How do we have a relationship with him?
What does that relationship even look like?
Well, for starters, let's take a look at what a relationship with God is not...
Ever heard of the ABCs of Christianity? If you grew up in a Southern Baptist Church like I did, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. They are mentioned at the end of nearly every sermon, and sometimes again during the alter call (cue the hymn I Surrender All) if the pastor does not believe an adequate number of people have walked down the aisle. The ABCs of Christianity stand for Admit, Believe, Confess. Admit you are a sinner, believe in Jesus, and confess your sin to God.
Bing, bang, boom! Just like that you become a Christian.
Now you are free to head out, feeling good about yourself because you just chose to believe in God, and ready to go about your life as you did before. The only difference is that now you no longer have to deal with any of that annoying guilt that had been bogging you down. It's easy, relatively painless, and leaves you feeling great about yourself.
But is this really what it looks like to have a relationship with God? Must I simply believe and do these three little letters to receive the immeasurable forgiveness that comes from the blood of God's only, perfect son Jesus Christ? What about the rest of the alphabet? Where are the D-Zs of Christianity? Can we really sum up the whole Christian life in three little letters?
One of the most common expressions used when describing how to become a follower of Christ and begin a relationship with God is "accepting Jesus." I, for one, have heard this term used countless times and have even used it myself. If you are not familiar with this term and are wondering how it would typically be used in a conversation, here is an example:
"Hello sir, how are you today? Oh me, I am doing great! Do you know why? Well, it's because I have accepted Christ. Would you like to accept Him? All you have to do is follow the ABCs of Christianity..." You get the idea, both these encounters and this expression is usually awkward, unexpected, and difficult to define.
"Accepting Christ" is one of the foundational phrases in the always changing, ever expanding vocabulary of Christianity. Use this phrase along with "let go and let God," "open your heart to God's will," and "what would Jesus do" and you've got contemporary Christian lingo. This lingo is a hodgepodge of ambiguous, difficult to define ideas that may sound insightful and spiritual, but actually make no sense at all. The use of Christian lingo will be met with hearty nods and joyful smiles by all, because even though we have no idea what these things mean, asking would only reveal our ignorance, we would be utterly humiliated. Who would want that? So this lingo grows and grows, where it stops nobody knows...
What we fail to realize though, due both to our fear of being judged and our assumption that this Christian lingo is a sign of spiritual eminence, is that the phrase "accepting Jesus" is found absolutely nowhere in the Bible. I know, this is truly a shocking discovery, but now that we've brought it into the light I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand what "accepting Jesus" even means.
Can I get an amen?
Like myself, you have probably heard multiple endings added to this phrase. The first that come to mind are "accepting Jesus" into your heart, as your savior, or as your Lord, but one thing I have never heard is an actual definition of it.
So, what does it mean to "accept Jesus"?
It probably depends on who you ask. Some would say it means to recognize that Jesus was a real person, which would mean that pretty much everyone who has ever studied history or read a Bible could be considered a Christian. Most would probably take it a step further define it as believing that Jesus was a real person who was also the son of God, lived a perfect life, died for the sins of humanity, was raised back to life on the third day after his death, and then ascended into heaven to one day return again. This is the basic storyline for all of the Gospels, so "accepting Jesus" would mean believing that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. While I do agree with this, I also see some problems with this being the only necessary characteristic for someone to be Christian, and in turn, know God.
My greatest concern with what people define as "accepting Jesus" is that it oversimplifies the beauty of Christian conversion and waters down the richness of the Gospel. From this oversimplification also comes the possibility of misinforming people and allowing them to believe they have a relationship with God when they actually do not. Let me explain this with an illustration.
I am a very big fan of Peyton Manning, the quarter back for the Indianapolis Colts. I love to watch him play football. I watch his interviews, read articles about him, and talk about him with my friends. Sometimes, I talk about him like I know him. I refer to him simply at "Peyton" or "Pey-Pey" as if we are good friends, and as much as I wish we were good friends, the truth is we are not. I know it may be surprising to you, but Peyton Manning and I are not friends, I have never even met the guy. I know a lot about him, but I'm about as close to having a real relationship with Peyton Manning as John Daly is with a dietician.
