Before Jesus, there was a mediator to meet with God. You could not go to God on your own even to make a sacrifice, but had to go to a priest to stood the gap. If you were not Jewish or a woman you could only go so far into the temple. If you were clean, you could go a little further. If you were a priest but not the high priest, you could not go into the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was where God’s presence was, and the high priest could go in once a year.
I am not Jewish and certainly not a high priest. Had I been alive in this time, the presence of God would only be something that I heard about but not experienced.
Many of us know about what we were saved from. Because of Jesus, we are forgiven for our sin, saved from it’s power, and saved from an eternity in hell. That is amazing and if that was all there was, God is worthy of praise, worship, and my life. We were not just saved from but saved to.
Philippians 3:8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.
Paul grew up in religion knowing about God, but then he experienced Christ. That experience changed everything. I meet christians who know a form of religion but do not know Christ. They just know about him. They go to church, they read their bible, but they know God as much as they know the president… from a distance and what others have said.
My life changed when I left religion and began to know God for myself. Jesus made a way for me to not need the priest to get close to God. His sacrifice made me clean enough to experience the Holy of Holies in my living room in the morning, in my truck on the way to work, and when I get stressed out in a meeting. I know God and I know there is more about Him to know. Bridging that gap will be my greatest adventure. By His presence I find hope, joy, and real love!
So do you know God or just about Him? Do you know religion or Christ? If you do not know Him… I have GREAT NEWS! You do not have to clean yourself up, but can right now go to Him in prayer and ask Him to speak to you. He wants you to know Him more than you will ever want to know Him! Right now go spend time with God because Jesus paid the way for you to know Him!
Helping people live a better story
Brandon Sereg
