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Those are good questions,
and typical of someone who understands the significance of Jesus. Here is
some information to help answer these and other questions you may have about
Jesus. Because
of Jesus' resurrection, his followers do not honor a dead founder They have a vital,
personal relationship with him. Jesus Christ lives today and faithfully
enriches the lives of all those who trust and obey him. Throughout the
centuries, multitudes have acknowledged the worthiness of Jesus Christ,
including many who have greatly influenced the world. French physicist and
philosopher Blaise Pascal spoke of people's need for Jesus when he said,
"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God
can fill through his Son Jesus Christ."
You can! Because of God's deep love for
you, he has already made all the necessary arrangements. Through the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can enjoy a personal relationship.
Jesus made it possible to bridge the chasm which separates us from God. The
following four principles will help you discover how to know Jesus personally
and experience the abundant life he promised.
God
LOVES you and created you to know Him personally John 3:16 "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." John 17:3 "Now this
is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom you have sent." What prevents us from
knowing God personally?
Man is
SINFUL and SEPARATED from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience
His love Romans 3:23 "For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23 "The
wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God]. Romans 8:6-8 "The mind
of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and
peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law,
nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please
God." A great gulf separates
man from God. Man is continually trying to reach God and establish a personal
relationship with Him through human efforts, such as living a good life,
philosophy, or religion. But he inevitably fails. The third principle
explains the only way to bridge this gulf...
Jesus
Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through him alone we can know
God personally and experience God's love Romans 5:8 "God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us." 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
"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..." John 14:6 "Jesus
said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.'" God has bridged the gulf
that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the
cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. But it is not enough just
to know these truths...
We must
individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; then we can know God
personally and experience His love John 1:12 "As many
as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to
those who believe in his name." Ephesians 2:8-9 "For
it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith. This does not depend
on anything you have achieved, it is the free gift of God; and because it is
not earned no one can boast about it." Receiving Christ involves
turning to God from self (a spirit of repentance) and trusting Christ to come
into our lives to forgive us of 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 our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an
emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our
will. Jesus Christ is waiting
for an invitation to come in to your life. In fact, he says, "Behold, I
stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I
will come in" (Revelation 3:20). Perhaps you can sense
Christ knocking at the door of your heart. You can invite him in by faith right now.
God knows your heart so it doesn't matter exactly what words you use. Here's
a suggested prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to know you
personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of
my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of
my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me
the kind of person you want me to be. If this prayer expresses
the desire of your heart, pray it right now and Jesus Christ will come into
your life just as he has promised. Once you invite Christ into your life, he
promises to never leave you. Hebrews 13:5 "God has
said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" To know God personally is
the greatest decision you will ever make. If you've just asked Jesus Christ
into your life, visit the Feedback section
and tell us about it. We would love to hear from you. If you wonder what part
feelings play in a life of faith and want to grow in your Christian
walk,visit the growth section. |
