What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends?

What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends? Human beings were created to be social creatures. This is to say that we are most comfortable when we have family, friends, and acquaintances. Genuine friendship is one of the most important elements in a contented and fulfilled life. Generally, those who have close and reliable friends tend to be happy and well-adjusted. At the same time, those who call themselves our friends may cause us grief, hardship, and even lead us into sin. While tolerance, love, and forgiveness are important in every friendship relationship, it is also important to know when such relationships reach the boundary. On the positive side, friends can bring comfort and help us when we are in trouble, as when Barzillai the Gileadite consoled David when he was being hunted by Absalom (2 Samuel 17:27–29) or when Jephthah’s daughter’s friends consoled her before her death (Judges 11:37-38).

A friend may also rebuke in love, thereby proving more faithful than a hypocritical flatterer (Proverbs 27:6). One of the greatest Biblical examples of friendship is that which existed between David and Johnathan, son of King Saul. The Bible tells us that Johnathan’s loyalty to his friend, David, exceeded that to his own father and his own ambitions (1 Samuel 18:1-4; 20:14-17). And behold, David was so attached to his loyal friend so much so that even after this friend died, he wrote a song to him, a tribute filled with heart-wrenching pathos (2 Samuel 1:19-27). Both lived a friendship that was closer than brotherhood. Throughout the New Testament, most of Apostle Paul’s letters begin and end with tributes to his friends, those who ministered to him, ministered with him, prayed for him, loved him, and helped him. The Bible does not encourage us to abandon our friends.

What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends?

While the Bible does not encourage us to abandon our friends, it is important to keep watch so that friends won’t lead us astray from the Will of God. That is, friendship can have its negative aspects as well. It is without a doubt that friends can lead us into sin, as when Jonadab persuades Amnon to rape his half-sister, Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1-6). Behold, a friend can lead us astray in regard to our faith, as it was the case in Israel, leading others to worship false gods (Deuteronomy 13:6-11). Note that in those days, such an act in Israel was punishable by death. Also, even if our friends do not lead us astray, they can provide false comfort and bad advice, as Job’s friends did, making his suffering worse and displeasing the Lord God Almighty (Job 2:11-13, 6:14-27, 42:7-9).

In the same light, friends can as well prove false, pretending affection for their own egoistic motives, and deserting us when our friendship no longer benefits them in any way (Psalm 55:12-14; Proverbs 19:4, 6-7). However, friendship can be broken down through gossip (Proverbs 16:28) or grudges (Proverbs 17:9). While showing love for everyone, we should choose our friends carefully, as Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Proverbs 1:10-19 and 4:14-19 warns about friends and tells us how we should choose them. As Christians, we are not to associate with those who have refused to turn away from their evil ways and who entice us to join them in doing wrong, no matter how appealing their “friendship” seems to be. Those whose “feet rush to sin” should be avoided. A Christian’s choice should be to follow the “path of the righteous.”

What The Scriptures Say

The Scriptures give us the importance and qualities of a true friend. Genuine friendship is God’s gift for us. There is much joy that comes with keeping company with friends. Without friends, life becomes a lonely, boring, and bitter road to walk all alone. However, not all friends are worth our time and trust. While others are worth dying to keep, others are there to lead us into regret, sorrow, bitterness, and tears. Such people are more likely to bring our downfall and ruin our relationship with God. This creates need for everyone to learn the qualities of a genuine or true friend. Without these qualities at hand, we are more likely to roam around with the wrong people in the name of friends. It is at this point that God intervenes out of his love for us.

Truth be told, God is concerned about the people keeping us company. It is in this light that He revealed the Best Bible Verses On Friends that are full of wisdom and knowledge on who is worth taking as companion and offering your trust. Without these, the process of surrounding ourselves with true friends will be a nightmare. The whole aspect of genuine friendship might feel daunting or unnecessary for those who consider themselves friendly to all. Whatever the case, you must be honest to yourself and have a clear look into your friendship relationships. After looking, you must decide whether to maintain them or let them go. Deciding early on who is a true friend and who is not a true friend will save you from many sorrows. For deciding, you must first know for sure which friendship is worth keeping and which you should turn your back on.

What Does A Godly Friendship Look Like?

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, gave us the true definition of a genuine friend in John 15:13-15: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” We can say of Jesus Christ that He is the pure example of a true friend, for He laid down His own life for His “friends.” By so doing, anyone can become His friend by welcoming His message, keeping it, believing in Him, and receiving new and everlasting life in Him. In the Bible, we can find a good example of friendship between David and Soul’s son Johnathan.

