Our Secret Sins in the Light of His Countenance
Psalm 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Ephesians 5:11-12 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
These and other passages show us our lives are an “opened book” in the eyes of God, the Father. (Hebrews 4:13) We may think we are “private” in our lives, and what we say or do “in private” is no one’s business but our own, but such thinking is wrong! We cannot hide from God! Adam and Eve tried it – they failed. Elijah tried – he failed. Others have tried – all of them failed. God knows us better than we know ourselves and to Him, our lives are NOT hidden!
Notice Hebrews 4:12 and the fact that His word is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Now couple that fact with the wisdom of Solomon and note what God hates: “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19, emp. mjd) The New Testament hasn’t changed God’s attitude toward “wicked thoughts.” Notice Paul’s statement to the Romans (2:14-16; emp. mjd): “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
Those who believe, “I’m not hurting anyone. It’s my business and so it doesn’t matter,” are fooling only themselves! By inspiration, Paul said, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) The manner of our lives will affect how others see us! Sin is habit forming, and changes our thoughts, our intentions, and ultimately, our words and deeds! Solomon’s wisdom put this fact into the following words: “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?” (Proverbs 6:27 – 28) Sin condemns the soul, and SECRET SINS are no less influential in that regard!
We’ve all heard about the “closet” personality. Before God, there is no “closet” that conceals one’s sins. Those of the flesh may not be as quick to notice as the God of heaven, but we’ll notice! The smell of alcohol is easily detected. The staggering patterns of walking, slurred speech, the lack of coherent thoughts, etc. are common in alcoholics and drug users. Those who “hide” pornography from their spouses, children, or parents (and yes, porn is not limited to adult men!) soon begin to act out the fantasies gained by the lustful looking at such filth. Spouses become the “actors” of the other’s fantasy. Parents abuse children who “excuse” their inappropriate touches as “affection.” These and other open sins all begin with the assumption that “secret sins” are just that – “secret.” They are not!
“Cultural acceptance” doesn’t justify the sins, either! Remember when it was “shameful” for women to smoke or swear? Remember when even “partial nudity” was too much? Remember when men were considered “rude and vulgar” to listen to and much less repeat “off-color jokes? Nowadays, swearing, immodesty (which has evolved into nudity!), homosexuality, idolatry (worship of money, objects of entertainment, personal possessions, et al), and other such sins are today not only “culturally acceptable,” but in some circles they are considered “normal practices of life.” These all began with some “secret affinity” for the sinful – though excused by convincing the sinner, “It’s just a little bit wrong.” It doesn’t matter how “small.” It is still sin!
Christians are commanded, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22) Also, “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” (Romans 12:9) These commandments not only regulate the “public” conduct of our words and deeds, but the “private” life as well. Still, we let it take residence in our homes via the TV. We let it fill the air we breathe when we tolerate it from the mouths and actions of those with whom we associate. Jesus said it plainly when He said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John3:19)
We Christians must remind ourselves that ALL we say and do comes from our hearts: “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34) Further, what we feed our hearts (i.e., minds) becomes our appetite for living. We’ll become addicted to sin, as surely as any other addictive element. Why not try being addicted to the gospel (1 Corinthians 16:15) and avoid secret sins?