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Answer
Some modern churches are promoted as “seeker-friendly,” but the Bible states that “no one seeks God.” Psalm 14:2–3 depicts God searching in vain for even a single heart that seeks Him: “The Lord looks down from heaven on all humanity to see if there are any who comprehend, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” This verse is referenced in Romans 3:10–12, which declares, “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.'” So, if no one seeks God, who are the “seekers” that some churches aim to attract? Furthermore, how are individuals saved if no one is seeking God?
First, we must grasp human nature. Due to Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden “And he said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?'”, (Genesis 3:11), sin entered the world and became inherent in human existence. Since Adam is the common forefather of all humans, we all inherit that sinful nature. We are born with an innate inclination toward rebellion, self-interest, and disobedience. In Romans 7:18, Paul states, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” By ourselves, we cannot pursue God because seeking God is inherently good and holy. Sinful flesh is incapable of engaging in good and holy deeds “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”, (Isaiah 64:6).
Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” «No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. », (John 6:44). In other words, the only way we can seek God is if the Holy Spirit has first stirred our hearts with a desire for God. It is God who draws us to Himself. Ephesians 2:8 underscores this truth: “By grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.” Even the faith to believe for salvation does not originate within our fleshly nature. God enables the fallen human heart to seek Him, when in our own self-centered rebellion we would never do so. Every good thing originates with God «Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. », (James 1:17). Faith in God is a good thing, and so it also originates with God.
Even our best efforts fall far short of the righteousness required by God «for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; », (Romans 3:23). That’s why Scripture says that no one seeks God. We seek fulfillment. We seek pleasure. We seek escape from pain. But the pure motivation of seeking after God for Himself is a gift from God. We are not saved because we had the wisdom and insight to exercise our own faith and trust God. No one wakes up one day and, on his own, decides to seek God. That would be a salvation by our own works, and Scripture is clear we are saved only by the grace and mercy of God (Titus 3:5;Romans 11:6). We are saved when God touches our hearts and prompts us to use the faith.He gives to receive His gift of salvation. Even with the knowledge of God’s existence everywhere, people naturally choose to “suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18-20).
Because no one naturally seeks God, God seeks us. He sought Adam and Eve as they hid in the Garden «And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? », (Genesis 3:9), and He has been seeking His lost loved ones ever since. Jesus gave this as His mission statement: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” «For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. », (Luke 19:10).
When God saves us, we are born again. He opens our eyes to the truth; He gives us faith and forgiveness and fellowship with Him. We become new creations in Christ «Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. », (2 Corinthians 5:17). In our newness of life, we are given godly desires «Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. », (Psalm 73:25), a cleansed heart «let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. », (Hebrews 10:22), and a new mind «For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.», (1 Corinthians 2:16)
In the power of the Holy Spirit, we begin to truly seek after God.
The connection between our salvation and our pursuit of God is demonstrated in how God restored His people after the Babylonian captivity. The ancient Jews initially anticipated a swift return to their homeland, but the prophet Jeremiah advised them to settle in as their captivity would last seventy years: “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” (Jeremiah 29:10). Lest His people despair at the idea of such a prolonged discipline, God assured them that His intentions were to provide them “hope and a future” (verse 11). When the time came, the Jews repented of their sins and earnestly cried out to the Lord. This was precisely what God had predicted: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you . . . and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you . . . and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile” (verses 13–14). The prophet Daniel exemplified this pursuit of the Lord in his prayer for God’s people (Daniel 9:1-19).
