Little Sins
This is something I wrote a couple of years ago. I think it speaks a lot of truth, so I post it here in hopes that it may help you. It is a long posting of 3 parts, about 5 pages of paper. But it deals with the root of sin, the typical human willingness to treat it like it is no big deal, and God’s willingness to treat it viciously.
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Part 1
Most of those who sin don’t start out with the notion “I think I will disobey God today.” It starts more subtly, usually with a desire. The more grievous sins that get put on the evening news started out the same way. A thought, an image, a desire that passes through the mind and catches a certain fancy. Unseen creatures that have been watching us since the beginning know what pushes our buttons. “If not this concept, then how about this one? Ahhh, there we go.” For example, a few years ago a guy raped and murdered the little girl next door to him. More than likely he didn’t start out his life with the goal of doing that. One day he got thrilled by the idea of underage sex. Then he thought about it again. And again. Then he pursued images. Then he wanted the “real thing”. Why did he do it? Because he wanted to. He didn’t start out that way, because it would have been unthinkable. But little by little, he grew to really like the idea. Every time he gave in to the fantasies, he was pushed and manipulated a little bit more by unseen enemies. Did he know it was wrong? Of course he knew it was wrong. But by then he had imagined it so many times, he probably thought she would like it as much in reality as she did in his fantasy. However, it probably didn’t turn out at all like his fantasies, and then he had to deal with the reality of what he had done. He tried to hide it by killing her and dumping her. But you can’t hide. People who love her are looking for you. You aren’t good enough to hide your tracks. (He was eventually caught).
I’ve encountered two men in the past ten years who have done things they knew were wrong, but both of whom said to me “You don’t think I’d do that, do you?” One was accused of being overly attracted to little children, and was soon convicted of molestation. The other man was just accused of going through his roommate’s belongings. Then one day I found him going through my belongings. Both wanted to keep the public face of being righteous, but both harbored motivations that were invisible until they played themselves out.
Road rage. Why on earth would someone react so strongly to being cut off in traffic that they’d run someone off the road, and then pull the driver out of the car and beat him or her senseless? Some sort of unwritten rules were violated, rules that exist only in the mind of the drivers. Pride demands that the rules be enforced to the point of death. “After all, everyone knows you shouldn’t ____.” “Everyone knows you ought to ____.” “Didn’t mean to kill him. Just sorta happened. Can’t I just put another quarter in and play again? I’m not a murderer! He deserved… Why wouldn’t he go faster?” When the unwritten rules are pronounced out loud, they seem to lose their urgency and importance. What is right (driving safely) became a shadow, and the fantasy of the unwritten rules became extremely important. The result is death.
When Judas betrayed Jesus, he probably thought, “He gets out of every sticky situation. I bet I could make some money off this talent of his.” He thought it was nothing big, certainly he didn’t think he was actually betraying the Son of God to death. He hung around to see what happened. When he saw Jesus bloodied and handcuffed, the unseen enemies removed the blinders and condemnation replaced his greed. He threw the money back to the priests, but he couldn’t undo what he had done. “It was just a simple setup. I only wanted some pocket change. I didn’t mean any harm. Oh God.” He killed himself. Jesus said it would have been better if Judas had never been born. Think about that. He never raped and murdered, but his “little” sin produced a fruit that killed the beloved of God and brought him a condemnation unlike any other.
It always starts as a desire. Maybe an image. Then a scheme. Yeah….
The root is unbelief. Or perhaps belief that there isn’t “really” anything going to happen eternally because of this. There are a couple of stories from the Bible that show how important a one-time thing can be. A man named Achan took a robe, some silver and some gold in a battle (Joshua 7). Normally, in battle this is ok, but this battle belonged to God and He said to take nothing. So taking these items was defying God, and he knew it, but he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. The first verse in that chapter blames all the Israelites and God’s anger is poured out on all of them because of the one man’s sin. It seemed like a small thing, and physically speaking it was a small thing. Nobody was hurt directly by what he did, and to our eyes it is an insignificant thing. But God saw it and everyone suffered. Eventually this man and his family died for this transgression.
Another account is how Reuben, one of the sons of Israel, was attracted to his father’s concubine and slept with her (Genesis 35:22). It apparently only happened once, but Israel heard about it. He didn’t do anything to Reuben at the time, and Reuben never humbled himself to Israel to ask forgiveness. But years later, when it came time for Israel to bless his children, he told Reuben that he will “excel no more, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” (Genesis 49:3-4). He lost his rights as firstborn of Israel and lost the right to be in the genealogical record. (1 Chron. 5:1-3) In a very real sense, he was vaporized.
