John 15: 14: "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." Just as Abraham was called the “friend of God” because he enjoyed extraordinary access to the mind of God through God’s revelation to him which he believed, so also those who follow Christ are privileged with extraordinary revelation through the Messiah and Son of God and, believing, become “friends” of God also. It was for His “friends” that the Lord laid down His life. Obedience is not what makes believers Jesus’ friends but what characterizes Jesus’ friends. We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life for the elect, not for the lost. This must be true. If the Lord Jesus Christ paid for the sins of those that reject Him, then they couldn't be lost. If their sins were paid for, they must go to heaven. This is the doctrine of universalism, i.e. everyone is saved. This is heretical. The Lord Jesus Christ only died for His sheep. This is not a cause for pride, but rather of deep humility. The Lord died only for those whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world. Stop and ponder this fact.
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