OK, this is a hard one. Even though it’s biblical, many contemporary Christians don’t understand this very real theological truth.
No unbeliever ever seeks God. What, you say? How can that be!? Isn’t that why we have seeker-friendly churches? So that unbelievers can seek God?
What misconceptions we foster because we choose to be negligent of God’s Word! R. C. Sproul says in his book, Knowing Scripture: “Here then is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.”
Our slothfulness causes lots of problems. Isn’t that a great word? Slothfulness. Our slothfulness (laziness), among other things, has caused us to believe inaccuracies and then declare them to be personal, falsely-declared self truths — things which, in fact, are not truths at all. Our laziness has caused us to make poor choices and led us down rabbit trails that have no eternal destination.
In Romans 3:10-11 we are told, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. In our human, earthly, un-regenerated state, none of us would seek God. It’s simply not in our nature to do so.
Yes, here it comes again – another Sproul quote from his book, The Soul’s Quest for God. I’m sorry! (Not really). Sproul has taught me so much. His clear cut teaching has meant a lot to me as I’ve grown to know God better and I’ve been reading a lot of him lately. Here’s what Sproul says: “Fallen humans are not by nature seekers after God. We are fugitives from God, fully intent upon escaping from him.”
Sproul goes on to relate that Saint Thomas Aquinas gave an answer to this preponderance. Aquinas explained that the unbeliever desperately seeks happiness, peace of mind, meaning and significance in life, relief from guilt and a host of other things we link inseparably with God. These are mere benefits of God. That, however, doesn’t mean we are seeking God.
What Sproul and Aquinas are saying is that our heart desires to run from God. We don’t necessarily want to be caught. We seek the benefits that God offers us but without all the hassle of really knowing Him. Since it is not our nature to seek God, until regeneration takes place, our hearts cannot understand a Holy God nor do we desire to understand Him.
Yet God desires that his people would worship Him in spirit and truth. God desires that we grow in the knowledge of Him. He desires that we mature and do not remain spiritual infants. God seeks such people to worship Him. Authentic worship studies the Word of God in order to know the true God.
Psalm 119:1-12 is another beautiful example of the importance of knowing God’s Word:
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!
Notice in this Psalm that there is a correlation between seeking and knowing God’s word. Seeking with one’s whole heart. The two co-exist. Those who love God want to know more about Him — the real Him. Those who love God are the real seekers.
Also notice in this Psalm that the writer intensely desires to follow God, but he is not saying that he is successful at doing so. He is merely trying to say that his human heart desires to follow the statues of God to the best of his sinful nature. Most of us know that we do fail — and will fail. That includes Christians. We can be thankful that God forgives our failed meanderings when we confess them to Him and ask forgiveness in the areas that we fail. He is compassionate towards our plight.
It is the Christian who seeks God. When we find Him, it is only the beginning of our journey. In order to understand God, we must be motivated to study His word so we have an accurate portrayal of Him. In order to seek God, we must love him. Solomon reminds us of this in Song of Solomon 3:2, “I will seek him whom my soul loves.”
Lord, help me to love you so much that my heart desires to know you deeply. Help me to desire the substance of the Word you have provided for me. Help me to thirst for you.
