 Knowing God
3.
God has provided a solution for our lost relationship.
Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Him we can know and experience God's love and plan for our life. .............................. Jesus Christ is God's solution to the problem of human imperfection and evil. Because of His death on the cross, we don't have to be separated from God any longer. Jesus paid the price for our sin and in so doing, bridged the gap between us and God.
Instead of trying harder to reach God, we simply need to accept Jesus and his sacrifice as the one way to God. " I am the way, the truth and the life ," Jesus said. " No one can come to the Father except through me " (John 14:6). He also said, " I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish " (John 11:25-26).
But not only did Jesus die for our sin, He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). When he did, he proved beyond doubt that he can rightfully promise eternal life--that he is the son of God and the only means by which we can know God.
Yet just having knowledge about God's plans and purposes isn't enough. We need to consciously accept Jesus Christ as the payment for our sin and welcome Him into our life. Jesus Christ came into the world to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." -John 3:16
He came into the world to bring us to His Father.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' " -John 14:6
He died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin.
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit." -1 Peter 3:18
He rose from the dead to show that His claims were true.
"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep." -1 Corinthians 15:3-6
* Image taken from RBC.org.
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