Abstract submitted for the program for the XXXVIII World Religions Conference (2018)
This "abstract" was submitted for inclusion in the program for the World Religions Conference. As mentioned in my introductory comments, this was based upon an earlier version of the presentation, which was not the one I ultimately delivered.
ABSTRACT: CHRISTIANITY
Michael H. Clifton
In Christianity, the experience of God is embedded in the experience of exercising our faith in following Jesus Christ. Through Christ we come to commune with God in a way that is not otherwise available, because Christ doesn’t merely teach us how to find God, but presents God himself to us, and mediates the relationship by purifying and sanctifying us to eliminate all those aspects of our characters, wills, and natures, that inhibit and prevent true and meaningful divine communion. Further, communion with God through Christ is not intended solely to satisfy curiousity or to make us feel good, but is intended to endow us with transforming power, that enables us not merely to be religious, but to be reformed in our natures and personalities, to become more like him by whose will we were made.
Of course, the truth is that most of us don’t have such lofty goals and ambitions. We do just want to feel good here. We can have a vague desire for an afterlife of peace and communion with God, but, by and large, in the here and now, we find that life can be hard, we can be weak, and we feel the need for protection and for comfort. Thankfully, God is kind and graceful, and Jesus is the embodiment of his compassion; so, notwithstanding the ultimate aim of Christian life, God will address our need for comfort here as well, which he also does through the mediating grace of Jesus Christ.
The ways in which this grace is experienced in our lives are as varied as human beings are individuals. God may not manifest himself identically in every life. So, every Christian’s experience of God, though based upon a similar path and set of instructions, might not be exactly the same as every other one’s. Therefore, having been asked to speak of the Christian experience of God, I can ultimately only tell you in detail about one Christian’s experience.
It is also a principle of Christian faith that God’s influence and love, in its most general sense, are not reserved solely to those who seek him through Jesus Christ. Any sincere effort, including a non-Christian one, to develop a relationship with God will be rewarded, will bring gifts of peace, guidance, inspiration and comfort; but I am only asked to speak about the Christian experience, and I do believe it is set apart from the rest.
While there are blessings available to all who seek God’s face, Christians are taught, and I believe, that there is a kind of peace that surpasses ordinary human understanding or expectations that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, who gave himself a sacrifice for our sins and bore in his own flesh the stripes of our transgressions. He is the purest embodiment and expression of God’s deepest love and good will toward us, and when we willingly receive the gifts of grace that he offers, our hearts and minds become less burdened and more profoundly open to his nature, influence and transforming power, such that as we take his yoke upon us, we become more like him and are made more free.
Therefore, the invitation to experience God by following Jesus Christ is not solely an invitation to get to know God a little better, but to embrace and enjoy a rich and deep relationship with him that results in a new becoming that is liberating, redeeming, sanctifying and fulfilling. God is love, and his love is most perfectly expressed, and most purely experienced, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Michael H. Clifton
In Christianity, the experience of God is embedded in the experience of exercising our faith in following Jesus Christ. Through Christ we come to commune with God in a way that is not otherwise available, because Christ doesn’t merely teach us how to find God, but presents God himself to us, and mediates the relationship by purifying and sanctifying us to eliminate all those aspects of our characters, wills, and natures, that inhibit and prevent true and meaningful divine communion. Further, communion with God through Christ is not intended solely to satisfy curiousity or to make us feel good, but is intended to endow us with transforming power, that enables us not merely to be religious, but to be reformed in our natures and personalities, to become more like him by whose will we were made.
Of course, the truth is that most of us don’t have such lofty goals and ambitions. We do just want to feel good here. We can have a vague desire for an afterlife of peace and communion with God, but, by and large, in the here and now, we find that life can be hard, we can be weak, and we feel the need for protection and for comfort. Thankfully, God is kind and graceful, and Jesus is the embodiment of his compassion; so, notwithstanding the ultimate aim of Christian life, God will address our need for comfort here as well, which he also does through the mediating grace of Jesus Christ.
The ways in which this grace is experienced in our lives are as varied as human beings are individuals. God may not manifest himself identically in every life. So, every Christian’s experience of God, though based upon a similar path and set of instructions, might not be exactly the same as every other one’s. Therefore, having been asked to speak of the Christian experience of God, I can ultimately only tell you in detail about one Christian’s experience.
It is also a principle of Christian faith that God’s influence and love, in its most general sense, are not reserved solely to those who seek him through Jesus Christ. Any sincere effort, including a non-Christian one, to develop a relationship with God will be rewarded, will bring gifts of peace, guidance, inspiration and comfort; but I am only asked to speak about the Christian experience, and I do believe it is set apart from the rest.
While there are blessings available to all who seek God’s face, Christians are taught, and I believe, that there is a kind of peace that surpasses ordinary human understanding or expectations that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, who gave himself a sacrifice for our sins and bore in his own flesh the stripes of our transgressions. He is the purest embodiment and expression of God’s deepest love and good will toward us, and when we willingly receive the gifts of grace that he offers, our hearts and minds become less burdened and more profoundly open to his nature, influence and transforming power, such that as we take his yoke upon us, we become more like him and are made more free.
Therefore, the invitation to experience God by following Jesus Christ is not solely an invitation to get to know God a little better, but to embrace and enjoy a rich and deep relationship with him that results in a new becoming that is liberating, redeeming, sanctifying and fulfilling. God is love, and his love is most perfectly expressed, and most purely experienced, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.