When you think about what it means to be a good friend, what comes to mind? Is it knowing your friends so well that you can name their favorite foods or something that brings them joy? Does it mean you see them every day and spend a lot of time hanging out together? Are you friends with someone if you share common interests and enjoy the same activities and hobbies?
While all these are good and true descriptions of friendship, they are outer expressions of what the Bible says is at the heart of true friendship: loving each other as you love yourself (Matt. 22:39) and doing for the other what you would want done for you (Luke 6:31). The Bible teaches us that true friendship is a deep commitment to one another in all seasons and circumstances.
Biblical Examples of Friendship
Several examples in Scripture show faithful friendships and the difference they make in our lives. Some of these friendships were among peers, and some were intergenerational. Some were family turned friends, and some were ministry partnerships. But all had one thing in common: each person in the friendship loved the other with commitment and humility and acted in the best interest of the other person.
Elijah and Elisha
In 1 Kings 19:16, the Lord told the prophet Elijah to anoint his successor. He does so a few verses later in 19-21. In 2 Kings 2, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, with Elisha witnessing the miraculous event. In the time leading up to this moment, the men were traveling from Gilgal, and three times on their journey, Elijah told Elisha to stay behind while he went on to the next city where the Lord told him to go. And all three times, Elisha responded by saying, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you,” and they traveled together. Elisha was committed to Elijah at all times.
Ruth and Noami
Ruth responded similarly when her mother-in-law Naomi told her to go back to her people after their husbands had died. Ruth 1:16-17 records Ruth’s commitment to her mother-in-law.
“But Ruth replied:
Don’t plead with me to abandon you
or to return and not follow you.
For wherever you go, I will go,
and wherever you live, I will live;
your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
and there I will be buried.
May the LORD punish me,
and do so severely,
if anything but death separates you and me.”
David and Jonathan
Ruth’s great-grandson, David, also had a dear friend who was faithfully committed to him, even to the point of protecting David from his own father. Jonathan was the son of King Saul, and in 1 Samuel 18, their friendship is described when “Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as much as himself” (v. 3). When Saul became jealous and worried David would try to take over his throne, he sought multiple times to kill David (1 Sam. 18–20). Each time, Jonathan warned and protected David, even though that meant going against his very own father.
Jesus and His Followers
In the New Testament, Jesus is of course the perfect example of a friend. In John 15, Jesus described how great His love truly is. He described the greatest proof of love in friendship: to lay one’s life down for a friend (v. 13), which we know is exactly what He did when He gave His life on the cross so that we could be His forever. In verse 15, He says, “I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.” What a gift it is that the King of kings calls us His friends!
Paul and His Ministry Partners
Later in the New Testament we are introduced to Paul, who penned letters to churches filled with many dear friends. He also traveled alongside ministry partners and friends as he shared the gospel and encouraged believers wherever he went. In Romans 12, he lays out what it looks like to “Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters” (v. 10). That includes weeping with those who weep, rejoicing with those who rejoice, exhibiting humility, and doing all that you can to live at peace with everyone (vv. 9-21).
What the Bible Teaches Us About True Friendship
Friendship modeled in Scripture goes beyond casual hangouts and knowing each other well. Though those are beautiful aspects of friendship, they are not the core of what it means to be a friend. To be a friend means to put others ahead of yourself and stay committed to one another at all times. Friendship isn’t easy, and Scripture calls us to love one another humbly, selflessly, and faithfully. But true friendship rooted in genuine care for and commitment to another person is worth it every time because it’s truly a reflection of the great love Jesus has shown us as His friends. What a gift it is to be His friend and to extend His love to others in friendship and faithfulness.
Learn more about how to build deep, Christ-centered relationships and strengthen our bond as friends and sisters in the Friends and Sisters Bible study by Lifeway Women.
To dive deeper into about what the Bible teaches us about friendship, read about practicing 1 Corinthians 13 in friendships.
About Tessa Morrell
Tessa Morrell is a content and production editor for Lifeway Women. She loves discovering more about the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord through the study of His Word and in noticing His kindness and grace in everyday moments of life. She enjoys reading, visiting local coffee shops, browsing in antique stores, and creating jewelry and art.
