We Can Be Close To God And Hope To One Day Be In His Presence Because We Are Saved From Sin By Jesus Christ
We have already seen in Jesus Christ Is The Fully Divine Son Of God that Jesus redeemed us with God because God sent him to announce His kingdom and to deliver salvation from sin. But perhaps you have never heard this good news message and are wondering exactly how you can get closer to God. It’s actually quite simple to get started and see immediate results. After that, you’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit who will give you the opportunity to adapt your life according to God’s plan for you and in alignment with God’s righteousness. Let’s dive in and get started.
Step One: Trust In Jesus Christ For Your Salvation From Sin
If you’ve already accepted Jesus Christ as your savior from sin then you’re free to skip ahead. However, I expect most can use a refresher on why we put our trust in Christ and what that means for our lives so follow along if you have a few minutes. It won’t take much time.
Here’s a concise but thorough 4 minute review video from Ronnie and Mel on why we trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation from sin.
Summary of the gospel message
- Our sins separate us from a close relationship with God and eventually lead to eternal death
- God’s son, Jesus Christ, sacrificed his life on the cross to pay for our sins
- Christ’s death delivers salvation from sin for all those who believe in him
- Faith in the salvation from sin delivered by Jesus’ death on the cross returns us to a right relationship with God
- There is no other path to a close relationship with God
- Jesus died the death that we deserve for our sins and, in exchange, we gain eternal life with God
- Salvation from sin is a free gift from God; only faith and faith alone in Jesus is needed
- You can’t earn your way into heaven with righteous works
In the video, Ronnie quotes another two of the most important verses in the New Testament – Romans 5:1-2 (NLT). These verses from the Apostle Paul highlight that faith in Jesus as our savior from sin returns us, by God’s grace, to a close with Him:
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Step Two: Profess Your Faith In Jesus
In this next 2 minute video we hear from one of the greatest Christian evangelists, Billy Graham, care of the Church Channel. After a brief summary of the gospel, follow along and speak to God professing your faith in Jesus Christ by repeating Graham’s most elequent prayer of salvation. This is very important so, if you’re ready to profess your faith, repeat his prayer word for word.
You can also use this one:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In your name. Amen.”
Step Three: Understand What Is Meant By “Developing A Relationship With God”
Before we can talk about how to develop a relationship with God and Christ, it’s important to understand what is means to develop such a relationship. There are often misconceptions about this so let’s hear from Todd Wagner in this 6 minute video from Real Truth, Real Quick and the Watermark Community Church. Todd covers quite a lot of core Christian doctine in this video so listen closely and perhap be ready to either hit pause or replay.
What does it mean to develop a relationship with God and Jesus?
- God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us
- As proof, He sent His son to die for our sins
- After all, He created us in His image
- The Bible is not a rule book that must be followed to earn the privilege of being in God’s presence; the Bible teaches that God wants a relationship with us but we are separated from him by our sinned nature
- We gain eternal life and closeness to God by believing in God’s son, Jesus
- Salvation from sin allows us to be close to God
- We don’t invite Jesus into our hearts per se as this is not biblical; instead, we believe in Jesus in our heart for our salvation from sin
- From there we focus on developing our relationship with God and Jesus
- We do this by meditating on the word of God in the Bible and enjoying our relationship with God and Jesus through the presence of the Holy Spirit within us
- Be like Jesus’ disciples by listening to him, walking with him, obeying him and trusting in him
- Having a relationship with God means you spend time with Him and enjoy being with Him; He is no longer someone whom we avoid or merely tolerate
- Proper understanding of a relationship with God eliminates the need for rebellion
- Instead, you trust Him knowing He loves you and has a plan for you
- You want to be with Him and obey Him
Step Four: Develop A Close Relationship With God
Now we get to the core topic of how to develop a close, personal relationship with God. Listen to the wisdom of Dr. Charles Stanley in this 4 minute video from In Touch Ministries as he describes how to draw closer to God and what happens in your life once you head down that path.
