John 15:13

Good morning friends,

  Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends.

 Now I tend to think that this verse is quoted almost as often as John 3:16 and I suspect it is because we have a deep seeded hunger for true friendship. Jesus points out here the nature of true friendship. We are a culture of broken relationships and like love our concept is skewed. The term friend on Facebook has absolutely little to no connection to the true meaning of friend. We collect “friends” on Facebook like kids collect “friendship” bracelets which in-turn is nothing more than some ego trip. True friendship has connected to it commitment and responsibility and you can’t just push a button to unfriend them.( Needless to say the number of crimes that has arisen out of unfriending someone on Facebook is mind numbing.) Charles Colson spoke at an Ivy League college shortly after his release from prison for his part in the Watergate scandal. During his speech a group of students began to heckle him, shouting out “how could you have defended Richard Nixon?”  Colson stopped his speech, looked at the hecklers and answered “because he was my friend.” The audience stood to their feet in applause because Colson struck a nerve with that comment.  What Colson came to realize was that in our culture of broken relationships those students were hungry to have at least one friend who would sacrifice on his or her behalf. Now consider the depth of Christ’s friendship, Paul reminds us that while we were still enemies with God Christ died for us (Rom 5:7-8). Paul continues in this verse  by pointing out that “scarcely will one die for a righteous person” Christ is the penultimate “friend”  and exhibits it in His selfless nature. For Christ it was not some ego trip of friending someone – it was the selfless sacrifice on behalf of friends who were still enemies with Him. Try to find a friend like that on Facebook!

 Bill

Heidelberg Catechism

Q. 32. But why art thou called a Christian? (a)

A. Because I am a member of Christ by faith, (b) and thus am partaker of his anointing; (c) that so I may confess his name, (d) and present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to him: (e) and also that with a free and good conscience I may fight against sin and Satan in this life (f) and afterwards I reign with him eternally, over all creatures. (g) (a) Acts 11:26. (b) 1 Cor.6:15. (c) 1 John 2:27; Acts 2:17. (d) Matt.10:32; Rom.10:10; Mark 8:38. (e) Rom.12:1; 1 Pet.2:5,9; Rev.5:8,10; Rev.1:6. (f) 1 Pet.2:11; Rom.6:12,13; Gal.5:16,17; Eph.6:11; 1 Tim.1:18,19. (g) 2 Tim.2:12; Matt.25:34.