Recently I saw myself as something I had never thought of myself as before, unfaithful. I had,for all intents and purposes, cheated on a girlfriend that I claimed to love and sought to marry. While our paths have since separated, I have seen some of the effects my infidelity has had on her; she was devastated, questioning every single word I had said and I whether I truly cared for her all along. Her self esteem was all but destroyed as she reasoned it was only because I was not attracted to her and sought beauty elsewhere. She was hurt in more ways than I can see all because of my selfish and sinful actions.
But there was another more hurt than her and it was due to my infidelity to Him. God, the sovereign creator of the universe demands my love and praise and honor and when I turn away and sin, I am being unfaithful. The book of Jeremiah is chock full of vivid, descriptive language equating Israel's sins against the Lord to adultery. Through many metaphors and sometimes blunt descriptions, it is shown that sin is, in it's essence, adultery from the true love we have in God. Jesus called the church his bride and we, as his bride, have been whores.
We have turned away each to his own way and there is none perfect, no not one. Just as with my girlfriend God is grieved when we essentially sleep around, but he is not grieved in humans termed. His self esteem is not hurt and he doesn't lose self confidence. He is hurt because of His love. He knows that everything we need for life and Godliness is found in Him and when we turn away, we are turning away from what we really need. If we are truly saved then nothing can separate us from the love of God and when He looks upon us, He sees the righteous of Christ given to us, however sin does create a distance with God.
When we sin, we are not any less saved but the Bible teaches us that we are to confess are sins and that God is faithful to forgive them. This doesn't mean that if we die without confessing every sin then we are going to hell but is to say that we need to humbly come to God in confession to restore the relationship we once enjoyed. Sin affects our ability to pray and our ability to discern and hear God's voice. It is only through that humble confession, when we admit we were unfaithful, that God is faithful and just to forgive those sins.
Going back to my situation with my girlfriend, if I were simply to come to her now with a bouquet of flowers and a diamond necklace asking her to take me back, it would seem disingenuous and would probably be unsuccessful. I cannot buy back the love and trust that I lost through my sin. Neither could I come with many words, promising change without any difference in the way I was acting. In the same way, we attempt to buy or earn God's favor by reading more bible or going to church. Our actions and obedience can never do enough to regain right standing with God because our sin condemns us in His righteous eyes. As the Bible teaches, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
Supposing I were to go to my girlfriend and humbly confess my sins, admit that I was wrong and ask for her forgiveness. She would probably respond better than my attempts to buy her love and forgiveness. Because of her real hurts she probably would not be quick to forgive or trust me but she would have the option. God shows His love for us, and sets himself apart from humans, by promising and delivering on that promise to forgive us every time we confess our sins to Him. He is faithful to take us back every time we turn our lustful eyes on other gods that ultimately will never satisfy us. He is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. Even when we defile the proverbial marriage bed, He still hold out His loving arms.
Why? Why does He does this? Because of His love and because of the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. As I stated, our righteousness is not of our own doing but the work of Christ. We have turned to adultery more than enough times to condemn us to an eternity apart from a righteous God but God so loved the world that He sent his only son to die so that whoever believes in Him as their savor will not perish, but have eternal life.
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