Why God rejects anyone

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23

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God rejected all of us – way, way back in time. Every single one of us. We were born disqualified to enter His Holy Kingdom.  But why would God reject anyone?

Read Romans 3:23. Here are three versions:

ERV “All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness.”

EXB “[^LFor; Because] Everyone has sinned and ·fallen short [or is not worthy] of God’s ·glorious standard [or glorious presence; ^Lglory]”

GNV “For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and are deprived of the glory of God”

 

So, we may want to ask: But why doesn’t God just simply declare this?! Why not say:

I accept everyone.

It’s against His nature
He’s powerful enough, right? Well, here’s the thing: That goes against His nature. God’s nature demands perfection.

It’s like the story of the fierce alligator. He promised he would safely deliver the little lamb across the swollen river. But halfway across… the alligator ate the poor lamb. His excuse: “I just couldn’t help myself. That’s what I do!”

Our God is Holy in nature. He cannot just overlook sin. He will not ever do what is contrary to Himself.  Why would Almighty God do that!? (Thankfully God does not make false promises like the fierce alligator does!)

The Bible, God’s Word to us, teaches us that we have all fallen short of His standard: Flesh and blood absolutely cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Not. Absolutely not!

God is holy
God rejects sinners because God is holy, and thus cannot have sin in His Holy Kingdom. We are sinful. He is not. Simple.

In the natural all mankind is “governed by the sinful self“. Paul explains to followers of Jesus: before salvation we were all mere sinners.  We learn this here:

Ephesians 2:3
Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].

Paul emphasizes this again with the statement,

“And such were some of you [before you believed]….”
– 1 Corinthians 6:11

This sin nature
Because of this sin nature we are born with, God requires a complete make-over. Jesus said it this way,

“…You must be born again….”
– John 3:1-16

This is what is necessary. Jesus said it Himself. It happens when we “get saved“: We believe, we are washed (Revelation 1:5), we are set apart for God – and thus justified. See: Promises God makes about your salvation

1 Corinthians 6:11
And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].

How do I get to Heaven?
Want God’s approval?  “Whosoever will may come.” That includes you.

When we come to that place in our living where we finally want to get right with God, we should come to God in simple prayer, with an attitude of sincerity and truthfulness… and ask Him.

God has made it very easy to get saved. It’s not complicated. It’s simple. It’s so simple many cannot grasp it as God’s way to Heaven. Many call it “utter nonsense”.

1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified, [a message which is] to Jews a stumbling block [that provokes their opposition], and to Gentiles foolishness [just utter nonsense].

No matter who you’ve been, what you’ve been, how bad – how “good”… God is asking you to repent and follow Him. That is it! (Luke 9:23)

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“All your life – an unattainable ecstasy has hovered just beyond the grasp of your consciousness. The day is coming when you will wake to find, beyond all hope, that you have attained it, or else, that it was within your reach and you have lost it forever.”
– Source: C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: Macmillan, 1962, pg 147).

There is absolutely nothing you’ve done that God cannot forgive. Nothing. God can forgive any repentant sinner – of any stripe or persuasion. No exception.

– Source: What God asks of us in the Bible

Ready to repent and follow Jesus?

What God wants is that we follow Him in all things.

“You cannot harbor what you may call “special” sin, and just give Jesus bits and pieces of your soul.  Won’t work! He demands all your heart be given to Him.  We will never bring God into “conformity with [our] will and purpose.” He is asking us to conform to His Way.”  – Source: Claiming a sin as – God’s will for you

“If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”
– 1 John 1:9

See: Approach God with a true and sincere heart

⁴³ All the prophets testify about Him,
that through His name
everyone who believes in Him
[whoever trusts in and relies on Him,
accepting Him as Savior and Messiah]
receives forgiveness of sins.”
– Acts 10:43

God is at work
“By nature” we cannot NOT sin! We are slaves to sin. Without the Holy Spirit inside us (which happens at salvation)… it’s just not in us — to not sin. By nature, we will be naturally “indulging the desires of human nature” and our sinful mind will be indulging it’s sinful impulses.

Remember the old joke, “The devil made me do it”.  Not true. Satan can tempt us, and deceive us… but he cannot make us sin.

God is at work convicting people of their sin. And He uses our conscience.  ¹

Salvation is in Jesus only
Maybe you have felt that “conviction” inside from God, along with your conscience? God is at work — and wants all mankind to get saved.

God is asking you to repent. His grace teaches us to reject sin… while all along our human nature wants to accept sin. It’s not easy to reject sin, and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Don’t fool yourself. That act costs us! One must be ready to give it up for Him. Salvation is already bought and paid for, so it’s not cheap. Accepting the gift is free, but choosing Jesus will cost you your life. Be ready.

Forgiven sinners
Once a sinner has been redeemed, bought with a price (the blood of Jesus), then our new life begins brand new. We are still sinners (while in this temp body) but we are forgiven sinners, bound for Heaven. In that instant of salvation – we become children of God. All things become new. We’ve been set free!

The Righteous Person
As redeemed children of God, we read that He has called us to be set apart for Him – holy. The act of getting saved gives us a holy standing in Heaven. Our position within God’s Courts is:

Declared free! Forgiven. Sinless in Jesus.

Never again will we be subject to His wrath.  And then, with the Holy Spirit in us with power, we pursue righteous living. (This is called “sanctification”… where we work with God inside us — to be more and more like Jesus on earth.)

2 Timothy 1:9
for He delivered us and saved us and called us with a holy calling [a calling that leads to a consecrated life—a life set apart—a life of purpose], not because of our works [or because of any personal merit—we could do nothing to earn this], but because of His own purpose and grace [His amazing, undeserved favor] which was granted to us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago],

We leave the wild side behind when we repent. With repentance we are set free from a righteous “God Damn”.

Are you taking along anything from the past, or removing anything from what God has told us in His Word? Well, good grief! That won’ t work with God – at all. It’s His Way all the way.

We are warned to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) and “to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers”. Was your confession accepted by God?

We walk the narrow road. And when we fail and fall, we confess and repent. We get back up and walk with Jesus anew.

 

God rejected all of us – way, way back in time. Every single one of us is disqualified to enter His Holy Kingdom.  Why would God reject anyone? Why doesn’t God just simply declare this? “I accept everyone.”
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Salvation and Receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit

Called by Jesus to be forever on a higher level

Flesh and blood absolutely cannot inherit the Kingdom of God

1. What the conscience is & does
   
   • bears witness – stating in one’s mind the right and wrong of things we do (Romans 2:15, Romans 9:1)
     
   • thoughts alternately are either “accusing or perhaps defending” one’s self (Romans 2:15)
     
   • is “enlightened and prompted by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1).  The Spirit is active in unbelievers as well as believers – convicting them of sin.
   • God works in all our consciences: “that which is known about God is evident within them [in their inner consciousness], for God made it evident to them” (Romans 1:18-19).
   • gives us innate principles, so that we know without being told “what is right before God” (Romans 13:5).
   • gives us “moral courage and personal integrity” (Hebrews 13:18) if we maintain “a clear conscience before God and before men” (Acts 24:16).
   • a clear conscience is part of the goal of instruction in preaching and teaching – love for others, which comes “from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).

   – Source: Keeping a good conscience.