Category — Friendship Quotes

Have you ever been injured by a friend, someone you trusted, and they hurt you? Or, have you ever been the cause of injury to a friend? Sometimes these things happen, and regardless of what side you are on, it never feels good. Thomas Jefferson was quoted as saying:

“An injured friend is the bitterest of foes.” – Thomas Jefferson

Clearly he had experienced such a falling out, and from this quote I would imagine that it did not work out well for him.It also is clear that his conclusion that an injured friend not only becomes a foe, but the bitterest of foes, is worldly wisdom and not Biblical. It is true that a hurt friend may be hard to win back:

A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle. – Proverbs 18:19 NKJV

But, a true friend loves at all times, and the Bible teaches us the way to deal with such an injury. We are to address it promptly and with full intent to reconcile.

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him. – Luke 17:3-4

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. – Matthew 18:15

Yes, there are times when friends hurt each other, it does happen unfortunately. But with friends, and with the help of God, there is always a way back. Perhaps Jefferson’s friend turned foe was not a friend at all.

The test of a true friend is where they stand during our times of need and adversity. The English writer and literary critic John Churton Collins knew this well.

“In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends.” – John Churton Collins, English Literary Critic

Although this truth is not in the Bible, we do find in the Bible that a friend loves at all times, and that a brother is born for adversity. This takes the idea of friendship and brotherly love to much higher level. Yes, like Collins says, friends will stay by us in good and bad times. But in the Book of Proverbs we see that the purpose of a true brother or sister is to be there in times of adversity; it is what we are born to do.

I encourage us all to be good friends to each other, and to be brothers and sisters to each other, and to stick with each other in both good times and bad.

See more friendship quotes.

Today at sundown marks the ending of the Jewish Holy Day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Under the Law of Moses in Leviticus 23:27 all those of the House of Isreal were to make an annual observance, a day of atonement, to atone for the sins of the people through fasting, prayer and burnt offering. This is observed every year on the 10th day in the 7th month Tishrei of the Jewish calendar.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. – John 15:13 NKJV

For those who have accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world, we see the day of Christ’s crucifixion as the everlasting day of atonement. He was afflicted, not us, and then he willingly became the offering to atone for the sins of the world.

Today’s quote is an easy one to identify as Bible. May God bless both Jew and Gentile today and everyday.