Intimacy with God
Intimacy with God depends on our Knowledge of God Jeremiah 9:23–24 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
Therefore Jesus prayed: John 17:26 “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
To Know How Much We have been Forgiven—>feeling Grateful: Luke 7:47–48 NLT “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Must we become greater sinners?)
To know His love: Isaiah 43:1–2,4 …“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be…Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you…
To Know that He Suffers as We Suffer: Isaiah 63:8-9 And he became their Savior. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. (Jesus wept?)
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Knolwdge of God-->Intimacy with God: 2 Peter 1:2–3 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
Knowledge of our Unworthiness-->Appreciation for Christ-->Intimacy
Baptist To grow less in our self-estimation is to esteem Jesus More: John 3:27–30 …“A person cannot receive even one [good?] thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Addiction to high SE; Anita)
1 Timothy 1:13–16 I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (If you are haunted by past sins, what’s the lesson?)
Does Jesus want to build our SE? Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” (gratefulness? What if we thought ourselves worthy of God?)
Matthew 8:8–10 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
1 Corinthians 1:29–31 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, [Everything?] so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (Why? Boast in ourselves? Paul boasted that he was a nothing. SE-V Anita)
Numbers 12:3, 5–13 "Now the man Moses was very humble [No Self-confidence of worthiness] more than any other person on earth…And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed. When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” And Moses cried to the LORD, “O God, please heal her—please.”
Can We Lose Our Salvation? Are we safe in Him?
Dan Delzell has written against the Catholic denial that we can have assurance that we that we are eternally saved. In contrast he cites Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621): "The greatest of all Protestant heresies is assurance." (eastern Orthodox)
As another ex-Catholic put it: "Learning about mortal sin in Catholic middle school religion class was the first step on my journey to atheism. I remember thinking: 'I could live my entire life as a devout Catholic, only to commit a mortal sin, get hit by a bus, and go to Hell.' I concluded that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the sacerdotal treadmill of mortal sin and confession; I would end up condemned anyway. The only hope, it seemed, was that God did not exist." (Assurance?) https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/other/apostle-peter-vs-modern-catholicism-whose-view-on-assurance-is-right/ar-AA22zVsw
However, Scripture provides an alternative hope: Romans 8:38–39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (This also includes us.)
John 10:28-29 "I [Jesus] give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."
John 3:16–17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
1 Peter 1:4–5 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jeremiah 32:40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
John 6:39-40 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
But are we saved? Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” (Why then does He save us?)
Romans 10:12–13 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
But do I have enough faith? Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. (Can Jesus multiply our mustard seed? Context?)
John 3:14–16 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
How blessed we are that we can trust in our Savior and in His gift of salvation: Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Do we deserve salvation? Why then does He save us?)
If we refuse to trust in Christ and instead trust in our own goodness, we will either become proud or depressed as we observe the truth about our moral poverty.
Those who turn away from the faith: 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
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