上帝在我家

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What Does the Bible Say about Friendship?

10 Things You Need to Know

聖經怎麼說友誼?

十件你需要知道的事情

作者

Drew Hunter

I’ve never heard anyone say they wish for fewer, less-meaningful relationships. Each one of us longs to be more connected, more deeply, with friends. And this is because God made us for true friendship.
我從未聽說任何人希望擁有更少有意義的關係。我們每個人都希望與朋友有更深連結。那是因為上帝創造我們就是為了要讓我們擁有真正的友誼。

What does the Bible say about friendship? Perhaps more than we may have thought. The theme of friendship weaves through the whole storyline of Scripture, climaxing at the cross of Jesus Christ and stretching out ahead into an eternal future of true friendship. It also gives us the practical wisdom we need to cultivate it well.
聖經怎麼說友誼? 也許談的比我們想的多。聖經裡面友誼是一個不斷穿梭的主軸，在耶穌釘上十字架的時候化為極致，成就了永恆的真實友誼。聖經也給我們所需的實務面的智慧，來發展我們的友誼。

Here are ten insights from the Bible to help us recover true friendship.
下面是聖經在尋回真正的友誼上的十個洞見:

1. The first problem in the world was not sin but solitude. 世界的第一個問題不是罪而是孤獨。

At each step of the way when God created the world, he pronounced that everything was “good.” But then once he created Adam, a statement startles us: something is not good. “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). This was before the fall — before sin had entered the world. Adam was not yet complete; he needed community.   
當上帝一步步創造世界，祂說 "一切都甚好。" 但是，當祂創造亞當，一句話使我們驚訝，有些事情不好。"那人獨居不好。 " (創世紀 2:18)。這是在墮落以前-當罪進入世界。亞當還不是完整，他需要一個生活的團體。

What does this show us? Although our deepest problems are sin and idolatry, our first problem was social isolation. Therefore, even today, in a world filled with society, Proverbs warns that the one who “isolates himself. . . breaks out against all sound judgment” (Prov. 18:1).
這告訴我們甚麼? 雖然我們最大的問題是罪與崇拜偶像，我們的第一個問題是社會隔離。所以，即便今天，世界已經很多團體，箴言也警告我們: "與眾寡合的，獨自尋求心願，並惱恨一切真智慧。" (箴言 18:1)

2. Friendship is a whole-Bible theme. 友誼是聖經的整個主題。

The Bible tells the story of the creation, fracturing, and ultimate restoration of true friendship—friendship with God and also with each other. In the beginning, Adam and Eve enjoyed the fullness of friendship. But their sin led them into hiding (Gen. 3:8), and we’ve been hiding behind our own fig-leaf masks ever since.
聖經描述一個創造，分裂，最後合好的真實友誼-與上帝的友誼還有彼此的友誼。在創世的時期，亞當以及夏娃享受了全然的友誼。但是他們的罪讓他們躲藏(創世紀3:8)，我們也藏在我們的無花果樹面具後面。
 

Yet God is restoring true friendship. He restores friendship with himself, as he did with Enoch and Noah, who “walked with God”—a Hebrew expression of friendship (Gen. 5:24; Gen. 6:9). Abraham was called “a friend of God” (Isaiah 41:8). Moses spoke with God “face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Ex. 33:11). He drew near to all who called upon him with true faith.
但是上帝能恢復真實的友誼。祂與自己和好，也與以諾還有挪亞，也就是與上帝同行的人-猶太人表達友誼的方式(創世紀5:24; 創世紀6:9)。亞伯拉罕被稱為神的朋友(以賽亞書41:8)。摩西與上帝面對面交談，就像一個與朋友交談的人 (出埃及記33:11)。祂靠近所有用真的信心呼求祂的人。
 

And then Jesus came as the great Friend of sinners, befriending all who trust and follow him. He came to lay his life down for his friends (John 15:13-15).
然後，耶穌來成為罪人的朋友，與所有相信祂以及跟隨祂的人當朋友。祂為了朋友犧牲自己的生命(約翰福音15:13-15)。
 

Now all those befriended by God are brought into communities of friendships in the church. We can now befriend others as God in Christ has befriended us.
所有與上帝成為朋友的人，也因此而被帶入教會內友誼的團契。我們可以與他人變成朋友，就像上帝在基督裡與我們變成朋友。

