IS GOD A FRIEND?

Bible, in many places, through various lives, events and parables, talks about maintaining a strong relationship with God. However, this article is a chronological probe into the origin and development of God-Man relationship.  

First thing first, when God created Adam, ironically and initially Eve wasn’t there (BTW, I thoroughly accept woman as God's creation equal to man in all respect; no offence of inequality here). This tells us something vital to cognize in the Edenic scenario. God wanted to have a relationship with Adam and this relationship was to be so concentrated only between God and Adam that even the idea of woman's creation was not conceived in the first place. This was the primary purpose of man's creation, I suppose, that God desired to be with man (an ultimate free creature not as robot, with the capacity to choose to relate with God deliberately) in a relationship, with no interruption whatsoever. subsequently, we find another creature formed as man needed or desire (Genesis 2: 20 b. But for Adam there was no help found to meet him ERV) and sin followed in the form of disobedience. Eventually, the relationship with God was lost. And in order to restore the relationship God with all His mercy made multiple attempts and ended up developing: King-subject relationship and Father-Son relationship. 

Let’s look at them little more closely and find whether God was really able to restore the way He intended the relationship to be initially with man. 

1. KING-SUBJECT RELATIONSHIP

KING; this is how people in the Old Testament saw God. They never understood the Edenic relationship which God wanted them to have. They saw God as high, most powerful, sovereign King of whom everyone is subject and has to obey Him without any failure. Right from the call of Abraham till the advent of Christ we find man understood God in relation to His Kingship. And, if anyone want to see, this portrayal of God happens to appear throughout Old Testament. This was not the kind relationship which God initially planned for man because this kind of relationship has its drawbacks and limitations. When you see someone as your king; fear and demanded-respect follows. Everything becomes mandatory and eventually formality. Though this relationship was not as Edenic but something to be appreciated about this relationship was that it was far better than the after-fall animosity between the two. 

2. FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP

Later, in the New Testament, we see Jesus, God Himself, coming in the form of man, calling himself Son of God. This introducing of the ‘Son-Father relationship’ grew as ulcer in hearts of Pharisees and Sadducees. They could not comprehend God being father and having children, in result Jesus had huge opposition so that the theologians have today. And Jesus, making condition worse, offered everyone to believe and become the sons and the daughters of God. (John 1) Unbearable, as it appeared to all the Jewish community. Because they cant imagine God having children. 

Father-son relationship again has many limitations. This relationship can't be compared with the relationship God intended for man. This could be seen in every family.  All are not comfortable and free to share everything with their father or mother. As far as need is concerned being sons and daughters, one can approach to father but if it something confidential, more sinister or anything we all know as children, we tried our best to hide it from our father. And may be in childhood it was close relation but as we grew it became less intimate or got limited to need-fulfilment. Simply say, we were not as comfortable as could have been in some other relationship. 

This was again not as Edenic but came with more improvements then the Old Testament King-subject relationship. 

3. FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP 

Now after a while, we see Jesus, again, bringing final improvement in the relationship and called man friend (John15). 

This is the culmination or the zenith of all relationship. Where you come to a place where you can call God your friend. And as we know and experience every day of our life that friendship is the only relationship which has no boundaries and confidentiality between the people who are relation on this bound relationship. 

Nothing to hide, nothing to feel shame about, no confidentiality, no fear of being disclosed, no fear of being punished, no feeling of loneliness.

This epitome of relationship match precisely to the Edenic relation that God had initially planned. God never meant His people to see or regard Him as King, father or whatever but only an intimate related being which only falls in relationship of friendship. Evan to Abraham God called friend.

Now some may argue HUSBAND-WIFE relationship to be the BEST but we should understand this relationship is apparently symbolic not practical (Paul talks about it to believers who were in disunity, not willing to submit to the authority. So Paul portrayed Jesus, symbolically, as the bride for all to submit themselves to Him as wives to husbands; and also in Revelation, Jesus is presented as lamb, who would marry His bride, to fill the readers with hope amidst hopeless and turmoil).

However, this relation of friendship to be actualized, requires a huge amount of maturity from the side of the one who want to establish it. Anyone newly converted would require a lot/less of time to come to this place, which solely depends on passion which one has to get intimated with God in the relation.  

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