Some Christians assert Christianity is more about our relationship with God than a belief system or a list of rules by which to live. [1] What exactly does a relationship with God involve?
A relationship with people involves communicating with them, experiencing things with them, or sharing common interests with them. How do we do these things with God?
We can’t see God.
We cannot actually do things with God.
We cannot have a conversation with God. We can talk to God but how does he talk to us? How do we know what we hear is God talking to us? For example, a man wrote a letter to Billy Graham asking for his advice. This individual had met a woman, fallen in love, felt that God had brought them together, and wanted to marry. The problem was they both were already married. Because they believed God brought them together, they were inclined to divorce their spouses and marry. [2] While this couple displays an ignorance of what the Bible teaches about marriage, this incident also shows how Christians can take their experiences in life and their own decision making process and attribute it to God when God has nothing to do with it. We humans give credit to and blame God for much that is not of his doing.
So how do we have a relationship with God?
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[1] Donald Miller, Greatest Hits, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004, pp. 271ff.
[2] Billy Graham, “My Answer”, Tulsa Beacon, Vol. 4, No. 51, April 7, 2006, p. 5.
