“You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you.”

(John 15:14)

Jesus’ friendship is subject to conditions. No obedience, no friendship. But true “friends accept others without conditions.” (Yahoo Answers) “A true friend shows love at all times,” not only when you obey him. – Proverbs 17:17.

Since Jesus is not a true friend, is it worth trying to “become a friend of Jehovah?” (Awake!, November 2012, page 10) “True friends are … never imposing on each other or being overly possessive.” (The Watchtower, September 15, 1987, page 6) But “Jehovah is a God who requires exclusive devotion.” – Nahum 1:2.

The Bible’s message is clear: Neither Jesus nor Jehovah can be true friends for us. “Doug, who was reared by godly parents,” realized this and “admitted: ‘I began to see that all my so-called friends were just using me.’” (Awake!, July 22, 1995, page 14) We too can confidently do without false friends like Jehovah and Jesus.