Hiding From God

Ever since sin entered into the world in the garden of Eden man has been hiding from God. After Adam followed Eve’s lead on disobeying God’s commandment, the scripture says, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8). When they were confronted by God for their sin, Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent. The serpent being not quite as smart as he thought, not realizing that he had been deceived by the devil, was therefore speechless, having nobody to blame. So the first man and woman not only hid from God in the trees, but they also hid from him behind the decietful nature that they had taken on as a result of their disobedience to God’s will. And that is exactly where man has been hiding ever since; behind the deciet of his own heart, and the actions and words that it produces. Jeremiah told it like it is: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer. 17:9,10). That’s right, man’s heart is so given over to deciet that he doesn’t even know what is in it, and only God truly knows what is altogether in the hearts of men. Jesus confirmed the reality of this unfortunate truth: “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man” (Mat. 15:18,19). That is the only thing that has ever been wrong with man; the perverse condition of his heart as the result of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:19; I Cor. 15:21,22). No wonder Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” The “issues of life” are all the things that we say, do, think, etc.The truth is, truly and literally correcting the problem of sin being in the hearts of men is the only reason that Jesus came (Rom. 8:2-4; Heb. 9:13,14). And the truth of the matter is that everyone who really comes clean with God in total honesty of heart, with humility and faith in Jesus, gets just that - delivered literally from the power of sin (Rom. 6:1,2,6,12,14,15,22).

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mat. 5:8). The apostle Paul confirmed this emphatically: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). And John concurred with even more force of statement, lest we should question the meaning of holiness: “And every man that hath this hope [salvation - I Tess. 5:8] in him purifieth himself, even as he [Christ] is pure” (I Jn. 1:3). That is correct my friend, the suffering, death, resurrection, and resulting priesthood of our Lord Jesus, was every bit enough to produce the experience of true holiness, with true sanctification and pureness of heart for all who really believe (ICor. 6:121; Tit. 3:5). And that purifying experience is the baptism of the holy Ghost, evidenced by the sign from heaven of speaking with other tongues, even as it was when Jesus first sent it back from heaven (Acts 1:4,5; Acts 2:4; Acts 15:8,9; I Cor. 12:13). According to Jesus and the apostle Paul, everyone who truly believes on him attains unto this new birth experience (Jn. 7:37-39; Gal. 3:14). And everyone who does not receive this blessed experience is hiding behind something, choosing to not come fully clean before God. Same goes for everyone who does receive the experience but does not continue to persevere in holiness and dying to sin (Rom. 8:13,14; I Pet. 4:1,2). You can hide behind pride and deceit, you can hide behind someone else’s shortcomings, you can hide behind family; or you can hide behind work, or you can hide behind religion and religious service [very much including Christian traditions and doctrines that never deliver anyone from the sinful nature]. In fact you can hide behind any excuse you can find, but in the end “the wages of sin are [still] death [separation from God]” (Rom. 6:23). But anyone who dares to come out in the open and get real and honest with God from their heart, can be fully and continually delivered from the perverse nature we were born with, and inherit eternal life and immortality as the result (I Tim. 5:24; Rev. 20:6). Not only so, but we can also be endued with “joy unspeakable, and [be] full of glory” on the way (I Pet. 1:8). Amen.