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The book of Isaiah states: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa 53:6) In other words, we tend to go in ANY direction OTHER THAN following God. This is what is meant by sin. When I choose to say or do something I want to do, regardless of what God wants, I have sinned. However, I am not the only person who sins, everyone does. The Apostle Paul said: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Ro 3:10-11)
You know, it is easy to argue that our sins are not really that many or that terrible. Each of us can, and often do, choose other people around us as examples of “real sinners”. But the problem is, the standard of comparison is not other people, it is God. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Ro 3:23). None of us can ever achieve God’s glory because of our sin. Even if you are, or I am, able to follow ALL the traditions of ALL the different Christian denominations and sects, we will never be able to follow God on our own because sin separates us from Him.
What can we do? How can we possibly answer; “Are you purposefully following closer to God each day?”, with a “yes” if we are sinners and are unable to do so! The answer is that there is nothing we can do. This is why we need Christ. This is where grace comes in. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Ro.5:8). Christ died so that we might have grace. Grace is given to me when I stop trying to get to God by what I do and start believing in Christ for what He has done. Thomas a Kempis puts it this way: “He that strives to draw himself from obedience, withdraws himself from grace.”
So, we must understand and accept our need for grace. The Apostle Paul wrote: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10). Paul even talked about his own life in this same way: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1Co 15:10)
If we are ever to answer; “Are you purposefully following closer to God each day?”, with a “yes”, we must understand that it is not what we do, nor is it what church we attend or how many of its traditions that we keep, that draws us closer to God. We must begin by repenting for the sins we have committed, that is, letting God know that we now see those things as He does, as sin and not as living life our own way. St. Augustine defined repentance this way: “Before God can deliver us from ourselves, we must undeceive ourselves.” The Apostle Peter called one man to begin to follow Christ by saying; “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray to God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” (Ac 8:22) It is after we repent that we begin to understand that following Christ’s teaching and direction in life and even observing church traditions is not something we do to be accepted by God, it is something we do out of love for Him because He has already accepted us because of what Christ has done.
As you read this, it is our hope that you will take time to consider your own life and whether it is not you can answer the question: Are you purposefully following closer to God each day?”, with a “yes”. If not, then please don’t hide behind your preferred denominational label. For just like the clothes in that market, your faith would not be real. We pray that even now God will show you your need to repent and follow Christ. Many of us who understand our need for grace are now purposefully following closer to God each day after we began this journey with a simple prayer of repentance and commitment to begin to follow Christ. We pray that this article will help you make that decision as well.
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