We frequently hear this comment out of the mouths of Christians: “My friend is not a Christian, but he’s seeking.” The idea is that there are people all over the place who are searching for God. Their problem is that they just haven’t been able to find Him. Is God playing hide-and-seek?
What are non-Christians seeking? One thing we know is that they are not seeking God. As Paul declared, “There is none who seeks after God” (Rom. 3:11). The unbeliever never seeks God. The unbeliever is a fugitive from God. The natural pattern for humanity is to run from Him, to hide from Him. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus wasn’t the one who was hiding. God is not a fugitive. He is the Seeker; we are the ones who are running. Scripture declares that the wicked flee when no man pursues. As Martin Luther remarked: “The pagan trembles at the rustling of a leaf. The uniform teaching of Scripture is that fallen men are fleeing from God.” In humanity’s sinful state, we may look for answers to life’s puzzles, but we do not seek God.
Why, then, does it so often seem to us that unbelievers are seeking God? We observe them. They are seeking happiness, peace of mind, relief from guilt, a meaningful life, and a host of other things that we know only God can give them. But they are not seeking God. They are seeking the benefits of God. Natural humanity’s sin is precisely this: wanting the benefits of God without God Himself.
Seeking after God is a Christian enterprise. The seeking of God begins at conversion. Though we may proclaim to the world that we “found it,” the finding of God is, ironically, the beginning of seeking after God. To seek God is a lifelong pursuit of a true believer.
Ref: Dr. R.C. Sproul – Pleasing God
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