Know God Personally

These four principles can help you discover how to know God personally and experience the abundant life He promised:

1

God loves You and created you to know Him personally. The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Not only does God love us, but He also has a plan for our lives. John 17:3 says, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”

2

Man is sinful and separated from God, so we cannot fully know Him personally or experience His love. Man was created to have fellowship with God, but because of his own selfishness, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.Therefore, a great gulf separates God and man. Man is continually trying to reach God and establish a personal relationship with Him through his own efforts, such as living a “good life,” living by a moral code, or finding religion, but he inevitably fails.

3

Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Jesus alone we can know God personally and experience His love. Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” But Christ did not just die. He rose from the dead three days after He was buried. 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 explains that when Christ came back to life, He appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve disciples, and then to 500 more people!

Jesus is the only way to God. John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.’” However, it is not enough to just know these three truths.

4

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and only then we can know God personally and experience His love. We receive Christ through faith. In Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no man should boast.” When we receive Christ, we experience new birth (John 3:1-8), and we can do this by a personal invitation. Christ says in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”

Receiving Christ involves turning away from self, and turning to God and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, or simply having an emotional experience, is not enough. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

Did You Make A Decision?

If you have made a decision to follow Christ, we would love for you to let us know. We’d like to connect you with a church near you who can help you grow in your walk with Christ. If you still have any questions, please let us know as well. God bless you.