Then there is Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. He later wanted it back and repented with tears, but the blessing was lost forever. He traded what was good for something else that felt good at the moment; a simple decision that didn’t seem like anything at the time.
Lot’s wife looked back once and died instantly. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but she stands as an example of holding onto our past as a treasure, instead of leaving it behind. One look back can destroy us. The curiosity may have been overwhelming, but the command was very simple: Don’t look back.
Annanias lied to the Holy Spirit and died on the spot. His wife soon followed him. It seemed like it would be ok to save some money, and to get a little glory by presenting it as the whole price and laying it at the feet of the apostles. But that wasn’t how God saw it, and it cost him and his wife everything.
The two sons of Aaron were killed by God for offering “strange fire”, i.e. approaching God in a way he had not approved. It seems drastic to us, but it demonstrates that God is holy and we can’t do whatever we want to in His presence.
In 1 Chronicles 13:8-10, the ark of God is being brought back to Jerusalem, but not in the manner God had prescribed. When the ark faltered on the cart carrying it, Uzzah reached out to steady it and was killed by God instantly. One simple act in the midst of a celebration of God’s victory.
These sins seem small to us, but there is no repentance once judgment has been given. And the judgment seems so drastic. But God is God, and His thoughts are not like ours and His ways are not like ours. What we esteem, He despises. What we despise, He esteems. He is right, and we are wrong. We see the tip of the iceberg and it looks like nothing to us. God sees the evil under the surface and calls it the devil. For example:
Peter just thought he was being nice to Jesus when he told him not to talk about dying.
Ananias thought he was just telling a “white lie”; nobody will be hurt by it and no big deal.
Judas didn’t even realize that he was infested by the Prince of Darkness himself. Judas was an apostle of Jesus Christ the Son of God, chosen by Him to bring the good news to the world.
What do I really like? What is it that I love that God hates? What is it that I hate that God loves? Have I swept a room and kept it clean for the devil, or have I invited Jesus into every aspect of my life? I have to ask God to show me. I can’t assume, since mankind doesn’t think like He thinks. I might really like something that God hates, and it could do serious spiritual harm. Conversely, if I suddenly decide that something is wrong, I can end up doing damage to myself and to others by just hacking away at my life thinking I am going to please Him, when all the while it is fine. Just because something seems nice doesn’t make it the devil anymore than it makes it from God. Ask Him. Seek Him. If you know it is wrong, stop it.
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Part 2
Roots of sin/Denial
Temptation seems to be a manipulation of the desires and emotions. Things that would consciously seem horrible or wrong are transformed into something desirable. Even while knowing that the “thing” is bad, the person is made to feel that it is interesting, fun, right, good, and pleasurable. If you don’t feel it, it doesn’t seem real. What is truly good is made to seem pallid and uninteresting when compared with sin. Good is then more easily ignored, as if it were not even there. The imagination is given priority as though it were real. So reality is inverted when temptation is at its peak. Bad seems good, good is pushed aside. Usually, good can still be felt, but the temptation is playing off of a desire for something that we like and that makes it hard to turn away. All sin is done because the person wanted to do it. No one is forced into sin.
In the movie “Psycho”, the character Norman was horrified by the brutal slayings, but was also the one doing it. He walled it off in his mind and became a sort of Jekyll/Hyde. Most of the time he seemed fine, but under the right circumstances he became someone else. I have seen trial footage of various criminals who deny any involvement with the crime, even when videotaped committing it. I saw a woman who was convicted of child abuse after she was videotaped smacking around a little toddler. She was the boy’s babysitter. After viewing the tape at the trial, she looked at the parents and said, “I want you to know that I would never hit your child.” This kind of denial is astounding to me, but is played out in everyone to some extent. We just don’t want to believe that we could be evil, and we certainly don’t want to be punished for it. Another tape showed a man convicted of date rape of at least a dozen women. He would use a drug in their drink, take them home and abuse them. After his conviction he told the women “You are all wicked. I would never rape anyone, the very idea disgusts me.” Yet the evidence was overwhelming that he was guilty. The strange part is that he was a very popular guy and could have had “legitimate” relations with as many as he wanted. But something about the drug made things more interesting to him. He had no real reason to do this outside of fulfilling a fantasy. It was more thrilling to have something forbidden.
The Bible makes it clear that “No temptation has come upon you but what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” From this I can derive that what tempts me is also being used against most other men, and vice versa. The difference is in what we do with it. But I think it is always true that the more a man contemplates and enjoys a fantasy, the more willing he is to act on it, be that lust, murder, road rage, etc.
