I’ve written many times that Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship – a personal relationship between you and God. To understand how that relationship is built, let’s first look at how we build a relationship with another person. We are social beings who long for relationships.
My most lasting relationship is with my wife. It began when we were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. We spent time together and got to know all of the things we had in common. As I got to know her we began to trust each other and that trust became the foundation on which the framework of our loving relationship and life together was built. It was then I realized that I wanted her to always be a part of my life. She still is a part of my life six years after going ahead of me to heaven. I have built other close relationships since then with brothers and sisters in Christ. Those are also built with a framework of love on the foundation of trust, but without the complication of romantic love Carol and I also shared.
Because God is so far above us with unlimited power and He has a strong aversion to sin, a relationship with Him would be impossible for me if He had not provided a way for it to happen. Jesus is the Way. (John 14:6) He spans the gap between God and me. His shed blood cleanses my sin so I can enter God’s presence and spend the time to get to know Him. When Jesus died on the cross the heavy curtain in the temple that separated people from God’s presence was torn from top to bottom as a sign that through Jesus Christ we can now enter into God’s presence and commune with Him without the intercession of priests. (Matthew 27:50-51) God didn’t stop there. Once Jesus returned to heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of everyone who believes in Jesus and accepts His sacrifice. When I read and study God’s word and spend time with Him in prayer, the Holy Spirit reveals more and more of God’s love, mercy and grace to me. In this mortal body with a finite mind, I can never know Him as He knows me, but I can build a strong relationship of love with Him on the foundation of trust.
What a friend we have in Jesus! He introduces us to His heavenly Father and with the help of the Holy Spirit; we are able to build a personal relationship with God that will be complete when we leave this life and enter His Kingdom for eternity with Him and all of our loved ones who are already there. What a reunion celebration that will be!