3. Proverbs is a practical guide to forging true friendship. 箴言是製造真實友誼的實用指南 

Proverbs gives us wisdom for navigating the complexities of our relationships. And it doesn’t just address relationships in general, but also friendship in particular. For example, it teaches us what to look for in finding true friends (Prov. 13:20; Prov 22:24-25). It shows us why loyalty is so important for cultivating friendship (18:24; 19:6; 27:9–10). It also shows us the one thing that is most damaging to this kind of relationship: spreading secrets (16:28; 17:9).
箴言給我們智慧，為我們複雜的友誼導航。它不僅僅是談論一般關係，也特別提到友誼。例如，它告訴我們如何找到真正的友誼(箴言13:20; 箴言22:24-25)。告訴我們為何忠誠對於發展友誼很重要(18:24; 19:6; 27:9-10)。它告訴我們對於這樣的關係最具破壞性的就是: 把秘密傳開 (16:28; 17:9)。

4. True friendship is more like a covenant than a contract. 真正的友誼是團契不是契約。

We often treat relationships as consumers: we befriend for the benefits we receive. But like a contract, when the relationship doesn’t give us the goods we want, we leave. 
我們常常把關係當成消費者: 我們為了得到好處交朋友。但是就像合約，當關係無法給我們要的好處，我們就離開。
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But the Bible shows us that real friendship is more covenantal than contractual. Proverbs teaches us about “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24). It commands us, “Do not forsake your friend” (27:10). It warns us about the fickleness of fair-weather friends: “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend” (19:4).
但是聖經告訴我們，友誼較像團契而不是契約。箴言教導我們關於"有一朋友比弟兄更親密" (箴言18:24)。它告誡我們: "不可離棄你的朋友"(27:10)。它警告我們關於酒肉朋友的變化無常: "財物使朋友增多，但窮人，朋友遠離。"(19:4)

5. Friendship thickens church community. 友誼讓教會組織的更緊密。

Studies show our culture’s increasing social isolation. We are in the midst of a loneliness epidemic.
研究發現我們的文化讓社會更加隔離。我們正在孤寂的疫情中央。
 

But what if local churches felt like countercultural communities of spiritual life and love? Every church is equipped with all the resources needed to be a community of thick relationships. This is our heritage, after all: The book of Acts portrays the church as fulfilling ancient ideals of friendship (Acts 2:42-47; Acts 4:32­-35). The apostle John refers to fellow believers in churches as his “friends” (3 John 15). Every local church can be a surprising and welcoming counter-cultural glimpse of true friendship.
如果地方教會可以對抗這個情況，成為靈性生命以及愛的組織呢? 每個教會都有能力提供所有需要的資源，成為緊密關係的組織。畢竟，這是我們的傳承: 使徒行傳描述教會實踐遠古時代對於友誼的理想 (使徒行傳 2:42-47; 使徒行傳4:32-35)。使徒約翰稱他的信徒為"朋友" (約翰三書15節)。每個地方教會都可以是一個充滿驚喜以及歡迎，對抗勢力的真實友誼的一部份。

6. Friendship is the goal of the gospel. 友誼是福音的目標。

Christians rightly think about salvation as forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But it is more than this. Jesus gives all who trust him the privilege of being his friends (John 15:14–15). And what is eternal life, after all? According to Jesus, “this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). He rescued us to forge an intimate relationship with the triune God (14:20–23). God forgives us that we might share in his triune fellowship of love forever. 
基督徒自然的認為救贖是原諒罪惡以及永生。但是不只這樣。耶穌讓所有相信祂的人都有成為祂朋友的專屬權利(約翰福音15:14-15)。甚麼是永生？耶穌說: "認識你——獨一的真神，並認識你所差派的耶穌基督，這就是永恆的生命。" (約翰福音17:3)。祂拯救我們，讓我們與三位一體的神關係緊密（14:20-23）。上帝原諒我們，好讓我們分享祂永恆的三位一體的團契之愛。

In the new creation we will enjoy true friendship with all other believers. Our future is a world of friendship.
在新天新地，我們將會享受跟其他信仰者的友誼。我們的未來是友誼的世界。

7. The cross is history’s most heroic act of friendship. 十字架是歷史上友誼最勇敢的行為。

Jesus wants us to view the cross in terms of friendship. On the night before he died, as he explained the meaning of the cross to his disciples, Jesus said, “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The cross is certainly an act of substitutionary atonement, where Jesus bore the wrath of God in our place. But it is also, very personally, a relational act of friendship. 
耶穌要我們從友誼的角度看十字架。在祂犧牲的前一晚，當祂解釋十字架的意義給門徒聽，耶穌說: "人 為 朋 友 捨 命 ， 人 的 愛 心 沒 有 比 這 個 大 的 。"十字架的確是代替贖罪的行為，耶穌承擔上帝對我們的怒氣。但是這也是非常個人的，一個友誼的行為。
 

Through his death, Jesus expressed the deepest love for his people. He did not die for an unspecified humanity; he died for specific people. He died for those he considered his dear friends.
透過祂的死亡，耶穌顯明了對祂的子民最深的愛。祂沒有不為了特定的人而死; 祂為特定的人而死。祂為了祂認為是朋友的人而死。
 

