I'm having a hard time figuring this out. Before you experience Christ, before you invite Him to come dwell inside Your heart, are you far from God, or are You standing at His doorstep?
As I read Scripture, it seems like I find both ideas. For instance, I was just reading Ephesians 2:12, where it talks about the Gentiles who were estranged from the promises made to Israel, having "no hope and without God in the world." I was also reading John 3, where Jesus says that unless you are born again, you "cannot see the kingdom of God."
But what about Acts 17, where Paul says that they were worshipping a God who they do not know? He seems to be emphasizing the idea that they're not as far from the God of the Old and New Testament as one might think. And people who pursue social justice will pick up on these verses and show us how God is moving in the lives of those who have never placed faith in Christ. And yet the straight-up evangelicals will preach distance, alienation, estrangement, separation.
Which one is it? Until you become a Christ-follower, is he near, or is he far?
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