Musings of a Seminary Grad

Introduction Thus far in this series , I have argued that the biblical definition of friendship is “moving toward God together,” and that it is not a result of human ingenuity but rather woven into the very fabric of our being as images of the God who himself exists in perfect, eternal friendship as a Trinity. But a biblical view of friendship does not stop there, for friendship is not only God’s idea but also his gift to humanity. I have mentioned some of the benefits of friendship already in this series, but in this post I will elaborate upon them, emphasizing the blessing it is to us. Friendship is a creation of God designed for his purposes, and we should submit to him by following his plan; yet, paired with this truth must be the character of God himself as good and loving, for his plan for friendship is also that which will bring us the most joy in life for his glory and our good. In Praise of Friendship Though friendship has fallen upon hard times in our modern western w...

Introduction Tragedy recently struck at the Christian university where I teach, when a young student passed away suddenly. As is always the case in such situations, there are various circles of impact: the family and close friends are intensely affected by the loss of a loved one, broader acquaintances are saddened by the absence of a companion, and the wider community is shaken by the reminder of the brevity of life. As followers of Christ, we must ensure that our thoughts about death are in line with Scripture rather than the world around us. In our modern world of medical advances and industrialized funerary services, we often find ourselves surprised by the intrusion of death into our otherwise pleasant lives, even in Christian circles. But such was not the case in ancient Christianity, where the Latin motto memento mori – “Remember, you must die” – was a frequent reminder of the biblical teaching that death is inevitable (Ps. 90:12; Isa. 40:7). Indeed, Ecclesiastes states boldly,...

Introduction In my last post , I defined biblical friendship as “intentionally moving toward God together,” since the ultimate purpose of friendship is knowing God, which leads to sanctification. In its practical implementation, friendship looks like love toward others, which seeks that final goal of knowing God for all parties involved. If you have not read my first post, you may want to start there, as this post will move on to make the first major point about friendship. In studying this topic, I developed a four-prong method for describing biblical friendship as it works itself out practically. These four prongs are as follows: friendship is God’s idea, God’s gift, God’s tool, and God’s goal. Underlying each of these statements (which I will explain in depth in the next four posts) is the foundational principle that friendship belongs to God, and therefore he has the authority to determine how it works. In contrast to the primordial tendency of fallen humanity to misuse God’s d...