16. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Most Chrisitans have the beliefs they do because they were exposed to church and/or the Bible as part of their upbringing. Parents or guardians taught them to pray with the familiar words “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…” Many grew up going to church most Sundays, while others were limited to attending on holidays. And yet for others, it wasn’t church at all, they saw a Bible resting in their home everyday. Regardless of how, the understanding of God and Jesus was planted in their minds.
But what about the heart, why doesn’t childhood exposure alone make faith take root, and the scriptures come alive for everyone? Why do most of us drift from God and deeper into a life of sin that usually begins in our teenage years? Why do we lose sight of God but still claim to believe in Him?
The answer is found in Romans 5:19, which tells us, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.” Even before being exposed to God, the sin nature was already in our blood. Jesus remained sinnless because He did not inherit the sin-tainted blood of Adam passed through His earthly father Joseph. His blood was pure — the blood of our Heavenly Father — which is why every beliver in Christ Jesus is cleansed through His shed blood.
Because we are born rebellious toward God, we are born spiritually blind. Not until we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior can the Holy Spirit begin to lift the veil that separates us from God. Therefore, being taught to pray, going to church — no matter how often — or even seeing a Bible resting at home have little effect on building a relationship with God. In fact, merely professing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and Savior has little effect when the heart remains distant. Jesus addressed this when He said in Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” A distant heart is as useless to God, as a Bible resting in the home that is rarely read.
Without engagement, the Word cannot take root in your heart. Without the Word being rooted in your heart, the Holy Spirit cannot do the work of making you born again. Jesus was clear when He said “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). While the veil remains, it is impossible to be born again. Just as you don’t know the person who is behind a veil, niether does Jesus know you when you wear the veil of spiritual blindness.
Jesus recognizes those who belong to His Church Body — not necessarily those attending a church building. His words in Matthew 7:23 are unmistakably clear: “Not everyone that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: but he that does the will of my Father which is in Heaven.” While Sunday fellowship is a good thing, it does not take the place of the temple you are as a child of God. Acts 7:48 teaches, “Howbeit, the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands…” and 1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds us, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” These verses are confirmation that the will of God for you is found within, not without — in the heart that invites His Spirit to dwell, not within the walls where people gather.