The Worth Of Knowing

Y’all there’s gonna be no beating around the bush in this post:

Us church people have too high a view of the affect of our sin on God.

My search in Scripture for evidence that God can’t be in the presence of sin comes up disappointingly empty. Instead I find countless times where God is in the presence of sinners (Adam and Eve in the garden, Moses, Isaiah, Saul, not to mention the entire time Jesus spent time on earth with humans) and even Satan (Satan’s visits with God in Job don’t seem to have any negative affect on God).

Furthermore, the line “the Father turns His face away” from the song “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us” is no where in Scripture. When Jesus cries out “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He is quoting Psalm 22 – a Psalm that describes Jesus’ crucifixion. Ironically, later in the Psalm it’s written:

“For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭22‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬ (emphasis mine)

So why does Jesus ask God why He has forsaken Him?

Maybe it’s an illustration of Isaiah 59:1,2

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 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.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭59‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our sin (on us or on Jesus while He was on the cross) has no impact on God or His abilities or His character.

They hide God’s face from us.

Our sin does not change God’s ability to see us – it changes our ability to see Him.

Maybe on the cross Jesus was having a hard time seeing God. Maybe He felt like God had forsaken Him. Maybe Jesus really can sympathize with all our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15).

But even in His inability to sense God’s presence, Jesus still cries out to His Father. He’s still honest with His Father.

When we sin we turn from God and separate ourselves from Him (Isaiah 59:13) not the other way around.

In fact, when God sees our sin (yeah, the Bible says He actually looks at it – Isaiah 59:15) He is displeased and then sends a Redeemer to us so that we can turn from our sin (Isaiah 59:10).

Wow.

But there’s one more thing. According to Isaiah 59:1,2, it’s God’s face being hidden from us that results in God not hearing us. It’s not that God can’t hear (verse 1 clarifies that). So what causes the disconnect? Maybe it’s because we can’t see God when are we turned toward our sin. Maybe it’s because we don’t pray to God when we’re sinning. Maybe God doesn’t hear us because there is nothing to hear. I don’t know, but I do know the reception issue is on our end not God’s.

Why does this all matter? Because it means God is not far from any of us even when our back is toward Him. He is faithful even when we are not.

“… they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