Beth Moore Thinks That People Are Naturally Inclined To Seek After God, But What Does Scripture Say?

 

Beth Moore claims that we are born with a drive to seek the things of God [1] but if we are born with that drive, then why do the following scripture passages say otherwise?:  Romans 3:11, Psalm 14:2-3, 53:2-3.

They all say that none seek after God or after righteousness; not by nature at least

and yet it appears as though Moore thinks that seeking after the things of the Lord comes naturally but whether or not that was her intended meaning behind her words, I do not know, but regardless, she is not the only one who has said this, but this belief has become commonplace throughout the Church with many thinking that seeking after God is instinctual.  That may have been the case before sin entered into the world because of man’s disobedience, but what about after sin had come into the world and into man?

Before sin entered into the world, there was perfect harmony between God, man, and the rest of creation and in that state of innocence, man naturally wanted to be with His Maker in fellowship.  The third chapter of Genesis indicates that God would personally visit Adam and Eve frequently in the garden at a certain time of the day, but after Adam and Eve had disobeyed God and ate fruit from a certain tree that they were told not to eat from, (Gen. 2:16-17, chapter 3) things suddenly changed.  Scripture goes on to state that after Adam had joined Eve in eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they noticed their nakedness and felt shame; something about their bodies had changed.  What had once not brought them shame now brought them shame to the point that they tried to hide themselves from the Lord and cover up their nakedness.

Their transgression had resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating the fruit from the Tree of Life, which was also in the garden alongside the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil since their transgression resulted in a death sentence.  Worse than even the death of their bodies which would eventually take place is that because of their sin, they would no longer be able to have direct fellowship with God like they once had and because sin entered into them as a result of their disobedience, sin was then passed down to the rest of us because we are all descended from Adam and Eve thus making us all inherently sinful. (Rom. 5:12)

Sin affects more than just our behavior, actions and even the things that we say and believe, it also clouds our judgment and understanding, corrupts our motives and thoughts, and darkens our hearts which is why we are born alienated from God and blinded to the things of God and therefore, apart from the intervention of God, we will never think to seek Him out which is why it requires an act of the Spirit to lead men to seek out the God who created them, turn away from their sin, and receive forgiveness, redemption, and restored fellowship with their Maker.

But if left to himself, scripture says that man will only seek after that which is contrary to God’s perfect design and desire for him because of his inherent wickedness and even if he does attempt to seek out a power higher than himself, it ends up being a power that is less than God.

But man has never entirely been left to himself, because if he had been left to himself, he, because of the sinful nature in him, would be worse than any beast.  There would not be a single solitary one of us who would not have murdered or at least attempted to murder someone, committed theft, adultery, promiscuity, or some perverse and abominable act nor would there be anyone who has not victimized another person or who hasn’t been victimized themselves, but because our Creator has instilled in us a conscience and a basic understanding between right and wrong, our evil has been limited and yet even under the constraints of the conscience, law, and government, we have all lied, coveted, harbored grudges and hatred towards others even for things not worthy of harboring such hatred, disobeyed our parents, blasphemed our Creator and profaned His name and have held no regard for those things meant to be treated as sacred but it is because of the conscience and because of the understanding of right and wrong that we all have that laws and governments have been established to maintain order and public safety in spite of the fact that many of us may be blind to the true definer of right and wrong, good and evil, and to the true source of law, order, and justice.

God speaks to the heart of every person, appeals to their conscience, reveals evidence of His existence in nature, has given us His divinely inspired scriptures to tell us about our origins, history, what the world was like before the fall of man, how it has come to be the way it presently is, who the God is who made us, our fallen condition, the consequences of our fallen condition and the remedy thereto, the terrifying consequences for rejecting that remedy, and the blessings and rewards that we are destined to receive if we will but accept and abide in the remedy for our sinful condition, what laws and precepts our Creator has given us to govern our lives, what pleases and displeases our Lord, what the ultimate fate of mankind and this present world will be, and the nature of the new world to come.

He even sends His saints out to tell as many people as they can of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord who died upon the cross for our sins and rose from the dead, persuading as many as can be persuaded of its truth and the need to repent of their sins so that they may escape the eternal damnation that they would otherwise face.

But the conscience can be ignored and even silenced, the heart hardened, understanding darkened, nature’s testimony veiled by the lies and deceptions of this world and the dark forces that seek to deceive, ensnare, enslave, and ultimately destroy humanity.  The scriptures can also be rejected, and the messengers of God mocked, ridiculed, and subjected to even worse things.

Yet just because man may be driven by carnality due to his sinful nature, that does not mean that he is devoid of the ability to respond to spiritual things but that ability can only be activated when the things of the spirit world call out to it.

