The steady discipline of intimate friendship with Jesus results in men becoming like Him.

Fosdick frames Christian formation not primarily as assent to doctrines but as a sustained practice (“steady discipline”) of personal communion with Jesus. The phrase “intimate friendship” emphasizes relational closeness—prayer, imitation, and moral attentiveness—rather than occasional inspiration. The result, “men becoming like Him,” echoes the classic theme of sanctification: character is shaped by the object of one’s devotion, and habitual proximity to Christ produces Christlike virtues (compassion, courage, integrity). The wording also reflects Fosdick’s pastoral-modernist tendency to translate theology into experiential and ethical terms, stressing transformation of life as the test of authentic faith.