8. Jesus is our truest friend. 耶穌是我們最真實的朋友。

Many Christians hesitate to call Jesus a friend. But Jesus doesn’t share our hesitations. And it matters to him that we embrace this. He invites us to understand our relationship on terms of friendship (John 15:12-17). We may need to exchange an either-or false dichotomy—“Jesus is our King, not our friend!”—for the biblical both-and: Jesus is our glorious king and our greatest friend.
許多基督徒遲疑於稱呼耶穌為朋友。但是耶穌沒有跟我們同樣的遲疑。對祂來說，我們擁抱不遲疑很重要。祂邀請我們從友誼的角度了解我們與祂的關係（約翰福音15:12-17)。我們需要把不然-就是錯誤的相對論--"耶穌是我們的國王，不是我們的朋友！"--換成聖經上的兩者皆是: 耶穌是我們榮耀的國王，也是我們最偉大的朋友。
 

9. Friendship shows the world that we belong to Jesus. 友誼告訴世界我們屬於耶穌。

When this lonely world of broken relationships sees churches filled with friendships—imperfect friendships, to be sure, but relationships filled with true repentance and forgiveness—then they will know that something has come from above. They will see that our talk of Jesus as the friend of sinners is real.
當這個孤獨的世界充斥著破碎的關係看到教會的友誼- 不完美的友誼，但是卻是有著悔改以及原諒的關係-他們會知道這是從天上而來。他們會看到我們說耶穌是罪人的朋友是真實的。
 

That’s what Jesus said in John 13:35: “by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” And later in this same conversation, Jesus defined this “love for one another” in terms of the mutual love of friends. He said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (15:12). And how has he loved us? “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (15:13). This is how we are to show the world that we are Jesus’ disciples: when we love one another as he loved us, namely, with sacrificial friendship.
這是耶穌在約翰福音13:35說的："如果你們彼此之間有了愛，眾人從這一點就會知道你們是我的門徒了。"之後在同樣的談話中，耶穌定義 "彼此之間有了愛" 為朋友間的愛。祂說: "我賜給你們一條新命令，乃是叫你們彼此相愛，我怎樣愛你們，你們也要怎樣相愛。"(15:12)。祂如何愛我們？人 為 朋 友 捨 命 ， 人 的 愛 心 沒 有 比 這 個 大 的 。" (15:13)。這就是我們要如何告訴世界我們是耶穌的門圖：　當我們彼此相愛，如祂愛我們一樣，就像是互相成全的友誼。

10. Friendship––with God and one another––is our greatest joy. 友誼--跟上帝以及彼此--是我們最大喜樂。

The apostle John wrote to believers for a purpose: “so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (1 John 1:3-4). According to John, vertical fellowship with God + horizontal fellowship together = completed joy.
使徒約翰寫給信徒的意義："我們將所看見，所聽見的，傳給你們，使你們與我們相交，我們乃是與父並祂兒子耶穌基督相交的。我 們 將 這 些 話 寫 給 你 們 、 使 你 們 〔 有 古 卷 作 我 們 〕 的 喜 樂 充 足 。"(約翰一書1:3-4)。根據約翰，與上帝直接相交+跟團契橫向聯結=全然的喜樂。

Our greatest joy is found in our fellowship with God and one another. This is why Jonathan Edwards said that friendship is “the highest happiness of moral agents” (Works, 23:350). According to the Bible, our chief happiness is in fellowship with the triune God and all who trust him.
我們最大的喜樂就是與上帝還有彼此相交。所以約拿單愛德華滋才會說友誼是 "道德主義最高的喜樂＂(著作，23:350)。根據聖經，我們最主要的喜樂是與三位一體的上帝相交，與全然信任祂。
 

The Bible gives us everything we need to recover a greater vision of true friendship. It shows us even our feeblest of efforts at forging friendships echo a more glorious reality—every friendship is a small and imperfect echo of the triune God, who made us in his image to enjoy friendship forever. Friendship didn’t come from us; it came from God. And he gives us everything we need—through his word and his Spirit—to cultivate it well, for the glory of God.
聖經提供我們所有需要的來找回友誼更廣的見解。那讓我們看見，就算我們在建立友誼上最微弱的努力也呼應一個更榮耀的事實--每段友誼都是對於三位一體上帝的微小與不完美的呼應，依照祂的樣式創造我們，也照祂的樣式享受永恆的友誼。友誼不是從我們而來; 是從上帝而來。而祂給我們所有一切需要的--透過祂的話語以及祂的聖靈--來好好發展友誼，為了榮耀上帝。