The Bible tells us that David and Johnathan were good friends as they watched over each other, bringing comfort and joy to where need was in their lives. Despite the evil intentions that Johnathan’s father Saul had towards David, Johnathan was always there for David as a faithful friend. Remember that King Saul went after David on several occasions attempting to kill him. You can find this story in 1 Samuel chapter 18 through chapter 20. Proverbs is another good source of wisdom regarding friendship. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Likewise Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Biblical qualities of a good friend to consider in choosing your companions

1. True friends love at all times – Proverbs 17:17

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Love is a powerful language of the heart that encourages, excites, and gives meaning and fun to friendship relationships. These priceless treasures are the desires of many but a reality to few. Loving friendships are rare these days as many are out for their personal interests and profits. Such ego creates room for friendship without love. And behold, friendship without love is not different from tunnels without light at the end and ships without sails. Genuine love is what holds and binds true friendship together, even during uncertain and hard times. It is so powerful that it overcomes the challenges of life and maintains its participants together. Unfortunately, not all friends are loving – some friends only stick around when things are going well. Immediately things turn the other way round, such friends disappear.

As pointed out by the best Bible verses about friendship, friends that are out for their personal interest will say the right words at the right time and they will exhibit the qualities of a loving friend as long as things keep moving well, and immediately you encounter hard times and can no longer meet their expectations and demands, their love becomes a thing of the past. Always keep in mind that a good friend will love you in all circumstances and at all times. Genuine friends are not out for opportunities to excuse themselves from expressing their love to you. They are rather more into looking for opportunities to further express their love to you. Genuine love will always pass the test of time and trials. Loyal and loving friends will succeed in your test and won’t remain angry for long but find ways to improve on the relationship.

2. Good friends respect you and your qualities – Philippians 2:3

Philippians 2:3 – “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” A good friend is one who respects your personality and values your qualities. Such a friend won’t disregard your feelings and treat them as if they did not matter. It is advisable not to lower your standards for the accommodation of friends that do not respect you. Such friends are more likely to lead you astray and kill the ethical values within you. If a friend is not willing to respect you, then it is as good as saying goodbye to the friendship. Respect is one of the best qualities of a good friend.

3. Good friends exercise wisdom – Proverbs 13:20

Proverbs 13:20 – “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” From the Bible verses on Friendship, we are advised to walk with the wise so that we can in-turn become wise or grow in wisdom. Embracing the companion of fools will soon lead you into sorrow and long lasting regrets. It is with this in mind that we say that good friendship exercises wisdom. Although this Biblical verse is not a call for you to indiscriminately disassociate yourself from friends you perceive to lack knowledge, it is a call for you to take precautions not to follow them into their unwise plans. However, you can help by cultivating some sound value into their lives. If they are willing to learn and move ahead, then we’ll say the relationship is excising wisdom. It is worth continuing if they are willing to learn from their mistakes.

4. Creditable friends inspire strong values in you – 1 Corinthians 15:33

1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” It is without doubt that commendable friends inspire and promote the growth of strong values within you. There is major and wise proverb that says “You and known by the friends that you keep“. This verse from Apostle Paul comes in to reinforce the same wisdom. Good friendship inspires and brings out the best from you while bad friendship corrupts the good morals within you. Go for virtues friends who will instill sound values in you. Going the other way round will definitely lead to your downfall in one way or the other.

5. True Friends are supportive and reliable – Proverbs 18:24

Proverbs 18:24 – “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” Brethren, let no one deceive you that true friendship does not come with reliability and support. It is one of the most important qualities of a good friend. Bible verses about friendship point to the fact that good friendships create bonds that go deeper than brotherly blood relationships. Loyal friends will always be by your side to support and encourage you in hard times. In their supportive nature, they’ll gracefully correct you when you are wrong. They’ll also popup to congratulate you for your achievements.

6. Good friends make sacrifices for you – John 15:13

John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” A true or genuine friend is one who knows the importance of sacrifices in strengthening a relationship to last. The Bible verses on friendship point Jesus Christ as the greatest example of a friend. Sacrifice is a fundamental quality for a genuine friendship relationship that will last long. Friendships without sacrifices are those that come without commitment. It is without doubt that such relationships won’t last long. In 1 Samuel 18:4, we read about the genuine friendship that existed between David and Jonathan, the King’s son. The king hated David and had made plans to kill him, but his son, Jonathan, out of the love and respect he had for his friendship with David did not hesitate to endanger his life by informing David. Christ did even more for us.

7. Honorable friends preserve secrets and stay away from gossips – Proverbs 16:28

Proverbs 16:28 – “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” An honorable friend is one who knows how to keep secrets. Such a person won’t engage into gossips to disclose what he/she knows about you. A friend who gossips is like a thorn in the flesh of those keeping him/her as their companion. In such cases, the friendship relationship becomes a horrible nightmare. Among the qualities of a good friend, the ability to keep secrets is one that can’t be omitted. This is highly supported by the Bible verses on friendship. Note that praiseworthy friends do not gossip. Such friend are out to speak facts and only facts. If they are not sure about something, they maintain their silence. In addition, they also remain silent about the things which you do not want the public to know.

