The Encourager
“God Hates Separation by Mike Richardson”
It is of great interest to go through the Bible and take note of what God hates. One things that I believe we can put our finger on is the fact God hates separation in most cases. God has gone to great lengths to bring about reconciliation. Notice some things that causes separation that is against the will of God.
(i)Physical death. Physical death came into the world has a result of man being cast out of the Garden of Eden (Gen.3). Physical death is a by-product of spiritual death. Physical death is when the spirit of man leaves the body. James writes in James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Death is called the last enemy. Paul writes in I Cor.15:26 that “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death…” Thus, God hates the fact that sin removed man from the Garden He made and thus eliminated access to the tree of life. Physical death is separation of body and spirit and was a result of sin.
(ii)Spiritual death. Spiritual death is the separation of man away from God. This is the warning God gave Adam in Gen.2:16-17 “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” They were separated from fellowship with God because they disobeyed God and rebelled against His will. God in this case is not talking about physical death, He was informing Adam that if they chose to sin, to go against His Divine Word that their relationship would be severed. The day Adam and Eve sinned they did not die physically, but spiritually they were dead (separated) from God. All who are accountable have sinned (Rom.3:23). Man who is in sin is spiritually dead. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” So man needs to be reconciled to God that he may be in fellowship with God. Romans 5:10-11 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” Like the son in Luke 15:24 “for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” we are now “alive” in the presence of God. Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” Therefore, notice how we should present ourselves to God. “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:13 Look at the cross and see the cost Christ paid to reconcile you to God and bring forth life for you. God hate
