How to Know God
Did you know that you were created
to have a loving relationship with God? He is patiently and lovingly waiting
for you to respond to His invitation to salvation. Yes, you can receive
forgiveness for your sins and assurance of eternal life through faith in His
only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. "God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17).
"Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).
You may be asking yourself:
"How can I know God?" Man is able to know the true and living God
through His word (that is, the Bible). The Bible reveals God's character and
His plan for mankind. It is through reading His word that we come to a
knowledge of the righteousness of God and that which He requires of us.
What is it that prevents us from
personally knowing God? Our sin has separated us from God—our corruption is to
such a degree that we cannot know Him personally and cannot experience His
love. God's word says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God" (Romans 3:23). Man was created to have fellowship with God, but
because of his sin (i.e., anything that is against the righteousness revealed
in God's Law) he is prevented from that fellowship. This includes anything less
than perfect obedience to God's commands.
"The wages of sin is
death" (Romans 6:23a). The ultimate result of this death is an eternity in
Hell. This spiritual death forces a separation from God. Man is sinful and God
is holy. This creates a gulf unbridgeable by man making that intended
fellowship impossible. The only solution is a divine bridge—that bridge is
Christ.
God created a way by sending His Son
to pay the price for our sin. "God demonstrated His own love toward us, in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He
died in our place; He who knew no sin became sin for us. This removed our
burden of sin and allows us to enter into that desired fellowship if we follow
His way.
He is the only way. Jesus said
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me" (John 14:6).
It is not just enough that you know
these truths. We must individually place our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord
and Savior. It is by repenting of our sins and believing on Christ that we can
know God personally and experience His love.
"But as many as receive Him, to
them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His
name" (John 1:12).
"For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in
them" (Ephesians 2:8-10).
"Repent, and let every one of
you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins"
(Acts 2:38).
You can receive Jesus Christ right
now by faith. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe
in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made to salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).
If you now believe on God and place
your faith in His Son, congratulations—and welcome to His family. We, all being
His children, share in a heavenly inheritance! We are heirs to heaven and are
promised the eternal pleasure of glorifying God. As our life here on earth
progresses, God will continue to work in our hearts. We are daily being
conformed to the image of Christ, Himself. We will begin to live lives of
righteousness. Obedience to God will not be a burden to us, but rather a joy.
You may wonder, now that you are a
Christian, "What now?" Our greatest recommendation for believers, new
and old, is fourfold:
- find a church so you might hear the preaching of the word and rejoice in the fellowship of other Christians,
- study the Bible for that is where we learn of God and His plans,
- pray to Him to strengthen your faith and increase your love toward Him, and
- enjoy the blessings given by God in the heavenly ordained sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper.
All of these will work to encourage
and build upon your faith.