Salvation Summaries

I believe many people view God as distant and uncaring. Yes, He exists and He created the world and Jesus died for our sins, etc., etc., but God doesn’t seem to care much about me, for He rarely, if ever, answers my prayers. And, He never reveals Himself to me either, at least in ways I can understand. So what am I to make of this?

I can relate to how you might feel. I’ve certainly had periods in my life where God seemed absent even when I cried out to Him, and it left me with this question, “Why have you made it so difficult for us to know You?”

But on the other hand, I have experienced God in my life. He has answered a number of my prayers, often immediately. This proves that He does care, for why would the all powerful creator of the universe answer the prayer of one little sinner, in one little city, and in one little state, and on one little planet, if He didn’t hear my prayer and care for me? And if He cares for me, He certainly cares for you, for we are the same – created in His image, and prone to sin.

So, if God cares for you and me, what does He want from us?

If you look in the Old Testament, there were a number of things God wanted from Israel, and I believe most of these still apply to us today. He wanted them to obey His 10 commandments. He wanted them to love and worship Him. He wanted them to treat others fairly, and to care for widows and orphans and the poor. You have probably heard of most of these.

But there two other things God wants from you that you may not have heard about, and once you know them, I believe your view of God will change.

1. God wants you to be saved.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

That’s right. God wants you to be saved. He does not want you to stay in your present condition of having unforgiven sins and living apart from Him. And because of this, He has made it easy to become saved. He’s given you His word that talks about salvation. He’s given you pastors, ministers and priests. He’s given you Christian radio, TV programs and books. And He’s given you other Christians who are willing to share the gospel with you. You could say that God has gone out of His way to help you become saved and not go to hell, for He doesn’t want anyone to go there.

2. God wants you to know Him.

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me, more than I want burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 (NLT).

God not only wants you to be saved, He needs you to be saved so that He can have a relationship with you. God already knows you, but you don’t know Him (if you are a Christian you know Him technically but likely not experientially as this often comes later). The God of this universe wants you to know Him. We read about this in both the Old Testament and New. Paul longed to know Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8-11, 1 Corinthians 2:1-2) and prayed for Christians to know God and understand/do His will (Ephesians 1:17, Philippian 1:9-10).

So, how does one know God? Good question. I’m not in the best position to answer it, for my relationship with God is weak (but growing). In my experience, it’s not the tools that we have at our disposal (Bibles we can read, churches we can attend, Christian radio programs we can listen to, prayer), rather, it’s a matter of earnestly wanting and seeking it, and then striving to grow spiritually (using the tools). Jeremiah 29:13 was written to the people of Israel but I believe it applies to us today, and it says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Have you sought God with all of your heart, and claimed the promise from Him that if you do so, you will find Him? I believe it is not until a person begins to experience God that salvation becomes real to them, that God becomes a source of joy, and that seeking and getting to know Him becomes one of the most important things in that person’s life. Christians who never seek God and never experience Him are at risk of doubting their salvation and becoming disappointed with the Christian life. Don’t allow that to happen to you!

Summary

God may seem distant and uncaring to a number of people because their prayers are rarely, if ever, answered and He does not reveal Himself to them. But that has more to do with us than Him.

God wants everyone to become saved and to know Him, but many choose not to be saved, or they become saved but don’t realize that He wants them to know Him (so they don’t actively seek Him). Paul earnestly sought to know Jesus and prayed that other believers would know God and do His will. We can know God, but it takes time, effort, and probably most importantly, a strong desire on our part. The Bible promises us that if we earnestly seek God we will find Him. Make that a top priority in your life, and then see what happens.