Access Granted

From the time Adam and Eve chose their own way in the garden, sin has stood between us and God. This sin impacted everything. So great was sins impact that Paul actually wrote, “the whole creation has been groaning together” (Romans 8:22). While certain benefits of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection still wait to be realized, some were immediately evident.

One of the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin was that a wedge was driven between God and humanity. God, in His grace, gave humanity the Law of Moses as a way to access Him, but still, it was partial access with very specific rules and regulations. However, as Jesus went to the cross, He paid the price for our sins. He fulfilled the requirements of the Law once and for all. In so doing, we were once again given access to God.

In the Temple, where people went to worship, a curtain separated the Holy Place – where people went to worship – and the Most Holy Place – where God’s presence actually dwelt. Only the High Priest was allowed to go into this Most Holy Place. Simply put, the people had to have an intermediary to go before God on their behalf. However, as Jesus is dying on the cross and as He fulfills the requirements of the Law once and for all, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Luke 23:45). The tearing of this curtain represented the fact that through the death of Jesus Christ, humanity was once again given access to God. The consequence of our sin, separation from God, was removed.

Obviously, the death of Christ was of great significance. However, we must not read these facts as simply historical. They have a very real impact for us today. Just as the people in New Testament times were separated from God by their sin, so are we. While they anxiously awaited their Savior, we must simply recognize that He has come. All we have to do is acknowledge who He is, confess our sins and commit to follow Him – setting a new course for our lives – and we will be saved. Such salvation gives us access to God.

Many times we feel our sin has eternally separated us from God. We feel that while other’s sins are forgiven, ours crossed some invisible line in the sand and cannot be forgiven. Know that Christ died for all sin, even yours. By confessing those sins to the Lord and committing to follow Him, the figurative veil of your heart can be torn in two and you can experience a relationship with the Living God.