therefore, a friend of Christ trusts His word enough to obey it. The pattern is divine obedience. Jesus obeyed the Father perfectly, and in turn, He calls us to walk in that same obedience if we wish to remain in His love.
This is of paramount importance and must be fully understood. The world’s friendship leads to compromise, but the friendship of Christ leads to holiness. Jesus never deceived anyone about the cost of following Him:
- He offered eternal life, but He required absolute surrender.
- He offered friendship, but only through obedience.
- He invited all, but warned that few would choose the narrow road.
Every believer, and those who may be seeking for truth, need to understand that to be a friend of Jesus Christ, there must be the willingness to walk in His commandments. To carry our own cross on a daily basis, we must understand that the door and the way into eternal life is narrow, and it will require a commitment to forsake all in following Jesus Christ and enjoying true friendship with Him.
So the question remains: are you willing to be His friend, His disciple, and His true follower by walking in obedience to the same gospel He preached? The decision is eternal, and the time is now.
Jesus said: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.“ (John 15:14). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ spoke plainly about what it truly means to follow Him. His call was never casual, convenient, or comfortable.
The Son of God invited all to come, but He also made it unmistakably clear that only those willing to surrender their own lives could become His disciples, His friends, and heirs of His kingdom. This presents every believer with an unavoidable question: Have we accepted the Jesus of the Gospels, or have we fashioned a Jesus who asks nothing of us?
Modern Christianity often emphasizes the blessings of following Christ while remaining strangely silent about the cost. Yet Jesus never separated the two. He freely offered eternal life, forgiveness, and peace with God, but He also demanded repentance, self-denial, unwavering loyalty, and obedience. The invitation maybe without price, but it is never without surrender.
Many speak of Jesus as their friend, yet Jesus Himself defined the terms of that friendship. He did not leave them open to personal interpretation. These words leave no room for selective obedience. Christ did not say, “You are My friends if you admire Me,“ nor, “if you believe certain truths about Me.“ He declared that friendship with Him is demonstrated by obedience to His commands.
True friendship with Christ is not built upon emotion, religious activity, or verbal profession alone. It is revealed through a heart that willingly bows before His authority. Genuine faith always produces obedience because it trusts the One who speaks. Every act of obedience declares that Christ’s wisdom is greater than our own, His will is better than ours, and His Lordship is worthy of complete submission.
The disciple who calls Jesus “Lord” while resisting His commands stands in direct contradiction to the very words of Christ. Jesus also said: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:10). Here Jesus establishes the divine pattern. He did not merely teach obedience He lived it perfectly. Every word He spoke, every step He took, and every sacrifice He made flowed from complete submission to the Father. He now calls His followers to walk the very same path.
This truth is of paramount importance and must never be diluted. Christ is not asking for occasional acts of obedience but for a life continually yielded to His will. This is so important for everyone to firmly understand: obedience is not the means by which we earn His love; it is the evidence that we are abiding in it. The world offers a very different kind of friendship:
- It encourages compromise.
- It pursues self-expression and independence from God’s authority.
- It tells people to follow their own hearts.
- Define their own truth and pursues their own desires.
Jesus Christ calls His followers in the opposite direction. He calls them to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. One path exalts self; the other exaltsAlmighty God. One leads to spiritual ruin; the other to eternal life.
Every believer should therefore ask himself honestly: Is Jesus truly my Lord, or merely someone I admire? Do I follow Him when His commands agree with my desires, or do I obey Him even when obedience costs me comfort, reputation, relationships, or personal ambition?
These are not uncomfortable questions invented by men; they are the searching questions raised by the teaching of Jesus Himself.To call Christ a friend while refusing His commands is self-deception. But to surrender to His Lordship is to discover the greatest privilege imaginable—to walk daily with the Son of God, abide in His love, and become conformed to His image.