“I really don’t think I have a relationship with God. I think I have a relationship with the world, and nature, and perhaps everything that God created.”
“Not really. Honestly, I kind of believe that I’m not worth his time.”
“I would certainly like to hope so.”
“It’s like off and on, because I was born into a Christian family, that’s the thing.”
“I do, I feel like I do have a relationship with him.”
“I have a great relationship with God.”
“During finals week, yes.”
“I’m trying to get a scrawny one.”
“Yes, but I think sometimes I kind of like shine away from him, kind of like, forget about him sometimes.”
“I really want to have a relationship with God, because I realize it’s a huge missing part in my life.”
How would you have answered that question? Did you notice that most of the people answering that question lacked clarity. They didn’t know whether or not they had a relationship with God. But the Bible specifically answers that question. No, we do not have a relationship with God because sin has entered into the world. Because of Adam, we are all sinners, we are all living for ourselves. Romans 5:12 says, wherefore by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men for all have sinned.
But its not just that we’re born with sin, we have all made voluntary choices to sin against God. God in his holiness has given us his law so that we can know what offends God. When we lie, when we cheat, when we steal, when we commit mental murder or mental immorality, we’re breaking God’s law. And you know, sometimes people will weigh it and say if I do more good than bad, I’m OK. But James tells us, whosoever shall keep the whole law, yet offend at one point, he is guilty of all. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God hates sin, and will justly punish us for all of our sinful words, actions, thoughts.
Remember, he is the all-knowing judge. Rather than having a joyful relationship with God, sin brings misery and guilt. We try to drown out our guilt with our toys, with our diversions, with our self-righteousness and religion, but the Bible is clear, the wages of sin is death.
Not only does our sin separate us from God, but God must punish our sin forever in Hell. The Bible says, whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. Our sin is a big problem. We need a savior. We need somebody who will deliver us from the penalty and the power of sin. We cannot fix our problem. We are hopeless if we are looking to ourselves to solve this problem. Somehow, someway, we need help.