God is holy. Man is sinful. There is a deep rift in between. Man tries to overcome this rift by his own attempts: by living a good life, philosophy, religion, humanity or charity. Yet, all this efforts are in vain. They are no solution to the root of the division, the sin.
Jesus Christ is Gods way to get people out of their sin. Only through him, man can find back to a personal relationship to God!
Jesus says: I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14,6)
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1. Peter 3,18)
What shall we do to get in relationship with God?
It is not enough to believe, that the message of the bible is true. A deliberate Yes to the new relationship to God is necessary. The drawing below makes this clear:
My life is governed by
My SELF Jesus Christ
The man on the left commands his life by his own, even if he may call himself a Christian. Christ is at the surface of his life or even on the outside. The points stay for areas of life as friendship, work, leisure time or money, which are controlled by his SELF. Everything is centred in his EGO. Ultimately, it follows disappointment, dissatisfaction, emptiness.
The man on the right is governed by Jesus. He did welcome confidently Gods forgiveness. He did put all areas of his life under the control of Jesus. The result is a communion with God, which makes his life more and more meaningful.
This move is very well comparable to the YES in a wedding. The crucial point is the communion with God trough Jesus:
John 15,1-9
I am the true vine, and my Father is
the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be
even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have
spoken to you. Remain in me, and
I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in
me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I
in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If
anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away
and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and
burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever
you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory,
that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
As the
Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my
love.
Luzius Schneider 19. June 1999