Start with the Right Assumptions

As it is written, There is none righteous, not even one;

there is none who understands,

there is none who seeks for God.

Romans 3:10-11

We are image bearers of God.  

As image bearers we were inherently righteous in our creation.  Our minds were crisp and clear.  Our ability to comprehend and grow was not inhibited by physical or mental impairments.  We not only understood our calling in life but we had an uninterrupted connection with God.  Seeking Him was not because He wasn't present - to seek Him meant to learn from Him.  He was everywhere, He was ever-present, He was personally relatable and He was completely understandable even though He was God. 

But sin changed everything.  

Our righteousness disintegrated and what was once a desire to learn so that we could imitate was replaced with ignorance, selfishness and rejection.  Sin brought not only physical and spiritual death, but also mental death as well.  As Paul quotes from the Psalmist in his letter to the Romans, because of sin there is none righteous - not even one!  No one understands or seeks after God.  His point in the letter is that the Jews are not exempt from this description - Jew and Gentile alike are dead in their sinful state.

Now, some of you are already squirming in your seats because you can clearly remember your search for God.  If you searched for God, does this fact negate scripture?  Or do we need to investigate a bit further?  

One of the reasons murder mysteries are so popular is the human mind is predisposed to learning.  Because we were created to know God and to be taught by Him, that desire to learn and grow hasn't disappeared because of sin, but the directions in which we search have become horizontal rather than vertical.  I love CSI shows - I love watching the cases develop through the gathering of clues and I am especially happy when I figure out the criminal before the show reveals it.  Whether through visual media or written text, we are constantly seeking, growing and learning...just not naturally towards God.

Romans 1 tells us:

• Creation reveals the existence of God but in our sin we deny Him
• We choose not to honor Him or thank Him, but rather declare our foolishness as wisdom
• We choose to worship the creation rather than the Creator
• Our understanding is darkened by sin and rejection which leads to futility, unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, arrogance, etc.
• When confronted with truth we reject it and bring judgment upon ourselves

Now we see the cancer that sin is - it has replaced the perfect relationship we had with God - it has not only replaced the relationship but has affected our mind and our ability to seek and understand.  

So back to your question about seeking after God - how was it you beat the odds and "found" God in your search for truth?  Well, let's compare scripture with scripture and see how God answers that question:

• "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws (drags) him..."  John 6:44
• "For this reason I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father..." John 6:65
• "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven..." John 3:17
• "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those that believe on His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God..."  John 1:12,13
• "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give it to you..."  John 15:16

Summary:  God granted you the ability to come to Him.  He dragged you to Himself, choosing you because He willed it.  We have to understand that our search for God began with God and His work in our lives.  Being dead in our sin, He made us alive together in Christ (Eph. 2:5).  It's His work, it's His will and as much as we want to take credit for having master investigating abilities, it's not about us and all about Him.

The truth of the verse above is something that as we grow in Christ becomes clearer and clearer.  We cannot understand without God's intervention, we do not seek without His dragging and we cannot be righteous without His Son.

To God be the glory.