Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t need anyone else. It’s just me and Jesus”? Maybe you’ve said it yourself, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any verse in the Bible that supports that claim (unless you took one completely out of context). We know that the Holy Spirit brings unity to all believers—no matter how diverse. If Jesus came to unify us with our Father and unify us with one another, then we were made to be in deep community with one another.
No one can say “I don’t need anyone else. It’s just me and Jesus” and remain obedient to Jesus. Jesus calls us to love one another as he loved us (John 14:34). The New Testament gives countless examples for the believers to meet together, be unified, and join community.
Our community holds us accountable to being obedient to Christ, speaks the truth when we’re following lies, and encourages us when we cannot will ourselves to look to Christ. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (NIV). When a friend offers hard truth that is tough to swallow, you can trust that they are lovingly counseling you. If we close ourselves off to our community, we are closing ourselves off to experiencing the ways that God wants to use them to inspire change in our lives.
In our pride, we want to fight back when we are admonished by our friends, but in humility, we can receive admonishment from a trusted friend, knowing that it will ultimately point us back to Christ. When we feel the temptation to fall into guilt or shame, we can be reminded that Christ took our guilt and shame and nailed it to the cross. The enemy may try to make us believe that guilt and shame still own us, but Christ says that we are new creations. Since we are made new in Christ, we can welcome godly counsel from a friend because we know that ultimately our identity in Christ will never change, but their counsel will help us look more like Christ.
Reflection/Discussion Question: Who can you ask to admonish you/offer godly counsel in your life?
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