This is the same kind of understanding people have of God. They have been to church, they have heard people preach, teach, and discuss the bible, they know things about God, and they even may know what God likes and dislikes. Because they have knowledge of things about God they assume they have a real relationship with Him. Please don't get me wrong, these things are good to know, but they are unable, in an of themselves, to constitute a real, personal relationship with God.
These people are fans of God, they would like Him on facebook, even add him as their friend, but they have never actually interacted with God in a one on one capacity for any significant period of their lives. They keep God at a distance (not a very friendly way to treat someone we call our Lord and savior). Most people who live like this would genuinely believe they are Christians because they have been taught that this is all it takes to be a Christian. It is this gross oversimplification of Christianity that gives people a false sense of security when they are, in reality, no closer to having a relationship with God than I am with Peyton Manning.
Now for those of you who do not believe that my previous illustration and explanation have been infallibly typed through me by the very fingers of God, I will also consult God's word to see what it has to say about this topic.
James 2:17-19 says, "17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." (NIV)
The main point I want to make from this passage is from V.19, where James says, sarcastically, that it is good to believe there is one God, but that even the demons (the sworn enemies of God himself) believe that and shudder. If the demons, who definitely do not have a relationship with God (at least not the kind I want to have), believe in God, then believing in God cannot be the only requirement for having a relationship with Him.
Okay, so the demons believe in God, big deal! What do they believe about Jesus, that's what really matters, right? Well, let's take a look.
When Jesus approaches a man who is possessed by a demon in the Gospel of Mark, the demon says, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" (Mark 1:24 NIV).
The demon (remember, these guys are the sworn enemies of God) knew exactly who Jesus was. He called him the "Holy One of God," undoubtedly recognizing as God's son. Therefore, simply believing Jesus is the Son of God cannot be enough to constitute calling someone a Christian either.
So if "accepting Jesus" means believing what the Bible says about Jesus is true, then we would put ourselves in some pretty lousy company since even the demons know and believe that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. This leaves us with one of two conclusions. Either our understanding of what it means to be a Christian has been perverted or anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, along with the demons, is in a right relationship with God and good to go.
I would argue for the former.
The purpose of this whole discussion is to reveal that the requirements to be a Christian have been watered down and oversimplified to coincide with today's culture of comfort, ease, and simplicity. Believing that what the Bible says about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is true is simply not enough! God's word is not an end in itself, our reading of it and believing its truthfulness must be met with a change of heart. Our lives must be changed if we are to call ourselves Christians. Remember what James said earlier, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17). The faith we say we have MUST be followed by action, otherwise it is completely useless.
Knowing God is so much more and so much better than just knowing things about him. Knowing God means having a personal relationship with him. It means that our lives are completely changed upon believing in him and the sacrifice his son Jesus made on the cross. The decisions we make are influenced by our desire to reciprocate love towards a God who so perfectly loved us first. This results in a new found ability and desire to resist sinful habits, spend quality time with God in prayer, study His will in the Bible, and live out his will in our lives. These are the ways that we know God, these are the ways that we engage with him in a real relationship!
On a final note of clarity, please understand that the purpose of this post is not to scare anyone. It is not my intention to make every single Christian who reads this post begin questioning their salvation. My intention is to unveil the oversimplified, watered down Christianity that is taught by so many today for what it is, a sham. If you have been taught these things, then I hope you will open the Bible for yourself, read it, and see how rich, beautiful, and deep is the love that God has for us! A love that, when fully revealed to us, can result in nothing but a genuine, repenting, loving, enduring relationship in return.
I have to give some props to A.W. Tozer and his book, The Pursuit of God, which inspired this post.
I highly recommend it.
If you have any questions or comments please post or send me a message.
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