Many Christians believe that when they sin, God turns away from them, he leaves them because he can’t be in the presence of sin. And then when we repent he comes back.
I have been thinking about this and it seems to me that the Bible teaches something different.
First of all, there are many examples in the Bible that make it clear that God can be in the presence of sin. Satan was in the presence of the Lord in Job chapter 1 verses 6-12 and chapter 2 verses 1-7. God not only allowed Satan in his presence, but took his suggestion to strike Job. Jesus was God incarnate. He came into our world and lived and ate with sinners. Also the Bible teaches in Jeremiah 23:23-24 that God is omnipresent. God is present everywhere. He fills heaven and earth. If he is everywhere, then he is in the presence of sinful people.
If God could only be around us when we were morally perfect, wouldn’t that mean that such a thing was possible? Have you ever had a day you were morally perfect? I haven’t. Every Christian in the world wrestles with sin every single day of his or her life. Even the apostle Paul complained, “The good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:20). Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 4:4 that even though his conscience is clear, it does not mean that he is innocent. None of us is conformed to the image of Christ overnight. Sanctification is a lifelong process. That process will not be complete until we are clothed with our imperishable bodies, enter the Holy City, and see the Lord face to face. If we had to be morally perfect for God to be in our presence, then he would never be in our presence. And yet God lives inside of us. (1 Cor. 3:16) And he is with us. (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5)
If God can only be around us when we are sinless, that would make God’s forgiveness conditional. God’s love for us always has been and always will be in spite of our behavior, not because of our behavior. (Eph. 2:4-5 “We were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” Titus 3:3-5 At one time we were foolish, disobedient… but when the love of God appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Rom. 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”) The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is given because of God’s grace, not because of our good behavior. And if it is not based on our behavior before our salvation, it doesn’t get taken away based on behavior after. (Rom. 11:6; Gal. 2:16, Gal. 2:21; Eph. 28-9) The Bible also clearly teaches that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1-2; Jn. 3:17; Rom 8:33-39)
Maybe the idea that God can’t be in the presence of sin comes from Habakkuk 1:13 where it says that God’s “eyes are too pure to look on evil”. Could it be that Habakkuk 1:13 is a picture of God’s moral perfection and holiness? Maybe it is not meant to be a statement about his physical presence. We know God does not literally have eyes. God is spirit (Jn. 4:24) and does not have a physical presence.
The Bible teaches that God is opposed to sin and evil, that he is holy and righteous. We know that eventually he will quarantine evil from good when he creates the New Heaven and Earth (Rev. 21). At that time, God will physically separate those who love him from those who don’t. Those who love him will no longer be in the presence of sin from that point forward.
Until then, God tolerates the presence of sin in order to accomplish his purposes with mankind. Thank goodness, because if God truly could not be in the presence of sin, none of us would be here!
