Can I seek God on my own?
Scripture's answer is humbling: left to ourselves, no one truly seeks God. Sin has touched every part of us: the heart is corrupt, the mind is hostile to God, and we are dead in trespasses. This is why salvation must begin with God's grace acting on us, not with our own goodness reaching up to Him.
This question arose from studying What is sin, and where did it come from? and Does everyone deserve God's judgment?.
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What the Scripture says
No one seeks God
Paul quotes the Psalms as a worldwide verdict: 'There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God.' The psalmist has God look down from heaven to see if anyone seeks Him, and the search finds no one. Left to our own momentum, our movement is away from God, not toward Him.
As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.”As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God. They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one.The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
The corruption reaches every part
Sin is not a stain we picked up on the surface; it reaches the heart where everything else comes from. Jeremiah: 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?' Isaiah adds that even our best is tainted: 'all our righteousness is as a polluted garment.' And before the flood, God saw that 'every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was continually only evil.' This is not that everyone is as bad as they could be, but that sin touches every part: the mind, the will, and the affections.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The mind is hostile, not merely mistaken
Paul is blunt about the depth: 'the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh can't please God.' And the natural man 'doesn't receive the things of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can't know them, because they are spiritually discerned.' The problem is not information but direction: our natural selves are pointed against God, and we cannot reverse the direction by deciding harder.
because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God.Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Dead, not merely sick
Paul chooses the strongest word available: 'You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins.' Not weakened, not slowed down: dead. And he makes the condition shared and inborn: that we 'were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.' Death is what Scripture uses when the power to respond is gone, which is exactly the point: the dead cannot reach out, so the life must come from outside.
You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
It is why grace is grace
The diagnosis humbles us, and it also points to rescue. Because we could not seek Him, God sought us: 'But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).' John says the new birth comes 'not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' Where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly. The point of knowing our inability is not despair; it is emptying our hands to receive what we could never reach for.
But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
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Why did Jesus have to die?→Jesus Christ trail“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”Did God choose me to be saved before I chose Him?→The Gospel trail“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”Can anyone resist God's grace?→The Gospel trail“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”Why does God harden hearts?→God the Father trail“but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth;And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.”Can someone whose heart has been hardened come back?→God the Father trail“Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call you on him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.”As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be.Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
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