By
Richard L Spangler
In part 1 of Who Are You, we looked at the servant. In part 2 we looked at the kings and priest. All of these have varying degrees of relationship with God.
The next level of relationship is that of
friend. A friend as defined by Webster’s
Dictionary is: 1a: one attached to another by affection
or esteem b: acquaintance
2 a: one that is
not hostile b: one that
is of the same nation, party, or group 3: one that favors
or promotes something (as a charity) 4: a favored companion
Enoch was
one such person in Genesis 5:22-24Amplified Bible (AMP) 22Enoch
walked [in habitual fellowship] with God after the birth of Methuselah 300
years and had other sons and daughters.23So all the days of Enoch
were 365 years.24And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God;
and he was not, for God took him [home with Him].This is an amazing friendship
with God. This same type of relationship is mentioned of Noah in Genesis 6:8-9.
In
Genesis 18:3 Abraham
refers to himself as a servant but God calls Abraham his friend in Genesis
18:17. This shown by the discussion that follows a friend is allowed debate a
decision and servant is not.
Jesus speaks of friendship and the difference
between friends and servants in John 15:15 I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant does not know
what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My friends,
because I have made known to you
everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have
learned from Him.]
A friend has
a closer relationship than a servant, a priest or king, but a friend can be any
of these as well. But there are limits in the relationship of a friend and
access to the house. There are parts of a house that are for the family and for
the family only. The good news is we are in family of God.
We will look at Family of God in the 4th
and final part of this series coming soon.
©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER
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