Is It Possible to Know God?

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Is it possible to know God?

Well, who...or what...is "God?"

The Ultimate Reality of Hinduism or Buddhism is infinite ... but not personal. And the gods of the Greeks and Romans were personal ... but not infinite.

But the Bible describes God as both infinite and personal!

When we say God is infinite, we mean, for example, that God is eternal - he never began to exist and he'll never cease to exist. He transcends time and space, bringing time and space into being at the moment of creation. He is not physical or material; rather, he's an infinite, uncreated Mind with unlimited power.

But while God is infinite, he's also personal. He has mind, emotions, will, and moral agency - all the qualities essential to personhood - and he has them to an infinite degree. For example, he is all-knowing - he knows all facts and truths. He's also morally perfect - so not only is he without any trace of evil, but He himself is the source and standard of moral goodness.

What connection could there possibly be between this infinite, personal God ... and you?

Here are 4 truths to consider...

1. God loves you and created you to know him personally.

It's God's nature to love infinitely and unconditionally. Since love desires the highest good of its object, God desires your highest good. But God is your highest good! So he wants you to have a personal relationship with him! In fact, this is why you exist!

But there's a problem...

2. Man is sinful and separated from God.

The Bible describes our predicament like this:

"Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused." (Romans 1:20-21 NLT)

We've all done things we know are wrong. It's not just that we FEEL guilty, we actually ARE guilty!

But since God is morally perfect, sinful beings cannot draw near to him.

Thus, God is faced with a dilemma.

Because he is JUST, the demands of his justice must be satisfied - in our case, that means death. But because he is LOVE, he has compassion on us. He wants each of us to be reconciled with him.

3. God's solution is Jesus Christ.

In the greatest invasion of all time, God entered human history.

Though he was God, Jesus Christ was like us in every way except he was without sin. He lived a perfect life - which means he didn't have to pay a penalty for his own sin! Nevertheless, he voluntarily chose to die in our place, to pay the death penalty we deserve for the sins we've committed.

What happened on the cross was the greatest transaction in history. My sin was placed on Christ - he suffered the death penalty in my place. In return, Christ's righteousness - his moral perfection - was placed on us.

Then, when Jesus rose from the dead, he broke the power of sin, death, and hell, once and for all.

God has moved heaven and earth to restore your relationship with him. Now it's your turn...

4. We must personally receive Christ as our Savior and Lord.

There's a difference between "believing THAT" and "believing IN." It's not enough to believe THAT these facts are true, you must take the next step and "believe IN" Jesus Christ. This means committing your life to him as your Savior and Lord.

[SAVIOR] We can't be good enough to earn God's pardon. All we can do is humbly agree with God that, yes, we are sinful and cannot save ourselves, and gratefully receive the gift of God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

[LORD] God wants to transform your life, to make you into the kind of person you were meant to be. This involves following Jesus as your Lord.

It is possible to know God as a personal reality in your life! Why let anything stand in the way? Right now, he is ready and willing to give you the gift of forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. Are you willing to receive it?

God, please forgive me for all the things I've done wrong. I turn away from my sin and I turn to you, my only hope. I invite you into my life as my Lord and my Savior. I am yours.
Fill me with your Spirit and empower me to live a new life in Jesus Christ.

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We welcome your comments in the Reasonable Faith forums:

[loveyourneighborandenemy]

William Lane Craig and the RF team thank you once again for quality content.

[DarkSorcerer]

As a young (yes I am 15) Philosophy and Theology Enthusiast, currently studying the Bible, I appreciate what William is doing. This video is great, keep it up

[spectre]

Excellent video. Very well made animation and a very welcoming way of bringing people to the knowledge of God and Our Lord Jesus Christ.

[williamellencuartel]

The end of all apologetics - the proclamation of the gospel. Thank you for this videos Dr. Craig.

[Miscomprehended]

I LOVE these videos. They're short, easy to follow, accurate, and powerful! Thank you for continuing to bless us with these.

[jayb]

This video gave me goosebumps! So beautifully made! Thank you! 💖

[shawnchristophermalig]

Love this so much! I felt the prayer in the end.

[lyglo_apologetics]

If you are involved in religious debate/discussion groups, don't forget to recommend this video to those people you are engaging with. Very often, we are so involved in defending our faith and we forget to share the Gospel to them. This video is one of the best ways to do it.

[TestifyApologetics]

I like that Dr. Craig has narrated this one himself.

[DavidRhyne]

A fantastic overview of the gospel. Thank you, Dr. Craig.

[JohnToridas]

great video, God Bless All of You !!!

[escalonajes]

Espero con ansias este video en español! es absolutamente brillante!

[amyelaine]

Thank you so much for this video. The visuals and verbal clarity are amazing. I would like to show this to my junior high Biblical Worldview class but the section about Greeks and Romans has too much "skin" for young eyes. I do not want them to be distracted from the truth that the video contains by their immaturity. Is it possible to make a student playlist? Thank you so much for your ministry!

[mariosingh]

This is the best explanation of the gospel I have seen on the Internet. Thank you Dr Craig! 🙏🏼🤗

[sjeff]

This is a great resource, one of the best I've seen so far. Kudos to the creators of the video.

[TotalSalesMastery]

I love the new animations to the reasonable faith videos. I have spent hours watching Dr. Criag videos (when his hair was brown) and he has strengthened my faith with reason.

[prinstonstancy]

This is the best way to teach faith reasonably. We contemplate God with faith and reason.

[natnaeltefera]

God please you, your family and all people that work with you!

[lanebailey]

Thank you Dr. Craig, that was really good 👍🏻

[penglim]

Yes, a definite yes. GOD wants us to know HIM. I cried to HIM (of course in my desperation), He came. I wish I had seeked HIM as I would seek a friend in time of ease. GOD wants us to know HIM.