What Does it Mean to Have a “Personal Relationship” with God through Christ
We hear the phrase all the time: a “personal relationship” with God and/or Jesus. Some valorize it, others critique and mock it. But few can explain what it means. The phrase itself, though not biblical, points to the reality of a connection with God that can only be called “personal.” The issue for those who value this phrase is what “personal” means. For those who dismiss it, it is shibboleth of a theological/ideological posture they reject. I want to try to briefly reformulate what this phrase might mean in a way that both sides might find agreeable and might push them to a fuller experience and expression of the gospel in daily life. Let’s begin with the meaning of personal. In our culture we are taught from birth that we are individuals. It is not unfair to picture us as billiard balls. We see ourselves as complete and self-sufficient in and of ourselves. Relationships are external, like one billiard ...