How to Know God

REALIZE

Realize and admit your spiritual need.

One thing that every single human has in common is the fact that we are imperfect. The word the Bible uses for our spiritual imperfection is "sin". Wow, sin, that’s a heavy word! But sin simply means, "to miss the mark." God's mark is perfection. For God himself is completely perfect, we on the other hand, are not.

Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

In fact, God is so perfect and righteous, that sin cannot even be in His presence. Therefore, God must and will judge sin. What is the judgment on sin? Death.

Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death."

Being honest with God and realizing your spiritual need is the first step in knowing God.

RECOGNIZE

Recognize that Jesus took the judgment of our sin.

God, understanding our human condition, provided the solution by sending His only son to earth! Jesus Christ, God in human flesh and perfect in every way, took the judgment of sin upon himself when He died on a cross 2000 years ago. 

The cross was a brutal form of capital punishment in Ancient Rome. One would be nailed to a cross and then suspended from it until he or she died slowly from suffocation. Jesus, committing no sin and no crime, willingly hung on a cross to bear the penalty for our sins. Jesus was God in the flesh; three days later He rose from the dead and defeated the power of sin and death.

1 Peter 3:18: "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."

Romans 5:6-8: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

God is not only a just God, but a loving God as well. He must judge your sin, yet God loves YOU with an everlasting love. That is why he sent His Son to atone your sin.

John 3:16: "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."

In one act, God judged sin and demonstrated His incredible love for you.

RECEIVE

Receive God's free gift of eternal life.

God's gift is free to you but it wasn't cheap. It was very expensive. In fact, it was so expensive there is nothing you could ever do in your entire life to earn or purchase it. This gift cost the life of God's own son. However, through faith, we can receive God's gift of forgiveness and eternity in heaven.

Romans 5:18: "Through one Man's (Jesus) righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life."

Romans 6:23: "The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

When we put our faith in Christ, God no longer looks at us as a "sinner" separated from Him, but as a completely perfect child with the righteousness of Jesus purchased for us by His death.

Today, receive God's complete and total forgiveness.

REPENT

Repent from your current direction.

The word “repent” simply means, "To change your mind." The change is sparked from the realization that we are going the wrong direction.  To repent: Stop where you are, make a 180-degree turn, and go the right way.

Furthermore, we may need to change our mind about who we think God is, or what we think of His true character. Many people today have an incorrect or warped view of God.

God has revealed himself through His son Jesus; He will continue to reveal Himself to you through the Bible. Know this: God loves you and has an incredible plan for your life, but you must follow Him.

Jeremiah 29:11-13: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Repent and follow Jesus.

REJOICE

Rejoice in the reality that your sins are forgiven, God has accepted you as His child, and you are going to heaven.

You were created to know God and be in a relationship with Him. When this happens, you understand the reason for your existence and all of heaven rejoices.

Luke 15:10: "I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

We can live our lives with the assurance that we are right with God, with the joy that nothing will separate us from the love of God, and with the confidence that we are going to heaven.

If you want the forgiveness of your sins and the hope of heaven, simply pray this prayer and mean it from your heart:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins. I give my life to you right now and ask you to be my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

If you prayed this, please contact us and let us know. We would like to rejoice and pray with you; we can also send you a New Believer’s Bible.