LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
How does sin separate us from God?
Submitted to Dr. James Sulfridge
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
By
Anthony Bean
How does sin separate us from God?
A simple way to define sin is “the act of going against God and His ways” (Romans 3:23). It
makes sense that, when we are going against something, we are separate from it. By definition,
then, sin separates us from God.
Since God is the creator and giver of life, to be separate from Him means to be
experiencing death (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1). The Bible describes the unrepentant: “They
are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18). Sin hardens us.
Ongoing sin is a series of decisions, each one choosing against God’s authority in our lives and
substituting our own. Those decisions create a wall between us and our Creator because we
cannot have two masters. Jesus said we “will hate the one and love the other” (Matthew 6:24).
Not only are we separate from God when we are ruled by sin; we are His enemies (Colossians
1:21). This separation from God created by sin dooms us to an eternity away from Him—except
for one thing: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).
The separation exists because God is perfect and we are not. The universe He created was
perfect. The human beings He made in His own image were perfect until sin messed it all up
(Genesis 1:27, 31; 3:1–24). The moment Adam and Eve sinned, their “eyes were opened”
(Genesis 3:7), and they knew that a separation had occurred; something had come between
them and God. They became aware of sin and its consequences. Part of God’s perfection is His
perfect justice, and justice demands that sin be reckoned with. To overlook the sin would not
be just, so the sin stood between humanity and the righteous Judge.
In an act that foreshadowed God’s ultimate plan, He killed a perfect animal in the Garden
of Eden and covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness with its skin (Genesis 3:21). God counted the
blood of that substitute as payment for the man’s sin. Without the shedding of innocent blood,
there could be no forgiveness, and mankind would be eternally separated from God (Hebrews
9:22). Jesus Christ’s shedding of His blood on the cross was an intentional act that would
forever bridge the separation between mankind and God. “Whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16; cf. John 3:17–18). God counts the blood of His Son as
sufficient payment for the debt we owe. When we trust in Jesus as our personal Lord and
Savior, God closes the gap that yawned between us (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13–15).
However, even as Christians, our sin can continue to separate us from God’s fellowship.
Sin is like a dark curtain pulled over a sunny window. The sun is still there, but the curtain
creates a separation from its warmth and light. Repentance lifts the curtain and restores the
relationship we once enjoyed (1 John 1:9). Any unconfessed sin in the life of a follower of Jesus
can create a sense of separation from God. God does not leave us, but the light and warmth of
fellowship was cut off when we chose sin. We do not lose our salvation, because Jesus paid our
debt in full. But we can lose the love, joy, and peace of the Holy Spirit when we persist in living
apart from God.
King David felt such a separation when he sinned. He lusted after another man’s wife,
slept with her, and then had her husband killed to cover up his sin (2 Samuel 11). God was
displeased with David’s actions and sent Nathan the prophet to confront him (2 Samuel 12).
Although David sinned greatly, he repented thoroughly. Psalm 51 is David’s cry of repentance
to the Lord. He suffered consequences because of his sin. The infant conceived in that
adulterous union died as a part of David’s judgment (2 Samuel 12:15–25). But when David
repented, the separation his sin had created was gone. When we sin and God confronts us, we
should not defend, justify, or excuse our transgression. We must repent of it and let the
forgiveness of God restore us to fellowship with Him.
For every human problem, God has a solution. Even though we created the problem, God
rescues us when we call on His name (Proverbs 18:10; Romans 8:28–30). Separation from God
does not have to define our relationship with Him. We can confess our sin, trust in His offer of
salvation through faith in His Son, and accept the full pardon Jesus’ sacrifice provides (Isaiah
43:25; Psalm 103:12; John 1:29; Hebrews 8:12). Sin separates us from God, but the grace and
mercy of Jesus restores anyone who will receive Him as Lord of their lives.
