How Can I know God? 2

Who God is:

He is love and justice. His active concern is for our joy and well-being. Most people love those who love them, yet God loves and seeks the good even of people who are his enemies. But because God is good and loving, he cannot tolerate evil. The opposite of love is not anger, but indifference. "The more you love your son, the more you hate in him the liar, the drunkard, the traitor," (E. Gifford). To imagine God's situation, imagine a judge who also is a father, who sits at the trial of his guilty son. A judge knows he cannot let his son go, for without justice no society can survive. How much less can a loving God merely ignore or suspend justice for us-who are loved, yet guilty of rebellion against his loving authority?

He is Jesus Christ. Jesus is God himself come to Earth. He first lived a perfect life, loving God with all his heart, soul and mind, fulfilling all human obligation to God. He lived the life you owed-a perfect record. Then, instead of receiving his deserved reward (eternal life), Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins, taking the punishment and death each of us owed. When we believe in him: 1.) our sins are paid for by his death and 2.) his perfect life record is transferred to our account. So God accepts and regards us as if we have done all Christ has done.

What You Must Do:

You must repent. There first must be an admission that you have been living as your own master, worshiping the wrong things, violation God's loving laws. "Repentance" means you ask forgiveness and turn from that stance with a willingness to live for and center on him.

You must believe. Faith is transferring your trust from your own efforts to the efforts of Christ. You were relying on other things to make you acceptable, but now you consciously begin relying on what Jesus did for your acceptance with God. All you need is nothing. If you think, "God owes me something for all my efforts," you are still on the outside.

Pray after this fashion: "I see I am more flawed and sinful than I ever dared believe, but that I am even more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I turn from my old life of living for myself. I have nothing in my record to merit your approval, but I now rest in what Jesus did and ask to be accepted into God's family for his sake."

When you make this transaction, two things happen at once:
1) your accounts are cleared, your sins are wiped out permanently, you are adopted legally into God's family, and
2) the Holy Spirit enters your heart and begins to change your into the character of Jesus.

You must follow through. Tell a Christian friend about your commitment. Get yourself training in the basic Christian disciplines of prayer, worship, Bible study and fellowship with other Christians. You can contact RUF at (336) 403-8246, and we will be eager to connect you with someone who can help you begin to grow as a Christian. Consider reading "The Fight," by John White, a good book for developing a new Christian life.

Why Should I Seek?

On one hand, you may feel that you "need" him. Even though you may recognize that you have needs only God can meet, you must not try to use him to achieve your own ends. It is not possible to bargain with God ("I'll do this if you will do that"). That is not Christianity at all, but a form of magic or paganism in which you "appease" the cranky deity in exchange for a favor.

Are you getting into Christianity to serve God, or to get God to serve you? Those are two opposite motives and they result in two different religions. You must come to God because:
1) you owe it to him to give him your life (because he is your creator), and
2) you are deeply grateful to him for sacrificing his son (because he is your redeemer).

On the other hand, you may feel no need or interest to know God at all. This does not mean you should stay uncommitted. If you were created by God then you owe him your life, whether you feel like it or not. You are obligated to seek him and ask him to soften your heart, open your eyes and enlighten you. If you say, "I have no faith," that is no excuse either. You need only doubt your doubts.

No one can doubt everything at once-you must believe in something to doubt something else. For example, do you believe you are competent to run you own life? Where is the evidence of that? Why doubt everything but your doubts about God and your faith in yourself? Is that fair? You owe it to God to seek him. Do so.

What If I'm Not Ready?

Make a list of the issues that you perceive to be barriers to your crossing the line into faith. Here is a possible set of headings:

Content issues. Do you understand the basics of the Christian message: sin, Jesus as God, sacrifice, faith?

Coherence issues. Are there intellectual problems you have with Christianity? Are there objections to the Christian faith that you cannot resolve in your own mind?

Cost issues. Do you perceive that a move into full Christian faith will cost you dearly? What fears do you have about commitment?

Now talk to a Christian friend until these issues are resolved. Or contact RUF at 336.403.8246, and we will be happy to connect you with someone you could talk to about these matters. Consider reading "Mere Christianity," by C.S. Lewis (MacMillan) or "Basic Christianity," by John Stott (IVP).

© 1991 Timothy Keller