Tell me about this relationship with God thing… What is it all about?

In today’s culture, being a part of any religion or religious following has become very much about spiritual things and quality of life.  People become convinced that being devoted to doing good things in the name of a church or being a better person to their families and friends will get them to Heaven.  Granted, these are not bad things, however, there is more to it than that.

God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know him, and how through Him and the sacrifice of His son, we can enter into Heaven for eternity.  Let’s take a few minutes together to explain how this works.

#1:  God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

In the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16, it says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Also in the book of John, chapter 10, verse 10, Jesus says “I have come that they may have life, and might have it abundantly.”

You may ask yourself, or wonder, “Why am I not experiencing abundant life?”

#2:  All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.

We are sinful beings.  Even from the beginning of time, we’ve been given free will and the ability to choose between right and wrong, and sometimes we choose things that are wrong in the sight of God.  That is called sin.  

The book of Romans, chapter 3, verse 23 says “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”  

We were created to have fellowship with God, but because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way, and the fellowship with God was broken.  Our self-will partnered with an attitude of rebellion and indifference is evidence of that thing called sin.  

The book of Romans, chapter 6, verse 23 says “For the wages of sin is death.”  

Let’s look at this visually.  There is a gap between us and God, and that gap is our sinful nature and our life of sin.

 


This is a great illustration that God is holy, but people are sinful.  A great gulf separates us.  The arrows are there to illustrate that we are continually trying to reach God and abundant life through solo efforts (living a good life, philosophy, etc.) but we inevitably fail.

#3:  Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our life of sin.  Through Him we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our life.

Christ died in our place.  As Romans 6:23 said, our punishment for sin is death.  However, Christ became the atoning sacrifice for that sin.  Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Christ rose from the dead.  “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.  After that He appeared to more than five hundred.”  1 Corinthians 15:3-6.

Christ is the only way to Eternal Life with God in Heaven.  “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

The following diagram demonstrates what it means to have that sacrifice of Christ and how the gulf is bridged between people and God.




It’s not just enough to know these three things.  

#4:  We must each accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and receive Him as our Lord and Savior to experience God’s love and plans for our lives.

We must receive Him as Lord and Savior:  “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”  John 1:12

We receive Him through faith in Him.  “By grace you have been saved through faith, and not that of yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (called repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and make us what He wants us to be.  Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough.  Nor is it enough to have an emotional and spiritual experience.  You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of self-will.

Are you directing our own life, never positive about direction, easily frustrated and without an outlet for trust?  

Or are you living a Christ-directed life, where Jesus sits on the throne taking care of things for you as you bow in reverence to Him?

If you want to experience a Christ-directed life, you receive Christ through the power of prayer right now.  It’s that’s simple!  If you are genuinely and earnestly praying that Christ take control of your life, and are willing to surrender, you will begin to experience a life-change that only Christ can give.

This is a suggested, but not magical prayer.  Prayer must be from your heart and sincere.  This is simply a starting point:

“Lord Jesus, I need you.  Thank you for giving up your life for me on the cross.  I open the door of my life and of my heart to receive you as my Savior.  Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life.  Take control of the throne of my life.  Make me into the kind of person that you want me to be.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

#5: Welcome to the family!

If you sincerely prayed that prayer for the first time, the angels in Heaven are rejoicing and throwing a party… for you!  

Being a part of the family of believers is no easy task, but that’s why it’s a family and not a single individual at a time.  The family of Christ is here to support you, no matter what.  If you are struggling with addictive sins, find accountability in a close friend or family member you trust.  You can also talk with any member of the staff of Noland Road Baptist Church and we would be happy to set you up with a fellow believer that can help hold you accountable.

If you did accept Christ after viewing this page, please e-mail us, we would love to talk with you.