Most of us have had times when our heart seemed as cold as stone…
You and I are separated from God
Most of us have been harmed in some way by others. But when we are brutally honest with ourselves we see hurtful ways in our selves too. The wrong things we do separate us from God somewhat like the way we feel distant from another person when we are estranged from them. The bible calls the wrong things we do “sin”. To sin means to miss the mark. We have done things which we shouldn’t have done, and we failed to do things we should have done. Because we are cut off from God, we cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
I do wrong things
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Everyone was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of my stubborn self-will, I chose to go my own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
I am separated from God
“The wages of sin is death” [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23). I may not like the word ‘sin’, but the truth is I feel separated from God. And there are days when I feel like my heart is made of stone…
The diagram above illustrates that God is holy and we are sinful. A great gulf separates us from God. The arrows illustrate that we are continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion – but we inevitably fail. It’s like we are all trying to jump across the Grand Canyon. Some leap much further than others, but it is still just a tiny fraction of the total distance to the other shore. All the world’s religions lay out a pretty basic moral code: Help the poor, Don’t lie, Be kind to others, Don’t have sex with another person’s spouse, etc. So the religions are good at identifying the problem… but how are we doing at solving the problem ? Religion doesn’t seem to be able to give the strength and wisdom needed to actually live out the moral laws it gives us. If I am not strong or good enough to reach God from my side – how can I encounter God? Only if God reaches down to me from His side…