It is vital for those who believe and put their hope in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ to seek to know him on an intimate level and to make him the focal point of their daily lives. John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses of scripture that is often used to explain salvation. John wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” These words offer hope to many and illustrate the immeasurable mercy and love of God for humanity, but they are just the beginning of faith.
The apostle Paul instructs that when we place our faith in Jesus Christ we become sons of God (Galatians 3:26) and, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out ‘Abba Father.’” Galatians 4:6. The Holy Spirit dwells within true believers and guides us to walk in harmony with God (John 16:13) and strengthens us to overcome our weaknesses (Mathew 26:41). Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:16-17 to follow and submit to the Holy Spirit , “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
Additionally, in the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul teaches that through faith in Jesus, we have gained access to the grace in which we now stand (Romans 5:2) and that God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Romans 5:5). As with any relationship, someone makes the first move to initiate things and God has done just that through Christ (1 John 4:19). Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17.
Knowing Jesus is significantly different from knowing of Jesus. Simply knowing of Jesus and believing he was a historical figure does not provide salvation, just as attending church and learning about Christ doesn’t make you a true Christian. Indeed, Satan knows of Jesus and he is not saved. To know Jesus requires being in a relationship with him and for any relationship to be fruitful, both parties have to be engaged and active participants. Unless we prioritize a relationship it is doomed to fail and Jesus warned that we cannot have an arms length association with him while remaining engrossed in worldly values and consider ourselves legitimate believers (Mathew 6:24). One cannot be half saved therefore they either have to fully commit to Christ or they are simply not true believers.
Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross constitutes complete atonement for all sin (John 19:30), however the impetus to activate salvation lies within our faith response. We are saved by grace, “through faith,” (Ephesians 2:8-9), and this particular piece of scripture has been twisted by many to justify claims that repentance is unnecessary for salvation. While it is true that there is nothing anyone can do to earn salvation, and it is freely offered to everyone, not everyone accepts the gift, some discard it and forfeit it and many reject it outright. Grace theologians are quick to point out that sermons that admonish sinners and call for repentance drive people away from the church and that the gospel is “the good news” not the bad news. It has been said that “every person has been forgiven”, and “all are welcome in God’s kingdom” because Jesus died for all, which is simply bad theology.
Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” The hidden pearl in this piece of scripture is that while Christ’s death is meant to be for all, because it is God’s desire that all people are saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4), for some his death confirmed their own death but for others his death was their death to sin and self. In other words Christ’s death illustrates the just nature of God who did not spare his own Son and will not spare unrepentant sinners either, and that those who embrace Jesus and obey him will be pardoned for their sins because of his sacrifice.
Today’s woke society prefers messages of inclusivity and acceptance of sin along with the sinner which is itself an indication that the window of grace is about to close (2 Timothy 4:3) because we are living in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Jesus preached how repentance is consistent with God’s holy nature and rather than inclusivity, his message was often centered on exclusivity, which is evidenced by his declaration in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The sixth chapter of John’s gospel illustrates how Christ’s message wasn’t necessarily designed to win converts but rather served as a vetting mechanism to weed out those that weren’t prepared to go “all in” and truly believe (John 6:29-66).
In the thirteenth chapter of Luke, Jesus was asked, “‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’” This is heady stuff and many who identify as Christian could very well find themselves on the outside looking in one day.
It is our faith response that triggers a valid Christ – believer relationship which is the fulcrum of knowing Jesus. Without a bona fide relationship with Christ we have no assurance that he knows us and if our faith is genuine. This is critical to our salvation since Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Mathew 7:21-23
While we are saved by grace it doesn’t mean there is no effort required on our part. Grace means unmerited favor and none of us deserves salvation, however, unless we humble ourselves and repent of our sinful desires and deeds, and become obedient to Jesus as demonstrated through faith, we don’t truly accept God’s gift. While John 3:16 proclaims the truth, “For God so loved the world that he gave is one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”, and that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it but to save it (verse 17), verse 18 reminds us that not everyone is saved because of the cross. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18.
To believe in Jesus means to place our unreserved faith in him and him alone. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:23-26.
True Christianity is not a religion, but a fellowship of faith with the resurrected and living Jesus Christ. It is a relationship that not only facilitates salvation through God’s grace but also serves to develop an intimate friendship with Christ through the Holy Spirit living within us and aligning our spirit with him so that we are completely intertwined and inseparable. Paul wrote in Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” and for us to be in him, he also must be in us. This requires a valid relationship.
Furthermore, when we are involved intimately with Jesus, Paul proclaims, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.
A relationship with Christ is absolutely worth the effort! To know him is to love him and our love for him is demonstrated through our faithfulness and obedience to him as the betrothed bride of Christ, eagerly anticipating his promised return to take his bride home.
