Austin Bible Church
God has absolute sovereignty and therefore, has absolute authority over the universe and has the right to do as He pleases. Psalms 135:6.
“Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” (Psalms 135:6, NASB)
Long before man became a sinner, God in His sovereignty made a decision to treat man in grace. Eph. 3:11; Eph. 2:8-9.
“This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Ephesians 3:11, NASB)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NASB)
Even though God knew mankind would become sinful, God would still treat them in grace. God would love the sinner even though they never deserve it. God still wanted to have fellowship with man and still wanted to send His love and eternal life to man. But God’s grace can only express itself in perfect love and eternal life. Love is the motivator of grace. Rom. 5:8.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NASB)
A sin barrier stood in the way so God could not send His absolute righteousness (+R) through the grace pipeline to man. God with absolute righteousness (+R) cannot have fellowship with unregenerate man with relative righteousness (-R). Rom. 3:23; Isaiah 59:2.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23, NASB)
“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2, NASB)
God’s justice demands a penalty for sin. The wages of sin is spiritual death, which is no fellowship with God. Rom. 6:23.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NASB)
Adam and Eve sinned and died spiritually. As a result, the human race is born spiritually dead due to the imputation of Adam’s original sin and a genetically formed old sin nature. All but one (Jesus Christ in His virgin birth) are incapable of having fellowship with God until they accept the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Rom. 5:12.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12, NASB)
Man does not deserve love from God. God provided grace because He was motivated to do so. God cannot accept sin nor can He be associated with sin, but He still loves the sinner unconditionally. Rom. 5:8.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NASB)
Man’s sin stood in the way of God’s love flowing through the grace pipeline to man. God’s absolute righteousness and justice were not yet satisfied. In His love, God sent His Son to the Cross to die for the sins of the whole world. John 3:16; 1 John 2:2.
“"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NASB)
“and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2, NASB)
The penalty of sin is spiritual death. The Lord Jesus Christ paid for our penalty by His spiritual death while on the Cross and removed the barrier. Col. 1:20-22. See category on Reconciliation. See category on The Barrier Between Man and God.
“and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—” (Colossians 1:20-22, NASB)
God, in His sovereignty, decided to treat man in grace. God’s perfect absolute righteousness and justice stood in the way because sin was in the way. Absolute righteousness cannot have fellowship with relative righteousness. Justice demanded a penalty for sin. In His love, God sent His Son to the cross to die for the sins of the whole world and pay the penalty for sin. So God's absolute righteousness and justice are satisfied and love and eternal life are free to go through the grace pipeline to man. Man now has the potential for a spiritual life. Now, the only barrier between man and God is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. What are you going to do with Christ?
The unbeliever with negative volition has to try to satisfy God’s absolute righteousness and justice through human works and human good. In trying to pay the debt themselves, they will discover that their works are nothing more than relative righteousness and unacceptable to God. Thus, eternal separation from God is their destiny in the Lake of Fire.