We talked about two choices in the previous post. Let us take a look at the first choice in this.
The first choice is one that most people will make and try to keep at it for as long as they can. In this era of attaining success through hard work and know-how, many have tried to reach this supreme God with their own efforts but have failed.
Why has so many failed to reach God?
Is this God so cruel and has made it so impossibly difficult for us to reach Him for fun?
No.
The truth is in fact the opposite. WE have made it so impossibly difficult for ourselves to reach Him; not Him. He never wanted this. He is the God of love. But because we have sinned, we have unknowingly taken ourselves out from our supposed right standing we have with this Holy God. God being perfectly holy, cannot come into bonding with the unholy - us.
Some might argue that they are good responsible human beings. Why can’t they reach God? Why isn’t their rightness being accepted by God? Can’t He see that at least they’re putting in some sort of effort? I’m sure he does but here’s the problem, it’s not the things that we do that are not accepted by Him. I believe all the good things that any human being does on earth is well endorsed by God. It is our sinful nature that He cannot accept. Let me clarify that He cannot accept our sinful nature not because He doesn’t want to accept to play hard-to-get, but rather, He cannot. ‘Not wanting to’ and ‘not able to’ are two different things. He cannot because it is His nature that He’s holy and cannot accept the unholy - us.
Before you draw your swords at me feeling injustice for blanket-labeling ALL humans (including you, yes you) as unholy, allow me illustrate for a better understanding. I did NOT say that you are a bad person. I said ‘unholy’. So yea, cool your nuclear reactors eh. J
In a nutshell: You are a human being. You need the blood of a human being to flow in your veins for your body to function. Specifically, you need your very own type of blood to run in your veins to stay alive. Say IF you got into a terrible accident and needed a blood transfusion, not only you need the blood of another human being to be transfused into you, you need the blood of another human being that has specific blood types accepted by your body. Not that you didn’t want a type B blood transfused into you (if say, you are a type A blood). You cannot have a type B blood transfused into you because that’s not your nature. You need a type A (or O) which is accepted by your nature to be transfused into you.
Likewise with God. It’s not that He doesn’t want to accept you in right standing. He wants to but He cannot if when we are sinners. Why? Because He is holy. We are not. Holy and unholy cannot mix. It’s as simple as that.
Solution? We somehow some way or another have to become holy enough to be able to be in that right standing with Him again.
But how? Like earlier mentioned, many have tried to reach God with their own efforts. Some have tried to be more and more good. Some have tried to do more good hoping that the good they do erase and outweigh the bad that they have done. Again, it doesn’t work. Because no matter how much good we have done, it still will never take away the bad nature (not doings) in us. Many have tried religion – trying to follow a set of rules hoping to be blessed by God and reach this right standing with God.
The problem with religion is this; It further binds you down with more ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ thus inflicting upon oneself an even higher demand to reach ‘holiness’. Unknowingly, you have subscribed to a slave-bond mentality that is laced with fear and unrest. You do right because you fear that something bad will happen to you or what blessing you will lose. We try not to this and not to do that so that we can be holy. We fear that if we do these bad things that we will not inherit the promises of God.
By the way, whether you are a Christian or not reading this, let me throw this in; being in this slave-bond mentality of religion, I wasn’t just referring to non-Christians. I was referring to religious Christians as well. In fact, some of the most religious people I’ve ever met in my life aren’t outside but inside the four walls of the church. Many Christians worry sick on whether they will lose their salvation and blessings more than how they can bring salvation and blessing to others. That’s sad and that’s religious. It’s fear-driven and not faith-driven and powerless.
One will come to realize at the bottom end of religion is that it is impossible for one to reach freedom from sin and attain holiness with self-effort. Let me logic this for you: If you are in a wrong position already, it doesn’t matter what right you do, it’ll still come out wrong. Doing something right from a wrong position doesn’t make it right. This is called the bond of law. This is doing something FOR something.
And this isn’t the promised life that God has for us. The promised holy sin-free life comes only with the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.
More on this ultimate once and for all solution in my next post. Be blessed!
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