You’ve clicked on this link which means that there is something in your life that is prompting you to think about God.
It could be that you’re thinking about spiritual things and want to explore what the Bible teaches about God. The Bible tells us that God has put “eternity” in your heart and that the whole world points to God’s beauty and power (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Romans 1:20). God created humanity to know and love him and to be known and loved by him which means that you were made for relationship with God and to find your satisfaction and joy in Him! However, it could be that you’re on this page asking about how to know God because you’re in a place where you realize the brokenness of the world. At the moment, you’re experiencing that brokenness through sickness, the death of a loved one or something else that has disrupted your life. Why do I feel this way? Is there a God? What is He like? Can I know God personally?
We find ourselves distant from God and experiencing difficulty and suffering in this world because of there is a big problem. The world is not as it should be, we find ourselves in revolt against God and we do not live the way we ought. The Bible calls our problem: “Sin”. Sin separates us from God, each other and the world that God has made that started out “very good” and is now not as it should be (Genesis 1:31, Romans 8:20-21). All have sinned, and the penalty of sin is both physical death and spiritual separation from God (Romans 3:23, 6:23). God’s standard is not how we compare to others around us; it is his holiness and perfection and we all fall short of that. We are therefore under judgment for our sin and rebellion.
That is the bad news, but wait, there is good news.
God’s response to our sin is to seek and to save. Amazingly, God still loves us and desire that we would be restored to relationship with him. Christians call this “the gospel” which means “good news”. God entered human history as Jesus to seek and to save the lost. Jesus lived the life we could not live in perfect holiness and on the cross Jesus took the penalty of our sin removing the barrier that separates us from God (Colossians 2:13-14). The Bible also teaches us that Jesus didn’t stay dead, but he was resurrected from the dead and has defeated death once and for all for all who believe in him. The way you can know God is by placing your faith and trust in who Jesus is and what he has done to forgive your sin and give you new life and relationship with God. You do not need to get your life together, pay back your debt or prove yourself to God. Through faith, God forgives your sin, restores you into relationship with him, helps you live a holy life and you can look forward to everlasting life with him.
