"I Have Called You Friends"

 WHY DO WE NEED TO BECOME JESUS' FRIENDS?

We must be friends with JEsus if we are to have a good relationship with Jehovah.  Why is that true? Consider just two reasons.  First, Jesus told his disciples:  "The Father himself has affection for you, because you have affection for me."  (John 16:27)  He also said: "No one comes to the Father except through me."  (John 14:6)  Trying to be Jeohovah's friend without building a  close bond with Jesus is like trying to enter a building without using the door.  Jesus used a similar illustration when he described himslef as "the door for the sheep."  (John 10:7)  A second reason is that Jesus  perfectly reflected his Father also." (John 14:9)  So an important way that we come to know Jehovah is by studying the life of Jesus. As we learn about Jesus, our affection for him will grow. Ans as our friendship with Jesus grows,  our love for his Father will deepen. 

FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS LEADS TO FRIENDSHIP WITH  

                                            JEHOVAH

Because we all inherited sin, we could never on our own enjoy friendship with Jehovah. All of us being life, not as God's friends, but as his enemies.  To become his friends, therefore, we must be reconciled to him. (Romans 5:6-12)   Jehovah has made provision for this reconcilliation through the ransom sacrifice of his only-begotten Son. By exsercising faith in Jesus and obeying his commands , we can become his friends.  (John 3:16, 36; 15:14) More significantly, though, by exercising faith in Jesus, we can become reconciled to God. Thus, friendship with Jesus leads to frienship with Jehovah.

Next time: "I Have Called You Friends" - A BALANCED VIEW OF JESUS' ROLE

From the jw.org publications