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Part 3
Obvious and Hidden Sin
Some people have pointed out that a preacher friend of mine has some flaws and sins that they don’t care for, and that he should repent of. I’ve been thinking about how I should respond, if I respond at all. I’m not his defender or middleman, and I am not here to excuse sin. I’ve witnessed the same things they’ve mentioned, so I know that he has a sinful nature to deal with like the rest of us. However, every person I know has an ugly sinful side that most people don’t get to see. A tapestry or needlepoint looks great on one side, but the other side that is hidden from view is a mess. Most great preachers and teachers that people honor and hold in high regard, still have to deal with their own sinfulness, and like most people they turn a blind eye to a lot of it or justify it in some way.
Conversely, my friend spends a lot of time in spiritual disciplines that we all should be doing and are not. He has spent the last quarter century ministering in a place that most of us wouldn’t consider going to, even for a visit. He once said, “Don’t tell me what to do unless you’re going to get into the water [of a raging river] with me.” Jesus spoke an analogy regarding this when he said “Why do you try to remove the speck from your brother’s eye when you have a log in your own? First remove the log, then you will be able to see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” The problem is that most of us are not aware of the log, nor do we see any reason to remove it. Some are even proud of their logs. The sin of some people is obvious, while other people keep theirs concealed pretty well. It is easy to sit back and pick out flaws, and allow the flaws to eclipse the good being done. It is easy to ridicule some one else’s work, while not working ourselves. Something that we consider a huge shocking deal may turn out to be a speck in his eye, while our willingness to condemn and take life easy may turn out to be a log in our own eye.
Solomon spoke a proverb about how people put on a “face” to appear one way while being another. Proverbs 23:1-8 warns his son about the dangers in politics and dealing with those who want to butter you up and be your “friend”. He says that all we can see is the outside “face”, but “As he thinks in his heart, so is he” (v.7), i.e. he may very well be plotting your downfall, so be on guard. Or as Solomon aptly said, “Put a knife to your throat” and be careful whom you call a friend. In the same way, people are typically good at hiding their true nature from others, and even from themselves. Hypocrisy is probably a lot more commonplace than we would like to admit.
Hypocrisy is a root of destruction. We all have an ugly side, but the difference is in what we do with it. Many people will be shocked and surprised on Judgment Day when they are blocked out of the presence of God. They always assumed they would go to Heaven and walk the streets of gold. “But Lord!!!” The horror at realizing what could have been, and knowing that it will never be theirs, only eternal suffering and torment instead – will bring about much wailing, mournful cries, and gritting of teeth.
*Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
*Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
*By your words you will be acquitted, by your words you will be condemned.
*Men will give an account for every careless word they have spoken.
*Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me.
*Whatever you didn’t do for the least of these, you didn’t do for Me.
*This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.
So then, what can I conclude? Jesus led the way to the cross that I must bear today. I must die so He can give me life. The only answer is to become a new creation. It is written, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” Who will nail me up? It sounds so simple, but it seems to be difficult to actually attain. “Do not be deceived; He who does what is right is righteous, even as He is righteous.” 1 John 3:1-10 deals with how John expects a Christian to behave. He expects us to behave like Jesus, and expects that we have seen Him and know Him. He speaks of us being “now” the children of God, and that when He appears we shall be like Him. Some have concluded that we don’t have to do anything, that Jesus did it all. As far as the act of bringing salvation, that is true. But now that we are “in the Vine”, we are expected to remain in the Vine and to bear fruit, lest we be cut off and thrown into the fire.
Then I look at my own life and see the filth of my own mind, the rage, malice, lust, envy, and pride that pollute me. I know what I ought to be, but see instead the grossness of the world. The Apostle Paul said something similar, pitting the fleshly desires against the mind that aggress with God, but also concluded that Jesus will rescue him from “this body of death”. Does this mean that only at death are we freed? The very next verse (Romans 8:1) states that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” What the statutes of the Law could not accomplish, since they were weakened by sinful flesh, God accomplished by fulfilling the requirements of the Law in the death of Christ. But then he goes on to say that it is those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit are led by Him and have their minds controlled by Him, not by the flesh. This is the key. The Holy Spirit dwelling inside me is the only way of freedom. This is made possible through the death of Jesus and His resurrection. Romans 8:12-17 goes on to say that living according to the flesh brings death, but living by the Spirit brings life.
I want to be filled with God, immersed (baptized) in God, saturated with God, and possessed by God. When we are one, then I’m ok. I don’t know how to get there from here, except to ask.
Recap of simple decisions that led to destruction
Eve: Fruit looked good to eat, chomp.
Cain: Abel really bugged him, whack.
Esau: Hungry!!! Gave his birthright away for stew.
