What does it mean to have a personal relationship with God?

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Question: What does it mean to have a personal relationship with God? How do I know if I have one? I do want one, but don't know if I have one or not.

A Reader, USA


ATP: That is truly a great question. Most people, in quiet moments when they aren't under pressure to go along with the crowd, will admit that they think about God and who God might be, and whether or not they can know him.

Even a very antagonistic toward God atheist admits by his opposition that his life is defined by his/her lack of a relationship with God. Dr. J. Edwin Orr called such people "believers in reverse." Funny! But sad at the same time.

I Timothy 2: 5 says, For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Man's relationship with God is damaged because of sin. We are separated from him on a relational level because of that sin. On our own or by our own efforts, we have no way to repair what is broken. God is perfect and his standard in measuring sin, is to compare our actions agains perfection. As we know all too well, none of us measures up to that.

But God is more than "perfect" in his actions, he is a just God on the one hand, and gracious God on the other.

His justice demands that sin be paid for. We are wired that way too. We don't like it when injustice happens. We want justice to prevail. So does God, only he demands perfect justice, not the justice that we human beings carry out.

But thankfully in addition to being just, God is also gracious. It is by his grace that God provided a way for us to be forgiven of our sins through Christ, and for our broken relationship with him to be restored.

God chose to place all our sins on Christ. Christ who was and is perfect, was the "perfect" debt payer. His payment for our sins takes care of God's righteous demand that sin be paid for. It is similar to having some one pay off a debt that we owe, even though we incurred the debt instead of them. The debt is declared "forgiven."

When we repent of our sin and turn to God asking for forgiveness through Christ, our "sin debt" is declared forgiven.

As Paul told Timothy, "There is one mediator between God and man." Only through Christ can our broken relationship be mediated and restored.

So to have a personal relationship with God, a person must receive God's forgiveness through Christ. Jesus' death opened the way for people to have access to God. God will not allow access any other way.

If you have received Christ into your life as Lord and Savior, trusting in his death and resurrection alone for your salvation, you do have a personal relationship with God and are promised eternal joy in heaven.

A large part of the Christian life then, is developing that existing relationship by studying what God has said in the Bible, and applying the Bible to our lives. Some have the relationship, but simply haven't gotten to know God well. These are just as assured of heaven as some one who knows God intimately.