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Does God Withdraw from Us and Test Us?

< Back to Tough Questions about Salvation

The answer is, “no.” God never withdraws from us — He is always present and loving us. We are however, left in freedom and we can use that freedom to turn away from the Lord if we choose. The Writings also teach that when we are going through temptation that the Lord draws even closer to us, but that it can feel like He’s farther away. This is because the closer the Lord is to us, the more freedom we are in, and the more it feels like we are doing things on our own. The bottom line is that God is all loving and ever present. He doesn’t choose to leave us or back away.

He tells us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)

From the New Church of Boulder Valley website

Based on the Holy Bible, The New Church gains further inspiration and understanding through the teachings of 18th century scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg. In his 35 volumes of theology, Swedenborg helps set forth the Lord's plan for a rebirth of Christianity, a clear vision of God in His own Word, and what that means in our lives.

“When married partners love each other tenderly, they think of eternity in regard to the marriage covenants, and not at all of its being terminated by death.”
Married Love 216

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Thumbnail An Introduction to the New Church (Flash) Explore the beautiful foundational teachings of the New Church about a loving God, marriage in Heaven, the Second Coming, and more.