Secret Sin
I confess to having a secret sin. Now don’t get all excited, I have no intention of sharing just what that sin is, or even how many I have. We all have at least one secret sin that we carry around with us. Maybe your spouse knows, maybe your best friend or sister knows. Even. if you think you have hidden it so well that no one knows, there is no way that you can hide it from our heavenly Father. Psalm 139:7-9 says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” as King David said, there is nowhere we can go that God isn’t with us. If God is everywhere and knows everything, where does that leave you and me and our secret sin?
If we are Christians and true believers that Jesus came to earth to be born a baby, walked as a man for 30 years, and died on the cross for our sins, then there is only one answer. Give those sins to Him. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This scripture is clear about what it requires us to do. We don’t need the forgiveness of others (unless our sin was against them, but that is for a different blog) we don’t need to tell everyone our private sins to be clean. Because of the work of the cross, we can be confident as it says in Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, (sins) according to the riches of His grace.”
Jesus’ wonderful grace, which the Apostle Paul said was sufficient for him, should be sufficient for you and I as well. But you say I know these scriptures and I have repented and asked for forgiveness, but yet I still feel like a sinner. And when I go to church, I feel like a fake. I think if they only knew my secret, they would kick me right out in the street. Please let me assure you I have felt just like that, but the truth is we need to remember there is not one clean sin free person in your church or mine. Not even the Pastor (sorry honey).
The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Where I come from ALL means ALL. So, get over the idea your feelings of inadequacy and hypocrisy are keeping you from God. Because I have a surprise for you. God knew you before you were born, He knew ALL the sins you and I would commit. And guess what? He loved you and me, anyway! Romans 5:1 gives us this promise to lean on when we feel like a fraud, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peace with God, what a wonderful promise! If we have complete forgiveness, why is it we still feel so bad?
Because we haven’t forgiven ourselves. We keep replaying our failures over and over in our minds. And what we think about the most becomes our reality. I don’t condone sin, in my life or yours, but if we have stopped committing these sins, and they are in our past, then as it said in Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions (sins) from us.” Romans 4:8 wants us to hear this good news, “Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.”
Let’s have joy, our sins have been cleared, and they have been removed from us! Even if you’re a new believer or have grown up in the church, it’s time to start acting like we are the forgiven children of God, not liars hiding our past, hoping no one will find out. Shout it from the rooftop. Once I was a sinner, but now I am free! Sin free.