A sad man

I was sitting in Wick, Caithness, as I wrote this column. I have visited this area several times over the years. Like many places, it is a beautiful part of the world on sunny days, and today the sun is shining, making everything very pleasant.

One of my reasons for visiting this part of the world is to give talks on the book of Jeremiah, which is part of both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Jeremiah wrote roughly 2,600 years ago and was a Jewish prophet tasked with informing his fellow compatriots that their ethics were deeply flawed. He warned that if things did not change, they were heading for disaster. Additionally, he had a message for the surrounding nations, which were characterised by greed, pride, and evil practices such as child sacrifice.

I have been struck by how people reacted to Jeremiah's message and how similar their reactions are to my own responses when I hear something I don't want to accept. I believe that the Bible is God's message to humanity, and the truth contained within its pages calls for a personal response from me.

One of the recurring phrases in the book of Jeremiah is: "the word of the Lord came..." It is both amazing and challenging that the Creator is so interested in us that He actively communicates with us. When someone takes the time to reach out to you, it is usually because they either have a relationship with you or want to establish one. Similarly, God desires a relationship with every human being. Our existence began with Him and is dependent on Him. The Bible states, "the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored" (Daniel 5:23, ESV).

The reality is that when God created the first humans, they enjoyed a close relationship with Him. Genesis chapter 3 verse 8 suggests that God often came down to enjoy Adam's company. However, this intimate relationship ended when Adam rebelled against God and created a barrier that kept the Creator at a distance. Another prophet, Isaiah, expresses it this way: "Listen! The LORD's arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call. It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore" (Isaiah 59:1-2, ESV).

This may lead you to believe that God has abandoned us, making it impossible for humans to maintain a relationship with Him. Thankfully, that is not the complete truth. God must distance Himself from all that is evil and sinful because He is holy. Nevertheless, the central message of the Bible is that He has actively taken steps to make it possible for us to be reconciled with Him.

I want to conclude with a quote from the Bible that highlights how God offers a way back to Him for all who are willing to return. It states, "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:19-21) NLT.