Aaron’s sons: Approached God’s presence unauthorized. Fire consumed them.
Reuben: Passion for the moment. Lost sonship and inheritance.
Uzzah: Touched the ark of God. Struck down.
Lot’s wife: Just one more look… Salt.
Achan: Just a bit of silver and cloth. Slaughter.
Judas: Jesus won’t be arrested, He always gets away. Suicide and damnation.
Ananias: Just a little white lie. Dead.
Sapphira: Yeah, just a little white lie. Dead.
When the tower of Siloam fell on some people, Jesus said that they were not any worse sinners than the rest of the people, but that the rest who are alive need to repent or they will likewise perish (suddenly and without recourse).
The same held true for those who were in “church” offering sacrifices, and Pilate ordered them slaughtered. Jesus said that they were not worse sinners than anyone else, but that their deaths should serve as a warning to us to repent.
I’m becoming increasingly convinced that people who spend intimate time with Jesus are more aware of the real “fruit” in other people’s lives. The fruit that Jesus spoke of is something that happens by being close to him and abiding in him. He was very black & white about this fruit also: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Thus, it must be more than the outward face that we put on, because even cult members can do good things and be moral people. This fruit must be spiritual, and is spiritually discerned. God can reveal a person’s secrets to someone who is intimate with Jesus. So we ought not to think that our hypocrisy will go unnoticed. (However, I have seen people make it up before also, wanting to look to others like a prophet. These people are even worse hypocrites. When God reveals something hidden like this to one of his children, it is for the other person’s restoration and isn’t something that should typically be broadcast to the church.) God is merciful, but there comes a day when he will judge the world according to His own righteousness. The only way of escape is to already be in Him. Like Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, "Go and sin no more."
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Part 1
Most of those who sin don’t start out with the notion “I think I will disobey God today.” It starts more subtly, usually with a desire. The more grievous sins that get put on the evening news started out the same way. A thought, an image, a desire that passes through the mind and catches a certain fancy. Unseen creatures that have been watching us since the beginning know what pushes our buttons. “If not this concept, then how about this one? Ahhh, there we go.” For example, a few years ago a guy raped and murdered the little girl next door to him. More than likely he didn’t start out his life with the goal of doing that. One day he got thrilled by the idea of underage sex. Then he thought about it again. And again. Then he pursued images. Then he wanted the “real thing”. Why did he do it? Because he wanted to. He didn’t start out that way, because it would have been unthinkable. But little by little, he grew to really like the idea. Every time he gave in to the fantasies, he was pushed and manipulated a little bit more by unseen enemies. Did he know it was wrong? Of course he knew it was wrong. But by then he had imagined it so many times, he probably thought she would like it as much in reality as she did in his fantasy. However, it probably didn’t turn out at all like his fantasies, and then he had to deal with the reality of what he had done. He tried to hide it by killing her and dumping her. But you can’t hide. People who love her are looking for you. You aren’t good enough to hide your tracks. (He was eventually caught).
I’ve encountered two men in the past ten years who have done things they knew were wrong, but both of whom said to me “You don’t think I’d do that, do you?” One was accused of being overly attracted to little children, and was soon convicted of molestation. The other man was just accused of going through his roommate’s belongings. Then one day I found him going through my belongings. Both wanted to keep the public face of being righteous, but both harbored motivations that were invisible until they played themselves out.
Road rage. Why on earth would someone react so strongly to being cut off in traffic that they’d run someone off the road, and then pull the driver out of the car and beat him or her senseless? Some sort of unwritten rules were violated, rules that exist only in the mind of the drivers. Pride demands that the rules be enforced to the point of death. “After all, everyone knows you shouldn’t ____.” “Everyone knows you ought to ____.” “Didn’t mean to kill him. Just sorta happened. Can’t I just put another quarter in and play again? I’m not a murderer! He deserved… Why wouldn’t he go faster?” When the unwritten rules are pronounced out loud, they seem to lose their urgency and importance. What is right (driving safely) became a shadow, and the fantasy of the unwritten rules became extremely important. The result is death.
When Judas betrayed Jesus, he probably thought, “He gets out of every sticky situation. I bet I could make some money off this talent of his.” He thought it was nothing big, certainly he didn’t think he was actually betraying the Son of God to death. He hung around to see what happened. When he saw Jesus bloodied and handcuffed, the unseen enemies removed the blinders and condemnation replaced his greed. He threw the money back to the priests, but he couldn’t undo what he had done. “It was just a simple setup. I only wanted some pocket change. I didn’t mean any harm. Oh God.” He killed himself. Jesus said it would have been better if Judas had never been born. Think about that. He never raped and murdered, but his “little” sin produced a fruit that killed the beloved of God and brought him a condemnation unlike any other.
