I bring up the Old Testament, because it offers many detailed examples of people having a relationship with God. However, where does Jesus fit into all of this?
The New Testament makes it clear that it's only through Jesus that a person can be put right with God. Jesus made it evident, in John 14:6, that it's only through him, that salvation is possible.
The entire chapter of John 14 is revealing. However, it's verse 6 that points out that Jesus is the only way. It reads as follows:
"Jesus answered him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.'"
-John 14:6
The natural question would be to ask, "If a person can only be friends with God, through Jesus, then how could people be friends with God in the Old Testament?"
This is a great question. The answer is most thoroughly revealed in Hebrews, chapters 9 and 10. Again, the entire book of Hebrews is revealing. However, chapters 9 and 10 explain that the old testament sacrifices were a picture of Christ's coming, and what he would accomplish. They were a picture of how Jesus would become a sacrifice. It was a prophetic picture.
In fact, the entire Old Testament is riddled with prophesy about God's promised messiah. He would be the means by which all people's sins are forgiven. Peter talked about this, quite explicitly, in Acts, chapter 3. However, going into detail, here, would deviate from the topic at hand.
When it comes to showcasing examples of people having close relationships with God, the Bible is filled with revealing examples. It's easy to find examples in, both, the Old Testment, and the New Testament. Depending on where you look, Old Testament, or New, the examples are shown via different representations.
In the Old Testament, we read about detailed accounts of people's lives. This type of representation is extraordinarily powerful. We get to read about actual events and how they took place. Some of these events pertain to entire nations. However, it's the events, which we read about that pertain to people's individual, personal, lives, that's most useful to us, when we consider the topic of this article.
In the New Testament, we're able to read about certain events, too. The first four books of the New Testament, give us details about the life of Jesus, and how he encountered, and interacted with, his disciples. However, the majority of the New Testament, is filled with letters between the early Christians, and churches of that day.
So, regardless of where you look, when you read the Bible, it isn't difficult to find numerous examples of individuals having close relationships with God. Because the Old Testament is filled with detailed examples that show this in the greatest of detail, I'll use examples that come from there. However, before I do, it's important to emphasize how a relationship with Jesus works, today.
The mechanics of a modern relationship with Christ, is best described in 1st Peter 1:8-9. It reads as follows:
"You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him."
-1st Peter 1:8-9
This portion of scripture accurately describes my experience, as well as the experience of any other Christian who follows Christ, in our time. None of us were alive to see him, in person. We weren't there to experience his great miracles, first hand. We follow him, and put our trust in him, based on what we read in his word; the Bible.
Forutunately, for us, God has left us with his completed book. This is the one thing, that we have, that the prophets, and the people who walked with Jesus, physically, didn't have. We have his completed, supernatural book. We also have the evidence of a world that's been turned upside down, due to the unprecedented impact that Jesus has had, on this world.
The unusual impact, that Jesus has had, is indisputable. It serves as the greatest witness that what he said about himself, is true. He, indeed, is the Son of God, and the Bible can be trusted. I have written about this, extensively, in an article that is entitled Why Logic Fails. Anyone can read that article by clicking here.
Today, we live in a time that is, largely, barren of supernatural miracles. We're not the only ones to have lived in such a supernaturally uneventful time period. In fact, this is the norm, throughout all of human history.
Gideon and Job are two men who lived long before the New Testament was written. Their experiences were very similar to ours. They lived in a time when miracles were scarce. Just like us, they relied on written history, which mentioned great things that took place, long before they were born.
Both of these men did, eventually, witness the supernatural. However, when they did, they were quick to point out the familiar experience, that we all face. They spoke about the normalcy of a lack of supernatural occurances.