Does God Accept Us As We Are?
Does Holiness Matter to God?
Our family has a husky-lab mixed breed we got in Ecuador while serving there.
We love her except for one thing; she likes to roll in feces. When we brought her to my in-laws’ home it became a bad combination. They lease their land to a cattle farmer.
As you can guess, on the occasions that our dog escaped the house she would often return caked in manure.
How God Sees Us
In case you’re wondering, NO we didn’t let our dog back in the house like that.
Obviously, that would’ve been disgusting.
When the Bible talks about how God views us, we are given an equally vile picture. The Bible says that we are wicked throughout.
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5, ESV)
Notice how definitive that description is.
- Every intention — there are no exceptions.
- Only evil — there is no partial goodness.
- Continually — we do not stop being wicked.
The book of Romans (3:10–18) describes us as being sinful in every part of our being. The description includes our lips, tongues, and throats all the way to our feet. In other words, we are evil head to toe.
Even the “good” things we do are tainted by sinfulness and have become polluted.
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment…” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV)
So the idea that God is satisfied to accept us this way is like us saying that we should have let our dog in the house covered in manure.
An Important Distinction
This does not mean that we cannot come to God in our sin.
Jesus tells a story to illustrate this point. In the story, a son dishonors his father by asking for his inheritance and then spending it on prostitutes. Eventually he runs out of money and begins to starve.
One day, out of desperation he returns to the Father. Jesus describes how the son is welcomed.
“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him….the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.” (Luke 15:20, 22 ESV)
Notice that though the Father received the son as he was, he did not leave him that way. The son was given new garments; a robe, shoes, and ring that were appropriate for his status.
In the same way, God clothes his children in Christ’s righteousness.
As we are, in our sin and rebellion, we are unacceptable to God. If we desire to have fellowship with God and be acceptable to Him, we must come to Him through Christ.
Consider Paul’s statement to the church of Corinth.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)
How It Works
When we receive Christ, we receive all of his earthly work as our own.
As Christ died, we too are considered to have died to sin. Just as Christ was raised, we are considered to be raised to a new life. (Rom 6:3–4) But also, since Jesus was perfectly obedient to God, we inherit his perfect righteousness.
Christ took on the form of sinful humanity — becoming like us — so that we could become like Him; taking on his standing as a perfect child of God.
“for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”(Galatians 3:26-27, ESV)
The Bible tells us that not only did Jesus die and resurrect for our sins, but that He is also our mediator. (1 Tim 2:5–6)
Jesus always intercedes for us before God. (Heb 7:25) This means that even when I sin even after having received Christ, God still see me as if I were sinless; because Christ stands in my place.
This is why the gospel matters.
On our own, in our sin, we can never be acceptable to God. (John 13:8) Just like our filthy dog returning home, she could not be permitted in our house. Does this mean we do not love her or that we would just get rid of her?
Of course not.
We bathe her.
This is what God has done through Christ. He makes us clean so that we can come home again.
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? …But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 11 ESV)
So come just as you are and receive thr new garments, bought by Christ. You have been running too long. Come home.
Live for Jesus.