The wrath of God, the punishment of God, the justice of God, the love of God, and the mercy of God are all the same thing. They are Jesus Christ within you being revealed.

-C. Baxter Kruger

I was in the middle of a conversation with a man who was clearly more knowledgeable about the bible than I was. At one point he casually mentioned that separation from God was caused by our sin, as if this was common knowledge.

I agree that this is common knowledge, but I do not believe it is wisdom.

I timidly said that sin causes us to feel separated from God, but our Father loves us so much, he would never actually leave us. Even in the depths of hell, God is always with us, calling us home.

This man made my case for me, quickly rattling off a handful of bible verses:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

Powers and principalities and nothing can separate us from the love of God. Paraphrase of Romans 8:38 and 39

He quoted two more verses in rapid succession which I had never heard and was unable to commit to memory, but both basically said there cannot be separation from God.

“But if there was no separation,” he concluded, “where is the justice?”

He really knows his stuff, I thought, a little intimidated by how quickly he was able to recall the bible verses.

Yes, but you know Me, came the response deep within my soul. The tone did not suggest this man did not know God. It merely reminded me to keep my eyes on Him.

I smiled to the loving Father who knew just what to say.

This man and I discussed his objections, and we left the conversation unconvinced of the other’s position, but without frustration and anger. We are brothers in Christ, living in different paradigms.  

God, as the sustainer of all things, cannot be simultaneously absent from any part of creation and yet holding it together. If he left hell, it would collapse in on itself and be no more. Hell is not outside His jurisdiction. He created it, so must be keeping it together for whatever purpose He chooses. C.S. Lewis once said, “Hell is God’s monument to human dignity and choice.”

God is omni-present, meaning he is everywhere. How can there be any separation?

But God, in his holiness, hates sin and cannot even look upon it, some will say. Why else would he turn from Jesus on the cross when Jesus said “My God, why have you forsaken me?”?

I would answer that Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, which ends with, “He has not hidden his face from Him.”

If Jesus is the exact expression of God (Hebrews 1:3) then it stands to reason that God is the exact expression of Jesus. So while Jesus eats with sinners and dines with prostitutes, God is also able to do the same. Where did the idea come from that God turns his face on sin because he can’t stand to be in the presence of sinners?? If Jesus can be in the presence of sin, then God can. The Father and Son are one.

And where did this idea come from that God is either just or merciful? Like if you catch him on a good day, you may get off scot-free for your sins? Or a bad day will get you banished. He is not multiple personalities. God is always completely just and completely merciful. His mercy is just. His justice is merciful. They are all the same.

Our sin often causes us to feel separated, but there is never any real separation. Our turning from God can often be a deprivation chamber of our own creation. We fail to see and recognize Him because we are blinded by the muck of our own sin.

We were created simply to be loved. We will always be held in his loving embrace.

How could it be any other way? If he holds all things together, any physical separation would cause us to lapse into non-existence (paraphrase of Athanasius).

What if Colossians 1:20 were correct? That through Jesus, All things will be reconciled to Him?

God will never leave you, not even after death. The paraphrase of Romans 8, alluded to earlier, begins with “Neither death nor life… will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

Mark 9:49 says everyone will be salted with fire. What if that fire has the purpose of burning away all sin and refining us into the Kingdom people we were created to be? Or, as George Macdonald puts it, the consuming fire will burn away all that is not of love’s kind.

The Creator and Sustainer of all things will love us through our death, and will keep loving us until we are reconciled to Him and each other, and only then will we enter the fullness of the new kingdom.