Aside sinfulness, there’s another thing that is dangerous to being a Christian, thus dangerous to our relationship with God and that is uninformed or naive innocence, without personal conviction or divine personal encounter. A look at the life of St. Bartholomew known biblically as Nathaniel before he met Jesus, shows thus.

Before Nathaniel encountered Jesus, he was of the view that nothing good could come out of Nazareth (John 1: 46). Yet, it was this same Nathaniel that Jesus described as “an Israelite in whom there is no deception (John 1:47).” However, at the invitation of Philip (John 1: 46) and after his encounter with Jesus, something was added to his innocence which is the knowledge of God with us (John 1:14; Matt 1:23). He became convinced.

It was this knowledge and conviction through divine personal encounter that made Bartholomew what he is to us and to Jesus, an Apostle. But, the truth is that, without encounter and conviction, even an atheist who is innocent like Bartholomew could have a mastery of all wonderful theologies of the church but it would not automatically make him to believe in Jesus and open his heart for his grace.

It was this personal encounter and conviction that made the apostles like Bartholomew steadfast pillars of “the bride that the Lamb has married” (Rev 21: 9). The bride is the Church and the Lamb is Christ. The church is this holy city and “The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev 29:14).

We too today should strive to be in this holy city, but without striving for a personal conviction and encounter with the Lamb, this holy city, the church and everything that happens in it may never make sense. Personal encounter unlocks a deeper understanding of the mysteries of this holy city. Only then can we truly say like Nathaniel, “you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel” (John 1: 49).

Also read: Someone is alive today because he or she is not in marriage