What can keep me from enjoying God’s presence?

Question

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 15:29The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.

Isaiah 59:2It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

Colossians 1:21This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. . . .

1 Peter 3:12“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”

Revelation 21:27Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Sin keeps us from fully enjoying God’s presence, because sin separates us from God, who is completely holy. Forgiveness of sin restores us so we can enter into fully into God’s presence. Someday we will experience the complete wonder and intimacy of his presence in eternity when we see him face to face.