By His death on
the cross, Jesus made possible the forgiveness of our sins. When
sins are forgiven we are no longer objects of God's wrath.
"Much
more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through Him." (Romans 5:9)
But we need more
than this. We need the kind of close friendship that existed
between God and Adam before the fall of man.
REQUIREMENTS
OF A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP
If a close
relationship is to exist between God and man, we must understand
God and feel comfortable in approaching Him. This is not easy.
God has
unlimited power, unlimited wisdom and unlimited holiness. He is
the creator of all things, the sustainer of all things and He
knows all things. He is eternal, immortal and invisible. He is a
Spirit (John 4:24) and as spirit, He has no flesh and bones
(Luke 24:39). How can a mortal finite man ever hope to
comprehend such a God? Contemplating His nature, the Psalmist
wrote:
"Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain
it." (Psalm 139:6)
But if we should
succeed in comprehending Him, how could we ever approach Him? We
feel the need of a lawyer to represent us before a human court;
how much more before God! Job expressed this need in one of the
earliest books of the Bible:
"For he
is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should
come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman
(umpire) betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us
both." (Job 9:32-33)
Jesus is this
daysman, this umpire.
"For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5)
He is qualified
to "lay his hand upon us both" because He is the Son
of God (John 5:25), and also the Son of man (John 5:27).
JESUS
REVEALS GOD TO MAN
"No one
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the
bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (John 1:18)
Paul wrote of
Jesus:
"For in
Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
(Colossians 2:9)
Jesus is:
"...The
brightness of His glory and the express image of His
person..." (Hebrews 1:3)
JESUS
REPRESENTS MAN TO GOD
By becoming a
man, the Son of God not only revealed Deity in tangible form,
but He also became our brother so that He can represent us to
God.
"For we
do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)
OUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IN CHRIST
Through the good
offices of Jesus we are God's temple and priesthood.
"You
also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house,
a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)
We are God's
children in Christ.
"In
Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith."
(Galatians 3:26 RSV)
When Christ is
in us, God is in us. Jesus prayed:
"I in
them and you in me." (John 17:23)
When we are in
Christ, we are in God.
"For you
died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
(Colossians 3:3)
GOD'S
BLESSINGS FOR US ARE IN CHRIST
"Blessed
be the God and Father or our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)
"...He
has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."
(Ephesians 1:4)
"...He
has made us accepted in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)
"In Him
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7)
"In Him
you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the
guarantee of our inheritance." (Eph. 1:13-14)
It is only in
and through Jesus that we have access to God in prayer. He said
to His disciples:
"You have
not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and appointed you that
you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should
remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may
give you." (John 15:16)
In Christ, God
grants eternal life.
"And this
is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son."(1 John 5:11)
JESUS
IS THE ONLY WAY
"He who
has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have life." (1 John 5:12)
Jesus did not
hesitate to claim that He was the only way to God:
"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)
This makes it
essential that each of us be in Christ. Are you in Christ?
"For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
"He who
abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the
Son." (2 John 9)
May we assist
you in being united with Christ?
CAN
YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Please look up
the following passages in your Bible, then answer the
questions.
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© 2000 for church of Christ, Oroville, Ca. All rights reserved.
Last revised:
February 22, 2007 . |
