"Long ago the LORD said to Israel:
'I have loved you, My people,
with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love
I have drawn you to Myself'."
(Jeremiah 31:3 NLT)
'I have loved you, My people,
with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love
I have drawn you to Myself'."
(Jeremiah 31:3 NLT)
Hello, Mrs. Kurtz.
God isn't always silent when we sin. In fact, sometimes sin causes Him to point out our shortcomings in order for us to eliminate our sins through God (Psalm 139:21). God does this to help us avoid falling into habitual sin. Sin itself doesn't always silence God, but ignoring His voice and continually following your own desires will often silence Him. This reminds me of a discussion we had the other day at youth group about the "passive wrath of God" in which you no longer "hear" God's voice because you have rejected it for so long. God uses His voice to expose sin, like in Genesis 3 when He sought after Adam and Eve and confronted them.
Is it a correct assumption to believe that sin only silences God when we continually sin because of our refusal to submit, whereas sin that comes from a person who has humbled himself/herself before God and is actively seeking Him does not silence Him but rather causes Him to convict them? I worded that really weird, but I need more clarification.
However, as you said, Jesus provides the rescue and healing for our sins: "He willingly accepted OUR punishment for OUR sin, for OUR rebellion, for OUR sin-addiction." He died for us and provided forgiveness while we were STILL sinners (Romans 5:6-8). Jesus redeemed us even during our rebellion. In this case, sin did not silence Him.
In Hebrews 12:5-11, the concept of God's discipline towards His children is addressed. This discipline is conviction done out of love by God with the purpose of helping believers to maintain a close relationship with Him. This conviction, or even the feeling of separation is troublesome, but if we choose to respond to it with willingness and submission it will help us grow in Christ. Our view of discipline is often distorted because we live in a fallen world. We are accustomed to discipline stemming from anger rather than God's love and desire to be closer with His children.
From the verses/passages you gave me, it is clear that God desires a personal relationship with believers. He confronts us with our sin because He doesn't want it to come between us and Him. However, God is also just in punishing unrepentant hearts who actively continue to choose their own way over God's. This punishment is often in the form of silence (Isaiah 58:2) or the feeling of being at a standstill with God.
I am not sure if I am on the right track with this, so please let me know if I took this out of context or misunderstood. I am confused on the difference between God reacting to sin with silence and God reacting to sin with conviction.
Dear friend,
You have correctly identified a truth: "God isn't always silent when we sin". By His sovereign wisdom, God acts righteously. Will you be terribly disappointed if I say that I don't think there is an identifiable "pattern" or "method" to His response to sin? It's not that He is irrational; rather, our finite minds and sin-compromised souls cannot always see clearly. And, we are far from qualified to judge His actions.
I love to read of God's actions in the story of the fall of man (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve had sinned, and they knew it. In the moment of disobedience, they felt the impact of sin. They were ashamed.
(side note: The world has made "shame" a negative word, and criticizes the "shaming" of people. However, shame is an appropriate response to sin.)
When they became aware of their sin, they attempted to cover their sin and hide themselves from God. (do you see how quickly sin skews our thinking? Did they really think they could hide from God?)
It is important to observe here that God acted first. He did not wait for repentance; He wasn't waiting for groveling. God sought them.
Wow! Let's not miss this truth: God's mercy precedes man's repentance.
Are you begining to wonder if I will EVER answer all of your questions? Yes, I will. Yet, today, this is the burden on my heart: reiterating God's goodness despite man's sinful state. This is a foundational truth. This is a reason to worship. This should drive us to God in thankfulness, humility and repentance.
I want to end here for now, and return to the discussion later (but soon). May you have great joy in meditating on God's goodness: mercy and love despite our sin and before our repentance!
God isn't always silent when we sin. In fact, sometimes sin causes Him to point out our shortcomings in order for us to eliminate our sins through God (Psalm 139:21). God does this to help us avoid falling into habitual sin. Sin itself doesn't always silence God, but ignoring His voice and continually following your own desires will often silence Him. This reminds me of a discussion we had the other day at youth group about the "passive wrath of God" in which you no longer "hear" God's voice because you have rejected it for so long. God uses His voice to expose sin, like in Genesis 3 when He sought after Adam and Eve and confronted them.
Is it a correct assumption to believe that sin only silences God when we continually sin because of our refusal to submit, whereas sin that comes from a person who has humbled himself/herself before God and is actively seeking Him does not silence Him but rather causes Him to convict them? I worded that really weird, but I need more clarification.
However, as you said, Jesus provides the rescue and healing for our sins: "He willingly accepted OUR punishment for OUR sin, for OUR rebellion, for OUR sin-addiction." He died for us and provided forgiveness while we were STILL sinners (Romans 5:6-8). Jesus redeemed us even during our rebellion. In this case, sin did not silence Him.
In Hebrews 12:5-11, the concept of God's discipline towards His children is addressed. This discipline is conviction done out of love by God with the purpose of helping believers to maintain a close relationship with Him. This conviction, or even the feeling of separation is troublesome, but if we choose to respond to it with willingness and submission it will help us grow in Christ. Our view of discipline is often distorted because we live in a fallen world. We are accustomed to discipline stemming from anger rather than God's love and desire to be closer with His children.
From the verses/passages you gave me, it is clear that God desires a personal relationship with believers. He confronts us with our sin because He doesn't want it to come between us and Him. However, God is also just in punishing unrepentant hearts who actively continue to choose their own way over God's. This punishment is often in the form of silence (Isaiah 58:2) or the feeling of being at a standstill with God.
I am not sure if I am on the right track with this, so please let me know if I took this out of context or misunderstood. I am confused on the difference between God reacting to sin with silence and God reacting to sin with conviction.
Dear friend,
You have correctly identified a truth: "God isn't always silent when we sin". By His sovereign wisdom, God acts righteously. Will you be terribly disappointed if I say that I don't think there is an identifiable "pattern" or "method" to His response to sin? It's not that He is irrational; rather, our finite minds and sin-compromised souls cannot always see clearly. And, we are far from qualified to judge His actions.
Yet we know His character.
He is good.
He is both justice and mercy.
I love to read of God's actions in the story of the fall of man (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve had sinned, and they knew it. In the moment of disobedience, they felt the impact of sin. They were ashamed.
(side note: The world has made "shame" a negative word, and criticizes the "shaming" of people. However, shame is an appropriate response to sin.)
When they became aware of their sin, they attempted to cover their sin and hide themselves from God. (do you see how quickly sin skews our thinking? Did they really think they could hide from God?)
It is important to observe here that God acted first. He did not wait for repentance; He wasn't waiting for groveling. God sought them.
What a beautiful, loving question:
"Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9)!
Wow! Let's not miss this truth: God's mercy precedes man's repentance.
Are you begining to wonder if I will EVER answer all of your questions? Yes, I will. Yet, today, this is the burden on my heart: reiterating God's goodness despite man's sinful state. This is a foundational truth. This is a reason to worship. This should drive us to God in thankfulness, humility and repentance.
I want to end here for now, and return to the discussion later (but soon). May you have great joy in meditating on God's goodness: mercy and love despite our sin and before our repentance!
- Why is it so important to understand that God acts first?
- How would things be different if He did not act first?
Heavenly Father, How we praise and thank You for Your abundant mercy, forgiving us and drawing us to Yourself! We delight ourselves in You, and we give You ourselves fully.
"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me."
(Psalm 66:16-20 NLT)
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