Intimacy with God: Whats the Beginning?

                Intimacy with God: What’s the beginning?
We have been reading on the love that transforms our life. This love speaks of a Savior, who was God in the form of man, who came to earth to die for our sins. This great privilege was not the result of us meeting any of the conditions of our believing faith. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Now that we have received reconciliation for our sins, can we go on living as we please?
He definitely loved us unconditionally but this love doesn’t confirm our admission into Heaven. By His unconditional love, we were predestined and chosen as heirs to the Heavenly kingdom but, if we wander away from Christ, we have lost the race. The crown of life is promised only to those who have been faithful unto death (Rev. 2:20). We can make an analogy here between the parable of the Good Samaritan (Christ) and the inn-keeper (us). The Good Samaritan bandaged the wounds of the beaten man but then he entrusts the inn keeper (us) to do all that is needful for the wounded man (soul) on the basis of just faith (that he will be paid back) when he returns. 

God understands the frailty of mankind. Although divine in nature, He sees our desires to seek him earnestly, to love him intimately, and to be redeemed (Rom 8:22). He paved a way for this redemption to be accomplished. So while his love is unconditional, his divine forgiveness is conditional. The condition that God requires from us is ‘repentance’ which leads us to salvation.  We must come humbly to his presence with heartfelt remorse, confess our sins, continue in prayer, and forgive others as needed. And Jesus commands us to obey him and remain in His love just like he did (John 15:1-14).
While God unconditionally loves sinners, he unconditionally hates sin. Daily faith and repentance should be the norm of every Christian. It encourages and empowers a Christian to put to death the willful sins of the flesh like disobedience, slander, lying, anger, and filthy language (Col 3:5-9) and put on compassion, kindness, humility, and love (Col 3:12- 17) as God’s chosen elect. If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9).
Like John C. Miller puts it, let us “pursue ongoing repentance as the child of a king, not as an
orphan”, so that our feet may rest on solid ground, grounded in faith and abounding in Christ’s love.

- Jency Daniel


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