Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ

[Alfie]

Jeanette L:

A “personal relationship with Jesus” means to Evangelicals, what Catholics would consider a “conversion” or “circumcision of the heart”, at least according to what I have read in Catholic devotional readings and such. It means that you have started a deeper spiritual relationship with Christ, not just a mental assent to who He is. This is also what Evangelicals consider a “born again experience”. And for most Catholics who leave the Church for Evangelical churches, the reason they do is that they have never had that deeper conversion of the heart experience while in Catholicism. Their first experience with that deeper conversion has come as a result of being told about it by someone other than their own Church. It is a complete shame, because they are then convinced that it was Catholicism’s fault that their conversion didn’t happen. And in a sense, I think really poor Catachesis and a lack of emphasis on conversions of the heart is greatly to blame for the huge exodus of Catholics to the Evangelical world.

I was watching The Journey Home a few weeks ago and Marcus Grodi was talking about this very thing. The problem is that most Catholics don’t make sure they seal the deal with their children, who are then brought to Christ by someone other than the Catholic Church. It has to be more than ritual, it has to be a changed heart.

But, having come from Evangelicalism, I know a lot of people who use the term freely, but don’t show the fruits of such a relationship, so I guess there are people on all sides who don’t really understand the concept of deeper conversion.

I think we all just talk past each other, we’re not speaking the same language at all. That’s part of the battle right there.

Scott Hahn calls the standard Evangelical gospel view of salvation—accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior from sin—“inadequate from a Catholic perspective.” He told his Catholic listeners, “If you’re ever asked by a Protestant, ‘Are you born again?’, you should say, ‘Of course, I am. What do you mean by it?’ ‘Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?’ You should say, ‘Yes, of course I have… But that’s not why I was born again. I was born again because I was baptized…’”

 

[ReformedCatholic]

AllI am trying to do is really define what they mean because my interpretation really means “we want to be buddies with Jesus.”

My thinking on it is that by saying “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” they are making a rather bold statement that they do not need the intercession or involvement of any church for salvation.

 

[trogiah]

Alfie:

A personal relationship with Jesus is when someone is totally broken by their sins. The Holy Spirit begins to make you feel very unconfortable with yourself. Acts that you commited before and never bothered you are now intolerable for you to do. You feel guilty for having an affair with a married man, etc. You take an honest look inside of yourself and it begins to sink in that you are a big fake and a liar. You finally admit that your true human nature is separate from the front you put on for people. In other words it is the real you… and it isn’t very nice. You realize that you have done things in your past life that you are ashamed of. You have wronged even people who love you. Most of all you know how your sin is an abomination to God and just how much he is offended by your sin. Then your conscious is completly broken down and you ask God to forgive you for every bad thought and deed you have done in your entire life. You will think of some little thing that you did years ago and had forgotten about but the Holy Spirit will also bring that sin back into your mind. Then when you think you cannot bear the thought of another sin you begin to sincerely repent of your sins and promise God that you will turn away from those sins. Then something miraculous happens. At least this is my experience. I felt a feeling of peace throughout my body. I cannot really explain it. It was like I was high on a wonderous drug. My fear of death went away. I knew from that moment on that no matter what happened in the future that Jesus would be with me. So now I have started my life over. With a clean slate. All my past sins have been forgiven and forgotten by God. I started my new life as if I had just been born again like a baby. Now Jesus is personal to me. The Holy Spirit is living in me.

Thank you for sharing. Your words remind me of several people in the gospel, usually they aren’t named, but they are the people that Jesus ends his conversation with them by saying something like “Go in peace, your faith has been your salvation.”

I think your description/testimony gives the best answer to the question posed by the original poster of this thread.

-Jim

 

[puzzleannie]

jim1130:

I When Fundamentalists, non-denominational, and non-Catholics say that they have a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” what exactly does that mean? My limited understanding interprets “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” as their view of Jesus as their pal and buddy; that they are almost humanizing Christ to earthly limitations, but I know that the phrase has to mean more than that…

with respect, none of us is in a position to judge what any individual means by that statement, and what a relationship with Christ means to them. We have no right to make implications or judements about the spiritual life or state of the soul of another person.

