Nuggets
- Sin created a separation from God.
- God, however, is right on the other side of the divide.
- Though God is very accessible to us, He just requires one thing – submission.
- It is about praying to worship God.
- Some choose to not submit to and obey God.
- When you a point where He is not going to come back and convict you anymore, you now have the unpardonable sin.
Can God See Us If We Are Sinners?
If God can’t see us because of our sins, how can He save us? How can we approach Him? This devotion looks at what Scriptures say about God seeing us.
Let's Put It into Context
“So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female” (Gen. 1: 27 CSB)
When God created Adam and Eve, they were made in God’s image (Gen. 1: 27). But things went downhill from there.
Everything changed when Adam and Eve sinned. Sin is when we disobey God and break one of His laws and commandments.
God is holy. Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and pure. When applied to God, the Holman Bible Dictionary states “it means to be ‘perfect, transcendent, or spiritually pure, evoking adoration and reverence.’”
That is how God made us (minus the adoration and reverence). Sin wrecked that. Mankind was no longer sons and daughters of God (Theological Sketch Book).
But God didn’t want that to last through eternity. He devised the plan of salvation to restore our relationships with Him.
When we admit our sins, believe on Jesus as Redeemer, confess God as Sovereign Lord and demonstrate that commitment by following our job description, we restore our relationships with God.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
But God Can’t See Sin???
“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isa. 59: 2 ESV)
Sin did create a separation from God. Mankind no longer had direct access to God. He could no longer hear “… the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze …” (Gen. 3: 8 CSB).
We are also told of a chasm between heaven and hell. “Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us” (Lk. 16: 26 CSB).
There is a definite divide.
But what about the second part of that? “… your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isa. 59: 2 ESV). How can God save us if He can’t see us in our sinful state?
Contrast with God Is Never Far Away
“He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Ac. 17: 27 CSB)
God, however, is right on the other side of the divide. Look at these verses.
- “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jas. 4: 8 CSB).
- “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deut. 4: 29 NIV).
- “The LORD is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34: 18 HCSB).
- “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3: 20 NLT).
All we have to do is ABC to gain access. We’ve talked about access many times.
- God has made Himself very accessible to us. He was the one Who devised the plan of salvation to restore His relationship with mankind (What Are Heavenly Places?).
- It is only through Jesus that we even have access to God. If Jesus hadn’t paid the price for our sins with His blood — and we hadn’t accepted the gift of salvation — we wouldn’t have access to God. We access this grace through faith (Is Thankfulness Different from Praise?).
- We still have to access God’s grace by asking Him to forgive us. We need to do that daily (How Are Grace, Redemption, and Forgiveness Connected?)
- Jesus also wants complete access to our hearts. He doesn’t want to leave any inch where Satan can worm his way in to derail us (The Fullness of God’s Love).
- I like to think of it as there is no floor in heaven. If heaven doesn’t have a floor, there is no barrier between God and us. God has immediate access to us. He can see and hear all of us. He sees us, so He can shine on us (How Can God’s Face Shine on Us?).
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
God is very accessible to us. He just requires one thing – submission. We have to approach Him in faith and reverence. If we don’t do that, He doesn’t have to acknowledge us.
Who Is Praying?
“The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil” (I Pet. 3: 12 NLT).
But look at these verses.
- “This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (I Jn. 5: 14 CSB).
- “We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will” (Jn. 9: 31 NLT).
- “And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Mt. 21: 22 CSB).
What do we get out of these verses?
- We have to approach God His way.
- His way is worship.
- When we ask something based on our intent is to honor Him, He will grant our prayers.
No, it isn’t about what high-paying job we are going to get and soulmate we are going to find. It isn’t even about whether Tom, Sally, or Elaine is going to be healed.
Our prayers should be about praying to worship God. It is coming to Him as Sovereign God.
Not Everyone Will Be Saved
“This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2: 3-4 CSB)
Let’s get down to the underlying issue — in my opinion. God wants everyone to be saved, and He sent Jesus to die while we were still sinners. “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5: 8 CSB).
But He doesn’t force salvation on us. Salvation is the deliverance from the consequences of sin.
We have to repent. Repentance is expressing sorrow for things we’ve done wrong. But it is not just feeling sorry for doing those things. It is making the commitment to changing ourselves through obedience so that we no longer do the wrong things. Obedience means to hear and carry out the instructions that God gives us.
The underlying issue is some choose to not submit to and obey God. We have free will to do that — or not in this case. “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served …, or the gods … in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 25: 15 ESV).
Evil is, according to the Holman Bible Dictionary, “that which is opposed to God and His purposes or that which, defined from human perspectives, is harmful and non-productive.”
We’ve talked about this before. Disciples equate evil with sin. While all sins are not necessarily evil, all evil can generally be categorized as sin.
If evil comes from Satan, that puts a whole new slant on the picture. Some say we shouldn’t be held accountable for what something else is making us do. But we forget about our free will.
So, it is a choice – our choice. We are in control.
Unfortunately, there are those who will never choose God. Those are the ones from whom God has hidden His face. Remember, we talked about that, too.
God Closes the Window
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isa. 55: 6 NIV)
Proverbs 29: 1 says, “If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover” (GNT). There comes a point where He is not going to come back and convict you anymore.
But why? Every time God has come to you with salvation, you said no. Well, more than that — you said no more emphatically each time.
When that point hits, you now have the unpardonable sin. “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt. 12: 31-32 ESV).
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
Making the Connections
We may not have access to God because we have not accepted His gift of salvation, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t have access to us.
The way I see it is we have access to the Holy Spirit first for Him to convict us. Then we have access to Jesus, so He can save us.
Then Jesus ushers us into God’s presence. Can’t we just hear Him? “Father, I have someone I want to introduce to You. This is [Tom, Sally, Elaine, your name]. S/He has just ABCDed. I wanted to make the introduction so as now there is unlimited access to You.”
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
We are also considering what we would say if a non-believer asked us. Here is the worksheet again. What would you say?
- What does the Scriptures say?
- What do I believe?
- Why do I believe the same/differently than the Scriptures?
- What are the talking points when witnessing to a non-believer?
Related Links
I have created a worksheet of the questions above. Click on the button below to access it.
How Do We Apply This?
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Father. We admit our sins, believe on Jesus as Redeemer, and confess You as Sovereign Lord. We pray that we will demonstrate that commitment by following our job description. As we continue to sin, bring those sins to our minds so that we can confess them. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: Does God Really Forgive and Forget Sin? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Paul’s Take on Children of God – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Is God Really in Control Right Now? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Who Is God? – Seeking God with Elaine