That is a most distinctive thing that separates man from the animals.  Animals only respond to those thing that they can engage with their physical senses.  They only operate on blind instinct with no understanding of right and wrong, good or evil, but man is able to respond to those things unseen because he was created to worship that which is higher than himself and to this day there are two spiritual forces at war with one another over the souls of men; one which appeals to the sensuality, carnality, emotions, and the selfish worldly desires of man.  The other appeals to his conscience, understanding of right and wrong, attempts to reason with his mind, speaks to his heart and not only that, his very soul as well.

It is in that day when the things of the spirit call out to man that he is then given a choice:  Sin or holiness, goodness or evil, right or wrong, submission to God or rebellion against him.

Every person is given this choice at some point in their life, especially at points in their lives that are critical.

The Spirit of God calls out to every person (Jn. 16:8-13) constantly throughout their life and constantly because of His love for us and because of the mercy that God wishes to bestow upon all mankind in spite of his corrupt and fallen state.  It has always been in the mind of God to reconcile all people to Himself, but yet because all have sinned and fallen short of His glory (Rom. 3:23) which is moral perfection and are unable to attain to a morally perfect state because of sin being always present within man, God cannot allow anyone in their sin to enter into His direct presence where there is no sin, but instead has no choice but to eventually punish sin which requires separation from Himself for all eternity which can only lead to the everlasting punishment of the soul who dies in his or her sins because sin is a taint upon everything that would otherwise be good, pure, holy, and incorruptible which is why in order for mankind to be reconciled to God, there needed to be a Redeemer who was able to take upon Himself the required penalty for sin on our behalf which required him to be without sin; (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) that penalty requiring both death (physically and spiritually) which was all suffered by the death of Christ Jesus our Lord on the cross who then was raised again from the dead so that we might through Him, receive the forgiveness of sins needed to restore us to our Maker.

Some choose to turn away from their sins, receive the gift of salvation offered in Christ, follow God, to live in holiness, to walk uprightly before him, to shun evil and choose what is good, to give themselves over to selfless service to the Kingdom of God instead of the things of this world, choosing the praise of God over that of man, to fear God above all else, and the eternal things of Heaven over the temporal things of this world.

Others choose to reject the offer of forgiveness and redemption and follow Lucifer who is the enemy of God and has been so ever since the day that he exalted himself against the Lord God Almighty and was cast from his place by the Heavenly throne. (Is. 14:12-20)  They choose to follow him because they themselves have chosen evil over good, sin over holiness, darkness over light, selfish ambition over selfless service to the Kingdom of God, and the temporal things of this life over the eternal things of Heaven, the honor of man over that of God, and the fear of lesser things instead of the fear of God.

Everyone chooses a side ultimately and where they spend eternity will depend on what side they choose and there are only two eternal destinations:  Heaven, where there is only eternal bliss, joy, and happiness or Hell where there is only eternal torment.

Heaven is filled with people who choose to align themselves with God and submit themselves to Him fully.

Hell is full of people who have rejected Christ and instead have chosen to embrace sin and the things of darkness and therefore will be subject to eternal punishment alongside those things that they had embraced.

Which side will you choose?

If you choose Hell, then neither this post of mine nor anything that I nor anyone else may say will turn your mind towards the God who has offered His love and forgiveness to you nor soften your heart towards Him, but you will have nothing to look forward to but everlasting punishment in the darkness and fires of Hell.

But if you choose Heaven, then all you need to do is turn away from your sins and ask Christ, Jesus who lovingly and mercifully died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead, to forgive you of your sins placing your trust in Him and in Him alone for salvation.  If you feel the call to repent of your sins and give yourself over to Christ, but are not sure what to pray, here is an example of what you can pray:

 

"Lord Jesus I need you.

I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of His standard of Moral perfection.

Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.

In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.

Amen."

 

Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven, your place in Heaven is certain, and your new life in Christ begins.

End notes:

1.  Jeff Maples, “Beth Moore Denies Original Sin, Says We are Born Seeking Things of God,” Reformation Charlotte, October 7, 2020

https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/10/07/beth-moore-denies-original-sin-says-we-are-born-seeking-things-of-god/ 

Scripture references:

1.  Romans 3:11

2.  Psalms 14:2-3

3.  Psalms 53:2-3

4.  Genesis 2:16-17

5.  Genesis 3

6.  Romans 5:12

7.  John 16:8-13

8.  Romans 3:23

9.  2 Corinthians 5:21

10.  Hebrews 4:15

11.  Isaiah 14:12-20