"Your Starting Point"

Your Starting Point: Living From Union, Not Separation

“Father, I thank You for Your Word and for Your goodness displayed all around us. You reveal Yourself through every page of Scripture, and as You write those truths upon our hearts, our minds begin to awaken to who You really are, how You love us, and who You’ve created us to be.”

We’re in a season of revelation—of learning, unlearning, and re-learning the truth of who God is. Lately, it feels like we’ve all been on the same page, even without comparing notes. That’s the beauty of the Holy Spirit—He’s speaking the same message across His people, forming us together in unity.

Today, I want to talk about your starting point—your framework in this whole salvation story. What is the foundation your faith has been built upon? Because how you begin will shape how you live.

What Is Your Cornerstone?

Scripture calls Jesus the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). In a building, the cornerstone is the first stone set, determining how everything else is aligned. So, what cornerstone are you standing on in your relationship with God?

Many of us, me included, were raised in church and heard about God long before we understood His heart. For years, my faith was shaped by fear—by the idea that I could somehow fall away, mess up, or lose His presence. I thought God was easily offended and that my job was to stay on His “good side.”

But that framework doesn’t lead to life. It leads to exhaustion, fear, and insecurity. The truth is, God has never been separated from us.

We Were Never Separated

Marcia shared last week that we’ve never been separated from God, and it bears repeating. Psalm 139 declares, “If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." And Jesus said in John 14:20, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”

That’s not separation. That’s union.

If your salvation is built on the idea that you’re distant from God, you’ll spend your whole life trying to get back to Him. You’ll chase something that isn’t even true.

When Salvation Becomes About Performance

If you believe your closeness to God depends on performance, you’ll never feel close enough. The goalposts will always move.

But Galatians 2:21 reminds us, “If righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." You couldn’t close that gap yourself—so Jesus did.

When you believe God is fundamentally angry, you’ll always relate to Him through fear. But 1 John 4:18 tells us, “Perfect love casts out fear." If fear remains, there’s something we’ve misunderstood about His love.

Salvation Is Not a Transaction

For many, salvation was presented as a transaction: You sinned, Jesus paid, say the right prayer, and you’re good.

But salvation isn’t a business deal—it’s an awakening. Hebrews 10:16 says, “I will put My laws in their hearts. ”That’s not a transaction—it’s transformation. It’s relationship.

The gospel is not about earning God’s affection; it’s about realizing He’s always loved you.

If the Gospel Starts With Union…

Then you begin to see that God is not far away. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

If your gospel starts with union, your life becomes a journey of discovering what’s already true. Romans 12:2 says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds—by learning to think differently about God, ourselves, and others.

As one podcast put it so beautifully,

“The gospel is the announcement that God has always been with us, and in Christ He united Himself to humanity—not to condemn it, but to restore it.”

The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son

Luke 15 gives us three parables that reveal the Father’s heart.

• The shepherd searches until he finds the lost sheep.

• The woman lights a lamp and sweeps the house until she finds her lost coin.

• The father runs to embrace his lost son.

In each story, the focus isn’t on what the lost object or person did—it’s on what God did to restore them.

Repentance isn’t groveling or bargaining. It’s awakening. The lost sheep didn’t crawl home—the shepherd carried it. The coin didn’t roll itself back—the woman found it. The son “came to himself”—his mind changed, and he went home.

That’s repentance. Not a spiritual bribe, but a revelation: “I belong to my Father.”

Repentance Is the Fruit of Love

Romans 2:4 says, “It’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. ”We don’t repent to earn kindness—we repent because we’ve experienced it.

Repentance doesn’t make God love us; it helps us see that He already does.

It’s waking up to the union we’ve always had—just as Adam and Eve discovered, even after their disobedience, that God never left them. He clothed them. He protected them. His heart has never changed.

Changing Our Minds, Not Earning His Love

As we change our thinking, our lives begin to reflect truth. Transformation doesn’t begin with effort—it begins with revelation.

God said, “I will put My law on their hearts.” It’s His work from beginning to end. Our part is simply to say yes—to awaken, to receive, and to rest in His goodness.

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your Word and Your goodness. Thank You for revealing the truth that we were never separated from You. Help us to see clearly—to think differently about You, about ourselves, and about others. Let Your kindness lead us into continual transformation. You have always been the one pursuing us, covering us, and calling us home. Amen.

Key Takeaway: Repentance isn’t about trying harder—it’s about waking up to the love that’s already ours. Your starting point is not separation—it’s union.