The Christian faith is first of all a personal ministering to the Lord Jesus, Himself. Our heartfelt attachment to and love for Jesus is the most valuable aspect of our relationship to Him. Love for God includes (a) a personal attachment of allegiance and loyalty to Him; (b) faith as a firm, unswerving adherence to the One to whom we are united by a Father-child relationship; (c) faithfulness to our commitment to Him; (d) heartfelt devotion, expressed in our dedication to His righteous standards amid God-rejecting world, and (e) a desire for His presence and fellowship like that of a lovesick bride longing for the companionship of her groom.
Love, if it is to be Christian, must be based on Biblical revelation and knowledge. In the NT “knowledge” (Gkepignösis), is not merely head knowledge, but is a spiritual knowing in the heart. It refers to God’s revelation as experientially known and involves a personal relationship with God rather than intellectually knowing facts about God. We must not work independent of God, but in union with Him. The only way to work in union with God is to allow the Spirit of Christ—the Holy Spirit—who lives inside us to control our lives. Hence we should operate from “inside out.” Adoring contemplation of God provides the ideal forum for this all-important personal intimacy with God.
God created mankind in His own image, so that, He could have with us a loving, personal relationship for all eternity. After the Fall, He redeemed us with the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we would enjoy Him, glorify Him and live before Him in righteousness and holiness. The culmination of God’s purpose in creation is recorded in the book of Revelation, where John describes the end of history with these words: “He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God,” (Rev 21:3).
God’s ultimate goal for us is to make us like Christ. We are progressively changed into the likeness or image of what we behold, look at and think about. Holiness is not something achieved, but something that is received. When we gaze, God invades. For the NT Christian the most important thing about the Holy Spirit is that He is “Holy.” His holy character in the lives of believers, is what matters most. In like manner, the fear of the Lord is both a choice and a gift of God imparted by His Spirit. The fear of the Lord is a choice in that it involves the decision of our will to respond to the gracious invitation of God’s Word and Spirit.
• Email: [email protected]: Yetunde Mercy Olumide
