God is spirit, and because he is spirit, he is invisible. God is love, and because he is love, he wants to have a relationship with his creatures. In an ideal world it might not be difficult to make these two statements go together. Unfallen, perfect creatures in the physical realm might have no real problem having a relationship with beings whom they cannot see with their eyes. But we are not unfallen, perfect creatures. We humans are sinful and broken. We have lost the capacity that we once had to relate well with any being in the spiritual realm, and especially to our Creator, the Most High God. God’s invisibility now forms an obstacle that we must overcome in order to foster a deep, intimate relationship with him.

In this series, A.W. Holt discusses how to have a relationship with the God whom we cannot see. Using a phrase that struck him early on in his preaching ministry – “To know God is to love God is to obey God” – we are guided through the process of developing and maintaining a relationship with our Creator. A relationship with God is fundamentally about knowing him, loving him, and obeying him. These three verbs are interrelated. There is no knowledge of God without love for God, and there is no love for God apart from obedience. Though we cannot see God today, we can know him, love him, and obey him, and that is all that we need in order to have a rich, familial relationship with him.

The writings below are listed in the order in which they should be read. Take your time as you process through the writings. They are not intended to be skimmed or read quickly. Prayerfully consider what you read, thinking of ways in which you can apply these ideas in your own life. Your relationship with God is the most important relationship in your life. Use these writings as a resource to invest in it.


Writings

The Problem of God’s Invisibility

Is the idea of having a relationship with God unique to evangelicals? I don’t hear people from other traditions talk about this very much, but it is ubiquitous in mine. The language was first introduced to me in college, though the principles were part of my upbringing. Having a relationship with God means participating in […]

Know God

The God of Christianity is a relational God. He is not like other gods, for even within himself there is relationship – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit eternally turned toward one another in a dance of self-giving love. This love is fundamental to God’s nature for he is Three-in-One. God, as the apostle John (who […]

Love God

The man who is in his right mind, upon acquiring a certain knowledge of God, will immediately come to love God. “To know God,” as the saying goes, “is to love God.” The goodness of God is so obvious to the person who knows him that love for God inexorably flows from knowledge of him. […]

Obey God

To know God is to love God is to obey God. Obedience deepens your knowledge, knowledge elevates your love, and love refines your obedience. And so the cycle continues. Your relationship with God is dynamic, like a flourishing tree beside a quiet stream, both reaching ever-downward into the depths of the earth and rising ever-upward […]