 

[Rebecca_New]

I think that non-Catholics see us as ridgid prayers with no heart involvement. They do not understand. They see us worshiping stone statues (we do not) and they see us repeating prayers over and over again (rosary) without thought or personal involvement. Nothing could be further from the truth, but try and explain how we unite ourselves to Jesus. Not only with the Eucharist, which is the ultimate union, but through the other sacraments as well.

Sure am glad I am a Catholic-Thank you, Jesus, Amen! :bowdown2:

 

[jim1130]

puzzleannie:

with respect, none of us is in a position to judge what any individual means by that statement, and what a relationship with Christ means to them. We have no right to make implications or judements about the spiritual life or state of the soul of another person.

Thanks for completely MISUNDERSTANDING my question. It was a simple, non-threatening question and you choose to pass some type of judgementon me! That really ticks me off! Do NOT lecture to me at all since I am not in the mood for it today!!! If you have an issue with me then PM me directly!!!

 

[puzzleannie]

I am at a loss to understand how I have offended you, but since I have, I publicly apologize, it was certainly not my intent. Since those with an Evangelical background have responded in their understanding that has been very helpful, but certainly someone like me, without that background, has no right to make assumptions or statements about their understanding. That is all I meant to imply. When I respond to a post I respond to the content and the question asked, not the the individual making the post. I make a personal comment or state an opinion only when OP specifically requests or solicits such a comment or opinion.

 

[jim1130]

puzzleannie:

I am at a loss to understand how I have offended you, but since I have, I publicly apologize, it was certainly not my intent. Since those with an Evangelical background have responded in their understanding that has been very helpful, but certainly someone like me, without that background, has no right to make assumptions or statements about their understanding. That is all I meant to imply. When I respond to a post I respond to the content and the question asked, not the the individual making the post. I make a personal comment or state an opinion only when OP specifically requests or solicits such a comment or opinion.

In OK, I hear that phrase all the time and am interested in finding out its exact definition because of its simplicity, which is why I suspect people chose that route rather than Catholicsm (it is easier?). I pass no judgment on anyone at all. I was just curious, only wanted to see how it was understood. As a Catholic, I am often condemend to Hell by these same people who profess the “personal relationship” and wanted to see where they were coming from so that I understood it better. That is all. I worked to word the question as sincerely and genuinely as possible so that it would not be misinterpreted and that it would be viewed as an honest question, not somehting threatening. That is why I was so angry because in no way did I attempt to pass judgment; I just wanted to understand the non-Catholic’s brethrans definition. Peace. Jim

 

[Eden]

I just happened to read this article when researching another topic. I find it interesting how many different interpretations one can have for their personal relationship with Jesus and salvation:

catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9910conv.asp

A Protestant might say, “Why, you were being ridiculous! All you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.” I would respond, “What do you mean by ‘accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior’?” I could gather together Christians from separate denominations who would complete the following statement different ways:

“When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you are saved and . . .”

1. “You can’t lose your salvation, no matter what you do or neglect to do.”
2. “You can’t lose your salvation, but if you commit a serious sin afterwards then you were never saved to begin with.”
3. “You can’t lose your salvation, but if you commit* any* sin afterwards, then you were never saved to begin with.”
4. “You can lose your salvation, but only if you stop ‘believing’ in Jesus, and if you stop, you’re damned forever.”
5. "You can lose your salvation if you stop believing in Jesus, but if you start believing again you get re-saved. "
6. “You can lose your salvation, but only if you commit a serious sin, and if you do that, you’re damned forever.”
7. “You can lose your salvation, but only if you commit a serious sin, but you can get re-saved if you confess it.”

Considering that each respondent above will have Scripture verses to support his position, it is clear that the Bible does not teach the doctrines of salvation in a sufficiently clear and unambiguous fashion.