Getting To Know God
by Juanita Simpson

 
Part I
Who is God?

... He is the Creator who made everything and still holds it together.  He is involved right now in His world.

The Bible says:
"The God who made the world
and everything in it
is the Lord of heaven and earth
...He himself gives all men life and breath
and everything else." Acts 17:24-25

... God wants to be our Father.  This was His purpose in creating man -- to have a family He could love and who could love Him in return.

The Bible says:
In love He predestined us
to be adopted as His sons
through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with His pleasure and will.
Ephesians 1:5

... God the Father is changeless and trustworthy.  He loves us with an everlasting love.  When we become His children we are safe.  He will never fail us or forsake us.

The Bible says:
"I will never leave you or forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5

... God created heaven as a beautiful home where He and His children could live together forever in peace.

The Bible says:
"Now the dwelling of God is with men,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people and God Himself
will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning
or crying or pain." Revelation 21:3-4


Part II
What is sin?

...God's beautiful plans for men were spoiled by the entrance of sin and shame.  Sin began with the pride and rebellion of some of the angels of God.  They were thrown out of heaven and became Satan and the evil spirits.

...Sin and shame came upon man when Satan tempted Adam and Eve, the first people.  Because of their pride and rebellion they disobeyed God's command.  They chose to obey Satan instead of God.

... The result of Adam and Eve's sin was:

- they were ashamed before God for the first time
- their relationship with God was broken
- all men became sinners because of them
- all men are condemned to die and be eternally
separated from a holy God
- no one could go to the heaven God made for them;
all must go to hell.
The Bible says:
"Therefore just as sin entered the world
through one man and death through sin,
and in this way death came to all men
because all sinned...
For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God." Romans 5:12, 3:23

...Sin is the result of falling to temptation like Adam and Eve did.  It is disobeying and displeasing God.  We sin when we do what we know we shouldn't do.  We also sin when we don't do what we should do.

The Bible says:
"When tempted no one should say,
'God is tempting me.'
For God cannot be tempted by sin,
nor does He tempt anyone;
but each one is tempted when,
by his own evil desire,
he is dragged away and enticed ...
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do
and doesn't do it, sins."
James 1:13-14, 4:17


Part III
What is salvation?

...God the Father was not willing that we should all die and go to hell.  His plan was to send His Son Jesus to die in our place.  Jesus is the only One who could be our substitute because He is the only One who is sinless and so has no sins for which He must die.  He could die instead of us.

The Bible says:
"God demonstrated His love for us in this:
while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

... Jesus, who is Himself God, was willing to be born as a baby, live on earth, suffer and die on the cross for our sake to fulfill the Father's plan.  The Father's plan was to bring us lost sinners back into His family.

The Bible says
"God was reconciling the world
to Himself in Christ,
not counting men's sins against them."
II Corinthians 5:19

... Christ's death on the cross totally defeated all evil powers -- Satan, evil spirits, and death.  His shed blood provides cleansing from sin and power over evil.

The Bible says:
"Since the children have flesh and blood,
He too shared in their humanity
so that by His death He might destroy
bim who bas the power of death
-- that is, the devil -­
and free those who all their lives
were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2.14-15

... Jesus rose, from the dead proving His victory over Satan.  He ascended to heaven and is now at the Father's right hand praying for us.

The Bible says:
Therefore He is able to save completely
those who come to God through Him
because He lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 7:25


Part IV
How are we saved?

... There are not many ways to God as some people think.  There is only one  way -- the way God has chosen: His own Son!

The Bible says:
"Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth
and the life, no one comes to the Father
except by Me."' John 14:6

... Although Christ died for the whole world, this doesn't mean that everyone in the world is automatically saved.  If we want to be children of God we must each be born individually into His family.

The Bible says:
"In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth,
unless a man is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:3

... Since our sin separates us from God, we must first repent of our sin.  Repentance means not only feeling sorry for our sin, but also humbling ourselves before God and then turning from our sin.

The Bible says:
'Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord,
and He will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for He will freely pardon.
Isaiah 55:7

...Then we must confess all our sins to God and ask Him to forgive them.  Only God can forgive sins against Him.

The Bible says:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9

... Next we need to have faith.  Faith is believing that God hears my prayer and forgives all my sins; that when I ask Jesus to come into my life as Lord and Savior, that He does; that when God says He will make me His child, He really does.

The Bible say:
"Yet to all who received Him,
to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God.
I John 1:12

... We need to turn our whole lives over to Christ, making a complete commitment to Him and asking Him to be our Lord and Savior.  At the same time, we need to renounce any connection from the past with evil spirits, magic, and witchcraft, claiming the cleansing and protecting power of Jesus' blood.

The Bible says:
"I know whom I have believed and am convinced
that He is able to guard what I have entrusted
to Him for that day." II Timothy 1:12


A prayer you can pray:
Here is a sample prayer you can pray.  This is not a magic prayer.  It is only a guideline on "confessing" that you believe and want to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness.  I believe that You died for my sins.  I want to turn now from all my sins and any connections with evil from the past.  Please forgive me and wash me clean with Your blood.  I now humbly ask You to come into my heart and life and be my Lord and Master.  I give my life totally into Your hands.  Thank You for Your mercy to me, and for making me a child of the Father.


Signature _____________________  Date _________


Part IV
What difference does this decision make in our lives?

...We enjoy the freedom of having our sins cleansed away and no longer being under Satan's control We must sha-re this good news with others so that they, too, can experience this freedom from sin and Satan.

The Bible says:
'When the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed." John 8:36

... We become members of God's family with Him as our Father, Jesus as our Savior, and all other true Christians as our family members.  It is important to regularly attend a church where you can fellowship with other believers.

The Bible says:
"You are no longer foreigners and aliens,
but fellow citizens with God's people
and members of God's household.
Ephesians 2:19

...We have the certainty of eternal life - living forever with our Father and our new family.

The Bible says:
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
but God's wrath remains on him.  " John 3:36

... The Christian has the Holy Spirit, who is God, living within him.  He is the Christian's Guide, Teacher, Comforter and the One who shows him his sin.  We need to fellowship with the Father and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit each day by reading our Bibles.

The Bible says:
"But the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you ll things.
and will remind you
of everything I have said to you.
John 14:26

... As Christians we can come at any time to Christ to ask for His forgiveness for our present sins and failures, and to ask His help in times of need.  We need to spend time in prayer every day for these things.

The Bible says:
"Let us then approach the throne of grace
with confidence, so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us ia our our of need
Hebrews 4:16


Part V
The beginning!

After taking this first step of repentance of sin and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, let me give you a good resource for Christian growth:

ABC's For Christian Growth - Laying The Foundation
by J. Hampton Keathley III, Biblical Studies Press,1996

For further Bible study I recommend the following site:

Bible Studies
by Biblical Studies Foundation