New Believers Bible - Flipbook - Page 89
HOW YOU CAN KNOW GOD
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Matthew’s Gospel tells us that when Jesus hung on that cross, he cried out,
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46). Many
Bible scholars believe that those words marked the precise moment at
which God placed the sins of the world upon his Son. The Bible, speaking
of God, says, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on
wickedness” (Habakkuk 1:13, NKJV). For that reason, the holy Father had to
“turn his face” and pour out his wrath upon his own Son. On the cross, Jesus
received the wages that were due us. He was not heard that we might be
heard. The ear of God was closed to Jesus for a time that it might never be
closed to us.
3. Christ, the Sole Mediator (see 1 Timothy 2:5-6, page 1096). Why is
there only one mediator who is qualified to bridge the gap between God and
people? Haven’t there been other religious leaders who have claimed to have
the way to God? Haven’t some of them also died as a result of their message?
While the answers to these questions may be yes, the truth is that not one
of these other leaders was fully God and fully human. That is why Jesus is
uniquely qualified to deal with sin. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Acts
4:12 tells us, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name
under heaven by which we must be saved.” And, most important, Jesus Christ
rose from the dead!
Though it is true that you must believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins
in order to receive eternal life and be a true Christian, there is still something
else you must do.
To know Jesus Christ personally and have your sins
forgiven, you must believe that you are a sinner separated from God and that your only hope is Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, who came and died for your sins. To
stop here, however, would be to stop short of salvation.
There are two things you must now do to enter into a relationship with the
God from whom you have been separated.
1. Turn From Your Sins. As Jesus began his public ministry, his first message
was “Repent of your sins” (Mark 1:15). In essence, Jesus was telling the
