Know God | The Readable Bible

How to Know God

In the beginning, people were in a close relationship
with God, their Creator.

So God created humankind in his own image. In the image of
God he created them. And he created them male and female.
Genesis 1:27

They would remain close to God as long
as they obeyed him.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “Eat freely from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17

But they disobeyed him, and sin was born
in the human heart.

When she saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and a delight to the eyes, and also desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together to make themselves loincloths. Genesis 3:6-7

Sin (wrongdoing) separates us from God and brings DEATH.

For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23a

From then on, everyone was born with a sin nature.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,
and death entered the world through sin,

so death came to all people, because all sinned. Romans 5:12

As it is written: “There is no one who is righteous, not
even one person. For all have sinned and all fall short of the
glory of God." Romans 3:10, 23

So whoever knows the right thing to do and does not do it,

to that person it is sin. James 4:17

Except one person. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is sinless.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, for he has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet
he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15

God loves us so much, he sent Jesus to
rescue us from sin’s penalty.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

His death set us free from the law of sin and death and restored us to a right relationship with God.

For through Christ Jesus the law of the life-giving Spirit has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

God made Jesus, the one who had no sin, to be the sin offering for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18

For there is one God and one mediator between God and humankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. 1 Timothy 2:5-6

But like with any gift, we must receive it to possess it.

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. For with the heart one believes, leading to justification, and with the mouth one confesses, leading to salvation. Romans 10:9-10

What must I do to accept Jesus’ gift of forgiveness and eternal life?

Pray a prayer like this:

Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died to pay for my sins and who was raised from the dead. I trust him today as my Lord and Savior and ask your forgiveness for my sins in his name. Amen.

Welcome to God's kingdom!

What comes next?

In order to grow in your Christian life, here are some next steps:

Read the Bible to get to know God the Father and Jesus, God the Son.
Find a Bible-believing church where you can meet others who share your faith.
Get baptized to affirm your faith in him.
Continually repent of your sins to keep in close fellowship with the Lord. Christ has freed you from the death penalty of sin, but you still have the sin nature to battle while you remain on this earth. Believers in Christ receive God’s Holy Spirit as a guide to help them understand the Scriptures, serve him, and to keep away from sin.
Tell others the good news about Jesus and his offer of forgiveness and eternal life.