Throughout scripture, you see 4 spiritual laws (or foundational truths) that outline God’s plan for mankind. “What are these four spiritual laws?” you might ask.
LAW #1: GOD LOVES YOU AND HAS A PLAN FOR YOU
God loves you and created you to know Him personally. He has a wonderful plan for your life.
God’s Love
John 3:16 | God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
God’s Plan
John 17:3 | “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
John 10:10 [Christ speaking] | “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” [that it might be full and meaningful].
If that is true, what prevents us from knowing God personally? And, why is it that most people are not experiencing this abundant life?
LAW #2: ALL HAVE SINNED
God is holy and people are sinful. A great chasm separates the two. The arrows illustrate that we are continually trying to reach God and establish a personal relationship with Him through our own efforts, such as a good life, religion or philosophy, but we inevitably fail.
All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
People Are Sinful
Romans 3:23 | All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
People were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
People are Separated From God
Romans 6:23 | “The wages of sin is death” [spiritual separation from God].
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 | “…(Those) who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus…will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord…”
People were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
LAW #3: JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY
God has bridged the chasm that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience His love and plan.
He Died in Our Place
Romans 5:8 | God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
He Rose From the Dead
1 Corinthians 15:3-6 | “Christ died for our sins… He was buried… He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures… He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred…”
He Is the Only Way to God
John 14:6 | Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’
It is not enough just to know these three principles… We must do something about it.
LAW #4: WE MUST RECEIVE CHRIST
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love and plan.
We Must Receive Christ
John 1:12 | “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”
We Receive Jesus Christ Through Faith
Ephesians 2:8-9 | “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”
When We Receive Jesus Christ, We Experience a New Birth
Everything is new. Our sins are taken away. We have a relationship with God now that will go on forever.
Read John 3:1-8.
We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
We don’t receive it by going to church a lot or by doing good deeds. We don’t have a relationship with God because we grew up in a Christian household. We each have to make a personal decision.
Revelation 3:20 | [Christ speaking] “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins in not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
These two circles represent two kinds of lives.
SELF-DIRECTED LIFE. You are in control and Jesus has no influence in your life. People like this have never received Jesus into their lives. They remain guilty and cut off from God by their sin.
CHRIST-DIRECTED LIFE.
Jesus is in control and you are following him as Lord. People like this have received Jesus into their life. They have been forgiven and experience God’s love.
You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer
God knows your heart and is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
Does This Prayer Express the Desire of Your Heart?
If it does, pray it as a prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.
Did You Receive Christ Into Your Life?
According to His promise as recorded in Revelation 3:20, where is Christ right now in relation to you? Christ said that He would come into your life and be your Savior and friend so you can know Him personally. Would He mislead you? On what authority do you know that God has answered your prayer? (The trust worthiness of God Himself and His Word.)
The Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive Christ
1 John 5:11-13 | “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). You can know on the basis of His promise that Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life from the very moment you invite Him in.
Do Not Depend on Feelings
The promise of God’s Word, the Bible–not our feelings–is our authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the character of God Himself and His Word. This train diagram illustrates the relationship among FACT (God and His Word), FAITH (our trust in God and His Word), and FEELING (the result of our faith and obedience) (John 14:21).
The train will run with or without the caboose. However, it would be useless to attempt to pull the train by the caboose. In the same way, we as Christians do not depend on feelings or emotions, but we place our faith (trust) in the character of God and the promises of His Word.
Now That You Have Entered Into a Personal Relationship With Christ
The moment you received Christ by faith, as an act of your will, many things happened, including the following:
• Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
• Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
• You became a child of God (John 1:12).
• You received eternal life (John 5:24).
• You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? By thanking God, you demonstrate your faith.
Suggestions For Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. “…The righteous will live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
G – Go to God in prayer daily. (John 15:7)
R – Read God’s Word daily. Start with the Gospel of John. (Acts 17:11)
O – Obey God moment by moment. (John 14:21)
W – Witness for Christ by your life and words. (Matthew 4:19; John 15:8)
T – Trust God for every detail of your life. (1 Peter 5:7)
H – Holy Spirit–Allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness. (Galatians 5:16,17; Acts 1:8)
Remember…
Your walk with Christ depends on what you allow Him to do in and through you empowered by the Holy Spirit, not what you do for Him through self effort.
– The Four Spiritual Laws is a resource created by Campus Crusade for Christ and written by Bill Bright.