From John: No Longer Servants but Friends
Orientation
Many believers assume a distant, servant-like relationship with God, defined by obligation and ignorance of His purposes.
- Christ declared His followers are no longer servants, but friends (John 15:15).
- A servant does not know the master's business, but Christ has made the Father's work known.
- Faith in Christ brings you out of servitude and into friendship with God.
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15:15)
— John 15:15
Clarification
This friendship is not a sentimental upgrade but a legal standing of adoption, making us sons and heirs.
- Sonship is not a metaphor but a reality secured by faith in Christ.
- Our inheritance is not a vague promise but a defined portion revealed in the word of His grace.
- This standing removes us from being strangers and makes us members of God's household.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)
— Acts 20:32
Structure
The apostolic epistles reveal the architecture of God's household, showing how believers are built together as a dwelling for God.
- The apostles were stewards of revelation concerning Christ and His household.
- Believers are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone.
- The result is a holy temple, a habitation of God through the Spirit.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Ephesians 2:19-20)
— Ephesians 2:19-20
Weight-Bearing Prose
The shift from servant to friend is a categorical change in standing, accomplished by faith in Christ. The servant operates in ignorance and distance; the friend possesses intimate knowledge of the Father’s work. This friendship is the gateway to the fuller Pauline revelation of sonship and inheritance. Through faith, we are adopted as sons of God and brothers of Christ. This is our legal position. As sons, we are heirs—co-heirs with Christ. The content of this inheritance is not left undefined. It is revealed and communicated through the apostolic stewardship, encapsulated in the epistles. The apostles were not moral teachers but stewards of the mysteries of God, commissioned to teach the sons of God how the household functions. This body of truth, the word of His grace, is what builds us up and gives us our inheritance among the sanctified. To neglect it is to remain in the ignorance of servitude. The household of God is a built reality. Believers are no longer strangers but fellow citizens, built together on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone. This building grows into a holy temple—a habitation of God through the Spirit. This is the present, corporate reality of the Church, the result of being placed into Christ.
Integration
Your standing is secure. You are a friend because Christ said so. You are a son because God adopted you through faith. This is not a status you earn or maintain by effort; it is the gift of grace, the result of Christ’s finished work. The pressure to perform, to earn a place, or to uncover hidden knowledge is removed. You are already in the household. The word of His grace is there to build you up, to reassure you of your portion, to ground you in the inheritance you already possess in Christ. Rest in this. Your growth is not about climbing a hierarchy but about enjoying the relationship and the riches that are already yours. Christ is your life, your righteousness, and your inheritance. He is the cornerstone of the building you are part of. Abide here, in the assurance of friendship and sonship.