A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is central to the theology of the Church today. What does this actually mean and how can we foster this relationship? Like any relationship, your relationship with Christ requires effort to grow and strengthen. Your relationship with Christ begins the day you put your faith in Him and continues to grow throughout your life as you become more Christ-like through sanctification. Jesus has called us his friends (John 15:15) and all who have faith in Him are filled with the Holy Spirit in order that we may grow in our relationship.
Relationship in the New Covenant
The new covenant mankind has with God, through Jesus Christ, extends relationship to each of us. The old covenant priests entering the Most High Place to be in God’s presence as mediators on behalf of the people of Israel have been replaced by the one and only mediator and High Priest for every person who puts their faith in Him (1 Timothy 2:5). When you accept Jesus and put your faith in Him, you enter into this new covenant with God and begin the process of building your relationship through sanctification so that you may bear fruit for God’s kingdom. Like any relationship, the more we seek to grow closer to Jesus the more fruitful the relationship will be.
Building your Relationship
The keys to building your relationship with Christ are fervent prayer and daily reading of God’s Word. Prayer is an opportunity for conversation with Jesus when you can express your thankfulness, repentance, and need for intercession. Worship God through prayer and thank Him for the gift of grace given to you and the sacrifice Jesus made for the complete atonement of your sins. Talk to Jesus and be open to a response as the Holy Spirit moves in your life. When reading God’s Word, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and guide you. God’s Word is the ultimate source of truth we have on this earth (John 17:17). Read God’s Word through the lens of finding Christ in all of Scripture; the gift of salvation God gives us through the sacrifice of His son is the fulfillment of all the covenants and prophecies of the Old Testament. The old covenant required perfect adherence to rules that no human could ever perfectly fulfill such that constant sacrifices were required; the new covenant requires perfect adherence to rules that only Jesus could fulfill on our behalf and the one and only sacrifice of Himself to grant salvation for all who put their faith in Him. Jesus lived the perfect life that no human could ever live so that He may endure the punishment for all of our sins and that Christ may be a substitute for us. Pray to Him constantly and consume His Word daily to draw closer to a God who gave everything so that you may have the ability to enter into relationship and covenant with Him. In addition to prayer and reading the Bible, there are several sanctifying activities to aid in your walk with Christ including weekly church attendance, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, small groups/Bible studies, giving of yourself to others in need through love, listening to worship music, and reading faith-based books to deepen your understanding of the Bible and theology.
Obedience in the Relationship
An important aspect of your relationship with God is having the understanding that true faith yields obedience (Romans 1:5). We are justified by faith alone, but by a faith that is never alone. A faith centered on the fact that Jesus is the son of God who gave the ultimate sacrifice of Himself for the complete atonement of your sins and your salvation will lead to the bearing of fruit for the kingdom. The current stand against legalism has resulted in many churches having a swing of the pendulum to doctrines bordering on antinomianism. The secular definition of legalism is “excessive adherence to law or formula.” The theological definition of legalism is “the conviction that law-keeping is the ground of our acceptance with God.” Antinomianism literally means “against the law” and is defined as “the belief that there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey.” The teaching of antinomianism basically amounts to the statement that since I have faith in Jesus I can live however I want.
An understanding of justification and sanctification can encourage you to follow the Gospel and avoid either of these false gospels. Justification is an act of God’s free grace whereby He pronounces a sinner to be righteous because of that sinner’s faith in Christ (Romans 10:9). Sanctification is the process by which Christians are set apart from the rest of the world and become more Christ-like (2 Peter 3:18). We are justified the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and put our faith in Him and we are continually being sanctified as we grow closer to Him and grow in holiness through the work of the Holy Spirit. Legalism is the addition of anything to justification. We cannot add anything of our own merit to justification because only through Christ as our substitute can the righteousness required by God be imputed to us. Antinomianism is the deletion of sanctification. It is impossible to have true faith and not have sanctification; justification and sanctification are inseparable yet distinct. The Gospel is exactly in the middle of these two; our works are not saving us yet they are the fruit borne from faith. We can confidently say that we are saved by faith alone and not by own merit and works (Ephesians 2:8-9) and yet this faith without works is dead (James 2:17-18). As Christians we must strive to have a fruitful faith, not in an effort to be saved, but out of obedience to the one who has saved us.
As you continually build your relationship with God, continually seek to become more Christ-like through obedience so that you may have a fruitful relationship. No amount of obedience can make you any more or less saved or righteous before God, but this obedience will yield the fruits of your faith in Christ. Do not allow yourself to be misguided that works of your merit may contribute to your salvation by making an idol of your own religion, church, tradition, or theology outside of the plan God has for you; without a relationship with Jesus at the center, these works mean nothing (Matthew 7:21-23). Put all of your faith in Jesus Christ and build a relationship with Him through constant prayer and reading of Scripture to live out your life in obedience.
Unity at the Cross 