How to Have a Relationship with God
Spiritual life represents the highest level of human existence. That life, however, doesn't come from our own efforts. It must come directly from God. The spirit of the person who enters into a relationship with God receives life--the ability to actually function on a spiritual level and to live forever. The person who doesn't have this relationship is separated from God and unable to live in the spiritual sense, now or after death. Getting life from God is the most important thing any of us can ever do. Since God loves us, He is eager to give us spiritual life and the relationship that causes it as a gift. Based on the Bible, here is how you can receive God's gift of spiritual life.
First, you must realize that your own spiritual efforts won’t measure up. God demands total loyalty and total obedience. No one but Jesus Christ has ever been totally loyal or totally obedient to God. In other words, everyone but Jesus has sinned. The Bible says:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 53:2-3)
We are guilty and deserve the punishment of God. The Bible describes this punishment like this:
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (God speaking in Ezekiel 18:4)
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14)
The Bible further shows that as far as knowing and relating to God is concerned we are already spiritually dead because of our sins and face the second death in Hell, a time of suffering that goes on forever in a terrible living death. Anybody in this kind of condition and facing this kind of future needs rescued, or as preachers say, saved. The problem is, people who are spiritually dead don't have the ability to save themselves. Even if we could quit sinning, we would have already earned God's judgment through the wrong we've already done. Somebody else has to save us--to get us out of spiritual death. That Someone is Jesus Christ. His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins. His resurrection guarantees that God will save us from our sin with its penalty and also give us spiritual life.
We can't save ourselves. Jesus has already done all the work by dying for us. He gives us peace with God and everlasting life, salvation as we call it, as a free gift. All he requires of us is faith. Faith involves two things. (1) Believing the facts about Jesus and what He has done for us, and (2) trusting Him to save us individually. The Bible describes the process this way.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
. . .Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. . . (Acts 16:31)
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)
If you wish to put your faith in Jesus for forgiveness and never-ending life, pray the following prayer:
God, I know I am a sinner. I am guilty and deserve your punishment. I believe
that Jesus died and rose again to save me from sin and its punishment. Right
now, I accept Him as my Lord and my Savior. Please save me from my sin, give me
peace with you, and everlasting life. Thank you. In Jesus name, Amen.
If you have sincerely taken this step you are now alive spiritually. You also have a real relationship with the living God. You may not feel any different. You may not get the kind of experience offered by other kinds of spirituality, but the God who rules the universe has given you a new life, a life that is characterized by purity and a power over evil. The effects of this new life may not be apparent until you compare the person you are becoming to the person you were before. The promise of going to heaven when you die is also part of this eternal life.
If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, please contact this author at mail@welcomevalley.com. I’ll be happy to provide you with more information on how to make the most of this new Christian life that you’ve found.
To read this information in easy English, click here: Jesus and You.
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How to Have a Relationship with God
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