We will never know God as long as we remain a stranger to the Stranger of Galilee. He was God in disguise. As H. A. Ironside brings out ,the Shunnamite in Song of Solomon found, her shepherd lover was, in reality, her King in disguise. Christ’s greatest claim while on earth was that He and God were one. Therefore, it is a wise thing to hold claim to His claim. There is no halfway house on this issue.
Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship. Jesus was so intimate with His Father that He called Him “Abba” (Papa). And we are told that we also can have such a relationship (Gal.4:6). This is authentic Christianity. When you spend time with Jesus, you become intensely aware of God. As one writer says, “Jesus is an unclouded window into God.”
Jesus’ credential was Himself, and those who knew Him were convinced of His right to Lordship in their lives. His early followers had no doubt of this Carpenter’s claim upon themselves and all they possessed. “…neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own.” It goes on to say that such people had “…great power,” and “great grace.”
For those who want to paddle their own canoe, I would warn that ultimately you’ll find yourselves “up a creek without a paddle!” (rds)
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