Expert: Fr. Michael - 6/30/2006

Question
Father- as I live in a community with a lot of fundamentalists, I am required to be on my toes regarding my Faith, which is why you have been so helpful. Anyway, I've been hearing a lot lately from them about having a "relationship" with Jesus. My first reaction was that that concept is a very new and nebulous kind of touchy-feely American term that could mean anything. It's enough that we have faith (through grace) in Jesus' words and obey His commandments (good works) so that we are saved. My "relationship" with Him consists of worship through prayer and the tendency of my heart to do His will rather than my own. However, a few verses were pointed out to me which do seem to indicate a new kind of relationship to God than that enjoyed under the Old Covenant. They talk about a relationship between friends or between a parent and child rather than one between a master a slave. What exactly do these mean? John 15:15 (I know longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.)
1 Cor 1:9 (God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord).
Rom 8:14 (For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him)

Answer
The basic theme underlying these passages is the difference between man's relationship to God under the obsolete Old Covenant and his relationship under the New Covenant.  The passage from Romans is particularly appropriate here.  Be sure to consider the entire passage, which uses the two wives of Abraham as an allegory.  Under the Old Law, man was as if a slave, whereas under the New Law, man is freed by the Redemption and Baptism from Original Sin.