How Should We Develop Biblical Friendship? (Cultivating Biblical Godliness)

'Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend,' Proverbs 27:17 tells us. God uses Christian friendships to help His children grow in grace and stay true to Christ. But our twenty-first-century Western culture values individualism, busyness, and selfishness qualities that do not encourage deep, long-lasting, satisfying friendships. The authors guide us through a practical survey of biblical and historical friendships, drawing principles from them that will aid us in forming our own biblical friendships that will sharpen us for our Christian journey in a world that is no friend to grace.

Table of Contents:
Friendship in the Holy Scriptures
Paul's Understanding of Friendship
Paul's Friendship with Timothy
Paul's Hunger for Companionship while Facing Death
Friendship in the Christian Tradition
John Calvin's Friendships
An Eighteenth-Century Friendship
Two Baptist Friends
The Art of Building Godly Friendships
Practical Steps Toward Deepening Friendship

The Cultivating Biblical Godliness booklets treat matters that are vital to Christian experience, and each contribution aims to address a wide variety of people and circumstances at a fundamental and introductory level. This includes teaching people what to believe in order to practice personal holiness as well as specific directions on how to cultivate biblical godliness in relation to issues that are common to God's people.