by Rev. Jack Barr

Hi XXXX;

Statement Question:
God cannot be in the presence of sin, right?

Answer:
Wrong! To say that God cannot be in the presence of sin is to say that God cannot or will not ever come to the Earth because there is sin on the Earth. That would be saying that there is no God here.

We can start with Genesis 3:8 "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden."

We see In this part of Genesis that Adam and Eve had just sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit, and God comes down to be with, and to talk to these sinners. Therefore, God was now in a place where sin was. So much for the idea that God can not be in the presence of sin.

And again, Jesus Christ, who is God, took all of our sins on himself when he was on the cross. You can not get any closer to sin than that. Our sins, not his, for he didn't have any sin himself.

Isaiah 53:12 "Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

What God has made clear, is that there will never be sin or anything that is sinful in Heaven, or in New Jerusalem where God will reside with the saints. There are many who also call New Jerusalem Heaven, because God will reside there.

Revelation 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither he that worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Only those who Obey God can enter in.
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

The sinner will not enter heaven because they are not humble and contrite.
Isaiah 57:15 "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

Galatians 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Revelation 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Rev. Jack Barr