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8. Faithful friends put up with our shortcomings and support us – Galatians 6:2

Galatians 6:2 – “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Most friendship relationships have their own share of troubles. That is, they also face their own ups and downs. That’s why you should not take trouble in a relationship as an excuse to say goodbye. You have to learn and practice tolerance as well as forgiveness. The notions of tolerance and forgiveness can’t be omitted from our list of qualities of a good friend. At times troubles come not to destroy the relationship but to strengthen it in one way or the other. In most cases, it has been noticed that after a period of ups and downs in a relationship, the individuals become more committed and reassured of their sincerity.

What you should know about making and maintaining friends

In order to have a friend, one must be a friend as we can read from Proverbs 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” In the same light, Proverbs 18:24 says of a good friend: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Amos 3:3 clearly reveals the principle of genuine friendship: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Behold, friends are of like mind. A friend is one whom you can be yourself with and never fear that he/she will judge or condemn you. A friend is someone that you can confide in with complete trust. A genuine friend is a person that you respect and that he/she equally respects you, not based upon worthiness but based upon a likeness of mind.

Friendship comes with its own challenges and it is the ability to overcome them that reveals our level of maturity.

What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Proverbs 27:10 – “Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Psalm 55:12-14 – “For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng.“

2 John 1:10-11 – “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Psalm 83:18 – “That they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.”

Matthew 18:12-17 – “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. …“

Matthew 9:11-13 – And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Joshua 22:3 – “You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the Lord your God.”

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Philippians 3:7-8 – “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ“

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,“

Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Psalm 119:115-117 – “Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!“

Revelation 2:4 – “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”

Genesis 2:18 – Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Luke 6:42-44 – “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.”

Luke 21:16-17 – “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Isaiah 49:13-16 – “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Matthew 10:21-22 – “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

2 Samuel 16:16-17 – And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”

Philippians 4:19-20 – “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Ephesians 2:18-20 – “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”

2 Chronicles 25:1-28 – “Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart. And as soon as the royal power was firmly his, he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father. But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.” Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers’ houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. …“

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Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

1 Corinthians 10:24 – “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.“

Galatians 6:1-3 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.“

John 15:1-2 – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.“

James 2:22-24 – “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 – “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.“

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Luke 10:30-35 – Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. …”

Galatians 3:14 – “So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Hebrews 3:1-6 – “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, …“

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

1 Corinthians 6:4-6 – “So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?“

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.“

Acts 13:22 – “And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’“

1 Corinthians 6:4-6 – “So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?“

Acts 10:34-35 – So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

John 15:14 – “You are my friends if you do what I command you.“

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

John 15:19-21 – “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.“

John 15:13-15 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.“

John 14:27-28 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.“

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

John 1:10-12 – “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”

Mark 3:32-35 – And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 10:8-9 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Mark 2:21-22 – “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Matthew 26:33 – Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Matthew 26:50-51 – “Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.“

Matthew 19:7-8 – They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

Matthew 11:19 – “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Matthew 18:15-17 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.“

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Matthew 26:14-15 – Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

Mark 10:29-31 – Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Ezekiel 18:30-32 – “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”

Matthew 5:8-9 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Jeremiah 9:4-6 – “Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 31:3-4 – “The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.”

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Isaiah 49:23 – “Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

Isaiah 65:17-18 – “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.“

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Isaiah 1:16-18 – “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.“

Proverbs 19:6-7 – “Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts. All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but does not have them.”

Proverbs 22:11-12 – “He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.”

Proverbs 4:13-15 – “Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.”

Proverbs 1:10-19 – My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”— …

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Proverbs 3:3-6 – “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.“

Psalm 136:25-26 – “He who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Psalm 136:23-24 – “It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;“

Psalm 119:62-64 – “At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules. I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!“

Psalm 100:4-5 – “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.“

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Psalm 101:4-8 – “A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.“

Psalm 89:1-4 – A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Psalm 34:17-19 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Psalm 68:4-6 – “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”

Psalm 7:3-6 – “O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.“

Psalm 34:13-15 – “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.“

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends

Job 16:1-5 – Then Job answered and said: “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer? I also could speak as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you. I could strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.”

Psalm 1:1-2 – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.“

2 Chronicles 13:4-7 – “Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, and certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.”

Group 19 – What Does The Bible Say On Abandoning Friends

1 Kings 8:56-58 – “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers.“

1 Kings 6:12-13 – “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”

Group 20 – What Does The Bible Say On Abandoning Friends

1 Kings 12:4-11 – ““Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away. Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. …“

2 Samuel 15:6 – “Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.“

Group 21 – What Does The Bible Say On Abandoning Friends

Genesis 37:23-24 – “So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.“

Matthew 10:36-38 – “And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.“

Exodus 33:11 – “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.”

Deuteronomy 4:31 – “For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.”