Jesus, The Way To God

Jesus, The Way
Jesus, The Way To God

In the last lesson, we saw that by His death on the cross, Jesus made possible the forgiveness of our sins. When our sins are forgiven, we are no longer the objects of God’s anger - Ro 5:9 "But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger.". As wonderful as being justified by the blood of Jesus may be, we need more than this...we need the kind of close friendship that existed between God and Adam before the "Fall". But if a close relationship is to exist between God and ourselves, we must understand God and feel comfortable in approaching Him.
When we contemplate the difference between God and man, we can see that this is not easy. Let’s look at some of those differences. When we consider the nature of God as revealed in the Bible and nature, we see:
One with unlimited power, unlimited wisdom, unlimited holiness
One who is the creator of all things, the sustainer of all things, the knower of all things
One who is eternal, immortal, and invisible
Indeed, this Supreme Being fills the entire universe with His presence - Jer 23:23-24 "I am everywhere-- both near and far, in heaven and on earth. There are no secret places where you can hide from me."

On the other hand, man is mortal, finite in knowledge and understanding. The created one, sustained by God who supplies all his needs - Ac 17:24-28 "This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands. He doesn't need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be. God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us, and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. "We are his children," just as some of your poets have said."

The difference between God and man is so great, it ought to overwhelm man with awe. Note the reflections of David as expressed in Psalms - cf. Psa 139:1-12 "You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me. Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over." But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you." In the Bible, whenever man came even close to approaching God in His Glory, it was terrifying! When God first spoke to Moses, he was afraid - Exo 3:6 "I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses was afraid to look at God, and so he hid his face." The Israelites at Mount Sinai were terrified - Exo 20:18-21 "The people trembled with fear when they heard the thunder and the trumpet and saw the lightning and the smoke coming from the mountain. They stood a long way off and said to Moses, "If you speak to us, we will listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we will die!" "Don't be afraid!" Moses replied. "God has come only to test you, so that by obeying him you won't sin." But when Moses went near the thick cloud where God was, the people stayed a long way off."
How then can man hope to comprehend God and approach Him in a close relationship during this life? This difficulty was experienced and expressed by Job - Job 9:32-33 "God isn't a mere human like me. I can't put him on trial. Who could possibly judge between the two of us?"
[But what may have been true in Job’s day (that there is no "daysman", or "mediator") is no longer true today! Jesus is the means by which man can comprehend God and also approach Him in such a way as to enjoy a loving relationship with Him!
Let’s see how Jesus is the way to God by helping us comprehend God. In coming to this earth, Jesus declared or manifested God to us - Jn 1:18 "No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like." How was Jesus able to "declare" (manifest) God? For one thing, He came to this earth from God, and is the only one who has truly seen Him - Jn 6:46 "The only one who has seen the Father is the one who has come from him. No one else has ever seen the Father." But also, He is God Himself! - Jn 1:1-2 "In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. From the very beginning the Word was with God." Who is this "Word" that was with God and was God? The One who came in the flesh! - cf. Jn 1:14 "The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us." The "Word" was Jesus!
Therefore, it is in seeing Jesus that we are able to comprehend the Father. Just as Jesus told His disciples - Jn 14:7 "If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him."’ In similar fashion, the apostles of Jesus proclaimed that He was the complete manifestation of God - Co 2:9 "God lives fully in Christ."; He 1:1-3 "Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son. God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together. After the Son had washed away our sins, he sat down at the right side of the glorious God in heaven." Yes, it is in Jesus that God is revealed in terms that mortal, finite man can comprehend and personally relate to. Therefore, as we study the gospels, we see Jesus and His attributes (power, wisdom, holiness, love, mercy, divine wrath). As we see Jesus, we see God and His attributes!

But Jesus also provides the way to God by helping us approach God. This we touched upon in our previous lesson. How that by offering Himself as a propitiation for our sins Jesus has made it possible for a sinful man to approach God who is supremely holy and just. Jesus helps us to approach God in yet another way, as our High Priest in heaven. Though Jesus was truly God (as stated by John and Paul), by becoming man He fully understands our difficulties - He 4:14-15 "We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin!" With such a wonderful high priest, One who is both God and has been man, Jesus makes it possible for us to approach God with great confidence - He 4:16 "So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help." Yes, through Jesus we can both comprehend God and approach God, making it possible to have a close relationship with our Heavenly Father, enjoying all the blessings such a relationship provides!

To better appreciate the beauty of this relationship available with God through Jesus, let's briefly notice some terms used in the New Testament to describe this relationship. First, there are terms which proclaim a special relationship with our Heavenly Father, for example, we are called the "children" of God - Ga 3:26 "All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus."; 4:6-7 "Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be given what he has promised." Also, we are called the "house" (family) of God - 1 Ti 3:15 "so that if I am delayed, you will know how everyone who belongs to God's family ought to behave. After all, the church of the living God is the strong foundation of truth."
Second, there are also terms which proclaim a special relationship with a Holy, Supreme Being. One describes us as a special dwelling place of God: the "temple" of God - 2 Co 6:16 "Do idols belong in the temple of God? We are the temple of the living God, as God himself says, "I will live with these people and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."
Another speaks of our role in service to God: a "royal priesthood" - 1 Pe 2:5 "And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God.", 9 "But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done."

Other terms might be considered, but these suffice to show that it is possible for those who were
once lost in sin to enjoy a new, personal, intimate and fulfilling relationship with the Majestic God in heaven! And what a wonderful relationship it is! One that offers promises that overwhelm you; for example, this one where God promises: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (He 13:5). But let us be clear in our understanding. Jesus is the "The Way", the only way to God - Jn 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father." Only those in Jesus have the assurance of enjoying this wonderful relationship with God! How can we be sure that we are in Jesus, and as such the children of God? By taking to heart and life the truth of God’s Word...! By becoming the children of God through faith and baptism - Ga 3:26-27 By remaining the children of God by abiding faithfully in the teachings of Christ - 2 Jn 9

Have you become a child of God by receiving Christ in faith and baptism? If not, why not today?
If you have, are you maintaining your relationship with both the Father and the Son by abiding in the doctrine of Christ? If not, why not be restored to God today (through repentance and prayer)? Only in so doing can you let Jesus be your way to God! Please contact me personally if you are ready to become a child of God. jnlnewsted@nts-online.net