God's graciousness is not totally removed from any individual during this lifetime. In hell, it is.
R. C. SproulNatural manโs sin is precisely this: He wants the benefits of God without God Himself.
R. C. SproulThis means that if a person fulfills his or her vocation as a steelmaker, attorney, or homemaker coram Deo, then that person is acting every bit as religiously as a soul-winning evangelist who fulfills his vocation. It means that David was as religious when he obeyed Godโs call to be a shepherd as he was when he was anointed with the special grace of kingship. It means that Jesus was every bit as religious when He worked in His fatherโs carpenter shop as He was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
R. C. Sproul