Like Paul, you and I have been given the opportunity to follow Jesus without any possible conflicts of previous misunderstandings developed through physical interaction. The awesome truth is that we can become closer to Jesus without seeing Him than we would have by seeing Him. Without the ability to physically walk with Jesus, we have to commune with Him through the Spirit of Christ who dwells within us—thus establishing a deep, spiritual relationship with God. How amazing!

Experience Him on the Deepest Level

God knows that our flesh is (for now) unredeemed. Our spirits are redeemed; they are in the exact likeness and image of Jesus (see 1 John 4:17). Our souls are in the process of being redeemed (see James 1:21). But our physical bodies have not yet experienced redemption.

Have you ever noticed how easily we grow tired of things? Some people can buy a new car and it becomes old news just one week later. This is the nature of unredeemed flesh. The physical has very little depth; it is short-lived and will soon pass away. So God in His goodness says, “I’m not revealing Myself to My people physically. I’m going to make a way for them to commune with Me by My Spirit so they can really know Me.” It’s almost like God is saying, “I’m going to have a long distance relationship with the ones I love so they can really get to know My heart.”

As a church, we are the Bride of Christ. God is preparing us for a vibrant marriage with Him. He is allowing us to get to know Him on the deepest level (spiritual) before we ever know Him on a physical level. This is why Paul later wrote, “From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer” (2 Corinthians 5:16). We know Him by the Spirit—the Spirit of the living God. There was a time when Christ was revealed in the flesh. But now, since He is no longer physically on the earth, we have the opportunity to know Him by the Spirit.

If we neglect to enter into communion with the Spirit, we deny ourselves the opportunity to know the Son. The Spirit searches all things within the heart and mind of God to reveal Jesus to us. If you want a deep relationship with God, you must move beyond superficial knowledge of Him and enter into the journey of discovering who He truly is. This journey is only possible through communion with the Spirit. This is why we cannot hold any traditions (customary patterns of thought) related to the Holy Spirit that are not rooted in the eternal Word of God. When we allow misconceptions, personal bias, or negative experiences to skew our understanding of the Spirit, we will not enjoy the full promise of God’s glorious presence in our lives. We cannot know God apart from His Spirit.