Here’s a question for you. What has separated the world from God, and what exactly will bring them back to Him? What will give humanity the abundant life of heaven and eternal life with God? Take a moment to ponder this powerful Scripture.

Col 1:21-23 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. (NLT)  

This Scripture gives us an incredible insight as to what happened at the fall of man. We all know that evil thoughts produce evil actions and loving thoughts produce loving actions. Humanity was separated from God because of evil thoughts and actions! But what exactly were the evil thoughts that separated us from God? The evil thoughts can be summed up into a single thought; “I can be right with God and feel good about myself by my works.” This is what happened when Adam and Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve partook of the knowledge of good (thou shalt) and evil (thou shalt not). After Adam and Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:22 Because Adam and Eve became intimate and bound to the law of performance and self-righteousness (thou shalt and thou shalt not), they were separated from the righteousness of God in intimacy with him.

Man’s way of trying to be righteous and complete through the knowledge of good and evil was, and still is, the sin of all sins and the lie of all lies. It is the law that empowers wicked thoughts and, therefore, sin.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Jesus came to deliver us from our bondage to the law. The good news of Christ’s death on our behalf affords us the opportunity to believe the truth of our right standing with God and live in complete freedom. Our freedom in Christ is not based upon good works but faith in the free gift of righteousness granted to us by the blood of Jesus. The secret to an intimate life with Christ both now and forever is holding firmly to this truth!

My dearest partner in Christ, it is paramount that you do not allow your sin, mistakes, and failures to separate you from this truth! Your righteousness does not depend on you but on Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Jn 1:29 This is the truth that you must never, never let go of!

Those who genuinely believe they are righteous in God’s sight are those who are empowered to live a Christlike life. Spending your life on earth in freedom and intimacy with God and then forever in heaven is based upon faith in Christ and not your works! Therefore, hold tight to this truth…

WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!