…Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness — and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23)
(Wes Bredenhof) Many Reformed people object to the idea of God as our friend, or at least are uncomfortable with it. Since he is God incarnate, the same reasoning is applied to Jesus Christ. I imagine they’re reacting to that type of American evangelicalism which portrays our relationship with God in terms too casual. Speaking of him as our friend seems to endanger a proper understanding of God’s majesty and holiness — that applies to all three persons of the Trinity.
Surely we want to have the proper respect for our God and Saviour. He deserves to be honoured in the highest degree. But what if Scripture speaks about our relationship with God in terms of friendship? The Bible has to be our standard, not an over-reaction against extremes found elsewhere. What does the Bible say about this? On the basis of God’s Word, can we say that God is our friend?