How to Know God
At first glance, the title above sounds a little strange. After all, how can we know the Creator of the Universe? Yet we can know Him. First, however, we need to know a few things about Him, and about ourselves:
1. He is perfect and without sin--and we are not. As a result, we are separated from Him by the gap between His holiness and our disobedience. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.
2. We must realize that our sins (the ways we have not followed God's plan) have a terrible eternal consequence. "For the wages of sin are death." Romans 6:23.
3. So how can we escape the eternal death penalty? Good news--the penalty has already been paid for us--by God's own Son. When Jesus died on a Roman cross, God the Father set our penalty on Him. "Christ died for our sins." I Corinthians 15:3.
4. And even better, three days after He died, Jesus rose from the grave, defeating the power of death forever. As a result, we can now receive the free gift of God--eternal life with Him forever in Heaven. "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.
5. How do we receive this gift? All we have to do is believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. We have to trust that He can bear the penalty and that nothing we can do can make God love us more--or less. We can't earn our way to heaven. We just have to place our trust in Jesus to save us. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13.
If you want to know God the Father through Jesus Christ, the way is simple. All you have to do is confess that you are a sinner, that you have been disobedient to God's perfect plan, and ask Jesus Christ for His forgiveness. Pray this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I believe that you died on a cross for my sins, that you paid the penalty for me. I believe that you rose from the grave on the third day and you are forever alive. I believe that you can offer me eternal life and fellowship with God if I accept your free gift of salvation. Please forgive me for my sins and come into my heart and save me. Thank you for saving me. Amen."
Congratulations! If you prayed that prayer from your heart, you are now part of God's family! We would like to meet you and help you grow as a new Christian. Please contact us and let us know. May the Lord bless you.
Click here to download a PDF version of the How to Know God message.