How to have an intimate relationship with God
- God wants to have a close, personal relationship with you through His son, Jesus Christ
- An intimate relationship with God requires total openness and surrender to Him
- You have to make a choice to have an intimate relationship with Him
- It must be a strong desire for you because there are distractions in your life that work against it
- The Holy Spirit will work in you to enable that desire, choice and commitment to overcome distraction
- You must also read and meditate on the word of God within the Bible
- As you read the Bible, pray to God to show you and guide you
- You will see God changing the interests and emphasis of your life, cleaning out unnecessary aspects and removing distractions
- This happens as you read God’s word by examining what’s going on in your life and assessing what fits with it and what does not, what draws you closer and what pulls you away
- As this happens, God will draw you into an intimate relationship with Him
- Before long, you’ll realize that something has happened in your life
- But this will take time and concentrated effort so be patient and be diligent
Here is a second 5 minute video from Dr. Stanley and In Touch Ministries that reiterates how to have a close, personal relationship with God but comes at it from a slightly different angle. Watch this one as well to get a full understanding of his message.
Hope To Be In God’s Presence One Day
In the New Testament, Jesus promises to be with those who believe in him. In John 14:1-3, Jesus says:
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Futhermore, John 3:16 states:
“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.”
So, while we hope to one day be in God’s presence, there is some confusion about “heaven” and what is meant by “eternal life.” Watch this 5 1/2 minute video from the Denison Forum in which Dr. Jim Denison explains these concepts.
Dr. Jim Denison on heaven and eternal life
- Do we receive eternal life when we die?
- It’s a common belief that we go to heaven and step into eternity when we die
- That’s not what Jesus said
- Note in John 3:16 above Jesus says “have eternal life” – present tense meaning now
- If Jesus is your savior then you have eternal life right now
- What does it mean to have eternal life right now?
- Early believers saw the risen Jesus and knew they had the gift of eternal life with him
- They were emboldened to share the gospel because they knew no one could take away their eternal life with God
- The implication is that we too can be emboldened knowing we also share that gift from God
- If we’re destined for eternal life with the Lord, why are we still here on Earth?
- We are to follow God’s commandments and shepherd God’s creation
- God is using this fallen world to prepare us for life with Him – to help us serve others and be more humble and righteous
- God wants us to share the gospel of Jesus with others as well
Conclusion
We are saved from our sins by faith in Jesus Christ so that we can develop a close relationship with God and hope to one day be in His presence
- There are four easy steps to developing a closer relationship with God
- Step 1: Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin
- Faith in the salvation from sin delivered by Jesus’ death on the cross returns us to a right relationship with God; there is no other path to a close relationship with God
- Step 2: Profess your faith in Jesus as your savior from sin by praying to God with a simple salvation prayer
- Step 3: Understand what it means to have a close relationship with God
- Focus on developing this relationship by meditating on the word of God in the Bible and enjoying that relationship through the presence of the Holy Spirit within us
- Spend time with God by listening to him, walking with him, obeying him and trusting in him; the Holy Spirit will guide you along the way
- Step 4: Develop that relationship over time
- Make the choice to have an intimate relationship with Him
- Continue to read and meditate on the word of God within the Bible
- See God changing the interests and emphasis of your life
- Be patient and before long, you’ll realize that something has happened in your life
- If Jesus is your savior then you have eternal life right now so enjoy that gift from God, follow God’s commandments, shepherd God’s creation, learn to be more humble and righteous, serve others and share the gospel
Brendon Robin
In what ways can a couple live a Godly life?
Editor
Brendon,
This is an interesting question, thanks for asking it. In the absence of more context, it can answered generally starting with Genesis 1:26-29. God created man and woman in His image as His representatives on earth. We are told to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over all the earth and all living creatures. This is typically interpreted to mean we should responsibly manage the earth and all creatures. God also gave us all plants and trees yielding fruit or seeds as food so responsible management applies for those things as well. In Genesis 2:24, we are also told that a man should leave his parents and hold fast to his wife such that they become one flesh.
In Matthew 12:28-31, Jesus tells us to do two fundamental things: love God and love our neighbor. The entirety of the Bible can be summarized by those two commandments; the ten commandments given to Moses are encapsulated within them as well. His third commandment to spread his message – the Great Commission – refers back to his original two. All this is important in two ways – the man and woman within the couple should follow Christ’s example by fully adhering to those two commandments and the man and woman should love and serve each other just as Christ loved and served all whom he fed, healed and ministered.