The Bible says this is possible—in fact it is your destiny to know God and experience life with him.

He loves you and wants you to experience abundant life!

God’s Love | John 3:16
“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

God’s Plan | John 17:3
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

What prevents us from knowing God personally?

We cannot know him personally or experience his plan for our lives, because we’re separated from him.

Man is Sinful | Romans 3:23
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

People were created to have a close personal connection to God.  But because of our own stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way and our relationship with God was broken. This self-will—when we actively go against God, or just passively don’t care about him—is what the Bible calls sin.

People are Separated | Romans 6:23
“The wages of sin is death [spiritual separation from God].”

God is holy and people are sinful, and so we’re separated from him. The arrows in this picture represent how people are continually trying to reach God and reestablish that personal relationship with Him.  We try to please God through our own efforts:  such as a good life, caring for our family, being generous or religious – but even though those are good things to do, God’s standard is perfection!  And none of us is perfect!