Topical Bible: God: Access To

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Access to God is a central theme in Christian theology, reflecting the relationship between the Creator and His creation. The Bible presents a narrative of how humanity can approach and commune with God, emphasizing both the privilege and the responsibility that come with this access.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, access to God was mediated through specific individuals and rituals. The patriarchs, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had direct encounters with God, often through visions or angelic messengers (Genesis 18:1-33, 28:12-15). The Mosaic Law established a more structured approach to God, primarily through the tabernacle and later the temple. The high priest, representing the people, could enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:2-34).

The Psalms frequently express a longing for God's presence and the joy of being in His courts. Psalm 100:4 invites worshipers to "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name." This reflects the communal and worshipful aspect of approaching God.

New Testament Fulfillment

The New Testament reveals the fulfillment of access to God through Jesus Christ. The incarnation of Christ signifies God coming near to humanity, breaking down barriers of separation. Jesus declared Himself the way to the Father, stating in John 14:6 , "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

The crucifixion of Jesus is pivotal in understanding access to God. At the moment of His death, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing the removal of the barrier between God and humanity. Hebrews 10:19-20 explains, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body."

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in granting believers access to God. Through the Spirit, Christians are able to approach God with confidence and intimacy. Romans 8:15 states, "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, 'Abba, Father!'"

The Spirit intercedes for believers, helping them in their weakness and aligning their prayers with God's will (Romans 8:26-27). This ongoing relationship is marked by the Spirit's presence within believers, making their bodies temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Prayer and Worship

Prayer is a primary means of accessing God, allowing believers to communicate with Him directly. Jesus taught His disciples to pray with the assurance that God hears and responds (Matthew 6:9-13). Hebrews 4:16 encourages believers to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Worship, both individual and corporate, is another avenue through which believers access God. It is an expression of reverence, adoration, and submission to God's sovereignty. John 4:24 emphasizes that true worshipers "will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him."

Conclusion

Access to God is a profound gift made possible through Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is characterized by a personal relationship with God, marked by prayer, worship, and the assurance of His presence. This access is both a privilege and a call to live in accordance with God's will, reflecting His holiness and love in the world.

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Deuteronomy 4:7
For what nation is there so great, who has God so near to them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call on him for?
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Psalm 24:3,4
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
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Psalm 27:4
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
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Psalm 43:2
For you are the God of my strength: why do you cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
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Psalm 65:4
Blessed is the man whom you choose, and cause to approach to you, that he may dwell in your courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, even of your holy temple.
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Psalm 145:18,19
The LORD is near to all them that call on him, to all that call on him in truth.
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Isaiah 55:3
Incline your ear, and come to me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
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Matthew 6:6
But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.
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John 10:7,9
Then said Jesus to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
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John 14:6
Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.
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Acts 14:27
And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
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Romans 5:2
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
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Ephesians 2:13,18
But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.
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Ephesians 3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
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Colossians 1:21,22
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled
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Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
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Hebrews 7:19,25
For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw near to God.
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Hebrews 10:19,22
Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
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Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
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James 4:8
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.
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1 Peter 1:17
And if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judges according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
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1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
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1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.
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Greek

4318. prosagoge -- a bringing to
... the prefix ). All three occasions of 4318 ("interactive access") refer
to "having audience ( access) with God" (JB Lightfoot, ). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4318.htm - 7k

Library

The Sources of Hope
... is sketching a grand outline of the ideal Christian life, as all rooted in 'being
justified by faith,' and flowering into 'peace with God,' 'access into grace ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/the sources of hope.htm

Access into Grace
... How can God give access into that grace to a man who shrinks from being near Him;
who does not want 'access,' and who could not use the grace if he had it? ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/access into grace.htm

What God Will do for Us
... In these great words we may see set forth both the instinct, as I may call
it, of prayer, and the privilege of access to God. If ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/what god will do for.htm

Moreover Since He Himself is the Only Way and the Only Access by ...
... Moreover since he himself is the only way and the only access by which we can draw
near to God, those who deviate from this way, and decline this access, have ...
/.../of prayer--a perpetual exercise of faith/chapter 19 moreover since he.htm

My God Will Hear Me
... and insignificant though I be, filling but a very little place, so that I will scarce
be missed when I go"even I have access to this Infinite God, with the ...
/.../murray/the ministry of intercession/chapter xii my god will.htm

The Way of Access.
... 8,6,8,6. The way of access. One glance of thine, eternal LORD,. ... How vile and black
must I appear,. Most holy GOD, to thee. But since my Savior stands between,. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 41 the way of.htm

The Intercourse of God and his Friend
... in general terms, the righteous are shields and sources of blessing to the unholy,
it is still more distinctly true that they have access to God's secret place ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the intercourse of god and.htm

The Way to God
... If, then, a sinful creature could obtain access to God, if a rebellious creature
could come into the immediate presence of the Most High, the effect must be ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the way to god.htm

"But it is Good for Me to Draw Near to God: I have Put My Trust in ...
... This is the first motion of the soul in drawing near to God, for, as there is no
remission without blood, so no access to God without a mediator. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon v but it is.htm

Fellowship with God
... our Lord, they are "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the
saints and of the household of God," and they have access with boldness into ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/fellowship with god.htm