When I’m feeling distant from God, it’s because I’ve measured myself and have come up short. This leads me to believe that God must be measuring me by this this same standard. So I end up with the false conclusion that he’s distant from me. Obviously, the only option would be to achieve in a way that I hadn’t previously.
Andrew Farley – The Naked Gospel
If you’ve never felt like this, consider yourself blessed. I think most, if not all of us have felt distant from God at some point in our lives while looking at our shortcomings. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23 NIV). As Christians, we often use this verse in conversations as we try to guide the lost to the salvation found in Christ, but we also go back to it in our shortcomings. We are constantly reminding ourselves that we fall short of God’s glory because we still sin. I’ve even heard some Christians go as far as saying that every time you sin, you are driving another nail into Jesus’ hand or even killing Him again. While this may be a tactic that works to convince some people to accept Christ, it is an unhealthy view to hold as a Christian.
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy,” (Hebrews 10:14 NIV). Christ died once for all sin. It’s not possible to kill Him again with every mistake you make because He covered them all with one death. If you’ve accepted His gift of salvation, you have been made perfect through His sacrifice. This perfection is realized when we are made holy and received into His Glory in heaven. Until then, we are “being made holy.” Some of our imperfections may remain until we breathe our last breath, but they were all paid for in full by Christ’s death on the cross.