How You Get To Know God

A Salvation Tract

by Michael Rudolph and Maynard Dixon

Lots of people have heard about God or know of God. Unless we believe that the universe somehow created itself, it is reasonable for us to believe in a creator. The Bible says that God is our creator. But more than that -- he is our heavenly father, and he wants us to know him so that we might have a loving personal relationship with him.

Contrary to popular belief, no one gets to know God through religious practices. Religion is too often the attempt of man to meet God on man's terms rather than on God's terms. Neither can we attain a relationship with God through mere intellectual study, meditation techniques or the teachings of men who fancy themselves to be wise.

Our basic impediment in getting to know God is that, unless God cleanses us of sin, we are in a state of separation from him. We cannot approach God the way we are naturally, for Scripture teaches: "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."

As long as we remain separated from God, we are predisposed to think, say, and do what is not pleasing to him. We cannot help it. Some believe that if we perform good deeds or works, such efforts will remove us from our state of sin. The prophet Isaiah's response to this notion was: "All our righteous acts are like filthy rags." Good deeds apart from God may impress men, but they do not impress God. In order to have fellowship with God, we must be deeply and profoundly changed from within -- reborn in our spirit. In the words of Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth: "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

If we desire to be born again, we must accept God's way of dealing with our sin. Since God is just (as well as merciful), our sin requires the payment of some sort of penalty or sacrifice. God required the ancient Israelites to sacrifice an unblemished lamb before they could even approach him. While such animal sacrifices atoned for sin, they could not permanently overcome the sin lodged deep in the hearts of the people.

A dirty broom cannot sweep itself clean. Knowing that we could not cleanse ourselves by our own efforts, God decided to take the penalty of our sin on himself, a father's loving and gracious act to save his children.

To accomplish this, God came down to earth in the form of a man. That man, a Jew, was God's son Yeshua (Jesus). Yeshua lived a perfect, sinless life, and he taught the people the ways of his father who sent him. Yeshua demonstrated that he was the son of God, not only through his holy life, but also by the many miraculous things that he did. Yeshua took upon himself the penalty of our sin when he allowed himself to be taken captive and painfully put to death by men who did not believe he was from God. He then performed the greatest miracle of all -- he rose to life from the grave.

By his death and resurrection, Yeshua allowed us to live. He died in our place so that we might come into right relationship with God. Only the sacrifice of God's perfect lamb could save man from sin.

As with any gift, one cannot benefit from it unless one accepts it. Our forgiveness from sin through Yeshua is not automatic; we must make a heart-felt decision to accept it. We must confess the fact of our sin, and that Yeshua is indeed who he said he was -- the son of God who came to save us from that sin. Yeshua's sacrifice for us must be received in our heart and we must genuinely be repentant. We must turn from our state of uncleanliness and ask God to rule our lives. When we do this, God renews us with his Spirit which comes to dwell within us, and we become "born again".

Once we are born again, we come into fellowship with God and begin a new life which lasts forever -- even past our time here on earth. God teaches us, changes our behavior, and shows us miraculous things. In the words of Yeshua: "I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly".

What is the alternative to being born again? God's judgment! Those who reject God's grace can be assured of his justice. Because of our sin, we are all under a sentence of death. If we die in our sin without being born again, we are inviting catastrophe to come upon us. But God doesn't want any of us to perish. In fact, he pleads with us to choose eternal life with him.

DEAR FRIEND, if you want to be born again and be assured of living in eternal fellowship with God, make this plea to God now, and mean it in your heart:

Lord be merciful to me and forgive my sins. I place my hope in Yeshua, the Messiah you sent to die in my place. I invite your Holy Spirit to come into my heart and dwell within me. Remake my spirit, Lord, that I may experience the new birth, walk in holiness, and have eternal life with you.

If you prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, God's Spirit has entered you, and you have come into fellowship with him. Your life will never be the same again. Please contact us so that we may rejoice with you, and assist you with your new life.