It always starts as a desire. Maybe an image. Then a scheme. Yeah….
The root is unbelief. Or perhaps belief that there isn’t “really” anything going to happen eternally because of this. There are a couple of stories from the Bible that show how important a one-time thing can be. A man named Achan took a robe, some silver and some gold in a battle (Joshua 7). Normally, in battle this is ok, but this battle belonged to God and He said to take nothing. So taking these items was defying God, and he knew it, but he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. The first verse in that chapter blames all the Israelites and God’s anger is poured out on all of them because of the one man’s sin. It seemed like a small thing, and physically speaking it was a small thing. Nobody was hurt directly by what he did, and to our eyes it is an insignificant thing. But God saw it and everyone suffered. Eventually this man and his family died for this transgression.
Another account is how Reuben, one of the sons of Israel, was attracted to his father’s concubine and slept with her (Genesis 35:22). It apparently only happened once, but Israel heard about it. He didn’t do anything to Reuben at the time, and Reuben never humbled himself to Israel to ask forgiveness. But years later, when it came time for Israel to bless his children, he told Reuben that he will “excel no more, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” (Genesis 49:3-4). He lost his rights as firstborn of Israel and lost the right to be in the genealogical record. (1 Chron. 5:1-3) In a very real sense, he was vaporized.
Then there is Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. He later wanted it back and repented with tears, but the blessing was lost forever. He traded what was good for something else that felt good at the moment; a simple decision that didn’t seem like anything at the time.
Lot’s wife looked back once and died instantly. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but she stands as an example of holding onto our past as a treasure, instead of leaving it behind. One look back can destroy us. The curiosity may have been overwhelming, but the command was very simple: Don’t look back.
Annanias lied to the Holy Spirit and died on the spot. His wife soon followed him. It seemed like it would be ok to save some money, and to get a little glory by presenting it as the whole price and laying it at the feet of the apostles. But that wasn’t how God saw it, and it cost him and his wife everything.
The two sons of Aaron were killed by God for offering “strange fire”, i.e. approaching God in a way he had not approved. It seems drastic to us, but it demonstrates that God is holy and we can’t do whatever we want to in His presence.
In 1 Chronicles 13:8-10, the ark of God is being brought back to Jerusalem, but not in the manner God had prescribed. When the ark faltered on the cart carrying it, Uzzah reached out to steady it and was killed by God instantly. One simple act in the midst of a celebration of God’s victory.
These sins seem small to us, but there is no repentance once judgment has been given. And the judgment seems so drastic. But God is God, and His thoughts are not like ours and His ways are not like ours. What we esteem, He despises. What we despise, He esteems. He is right, and we are wrong. We see the tip of the iceberg and it looks like nothing to us. God sees the evil under the surface and calls it the devil. For example:
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23
“Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit...?” Acts 5:3
“When Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.” John 13:27
Peter just thought he was being nice to Jesus when he told him not to talk about dying.
Ananias thought he was just telling a “white lie”; nobody will be hurt by it and no big deal.
Judas didn’t even realize that he was infested by the Prince of Darkness himself. Judas was an apostle of Jesus Christ the Son of God, chosen by Him to bring the good news to the world.
What do I really like? What is it that I love that God hates? What is it that I hate that God loves? Have I swept a room and kept it clean for the devil, or have I invited Jesus into every aspect of my life? I have to ask God to show me. I can’t assume, since mankind doesn’t think like He thinks. I might really like something that God hates, and it could do serious spiritual harm. Conversely, if I suddenly decide that something is wrong, I can end up doing damage to myself and to others by just hacking away at my life thinking I am going to please Him, when all the while it is fine. Just because something seems nice doesn’t make it the devil anymore than it makes it from God. Ask Him. Seek Him. If you know it is wrong, stop it.
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Part 2
Roots of sin/Denial
Temptation seems to be a manipulation of the desires and emotions. Things that would consciously seem horrible or wrong are transformed into something desirable. Even while knowing that the “thing” is bad, the person is made to feel that it is interesting, fun, right, good, and pleasurable. If you don’t feel it, it doesn’t seem real. What is truly good is made to seem pallid and uninteresting when compared with sin. Good is then more easily ignored, as if it were not even there. The imagination is given priority as though it were real. So reality is inverted when temptation is at its peak. Bad seems good, good is pushed aside. Usually, good can still be felt, but the temptation is playing off of a desire for something that we like and that makes it hard to turn away. All sin is done because the person wanted to do it. No one is forced into sin.
In the movie “Psycho”, the character Norman was horrified by the brutal slayings, but was also the one doing it. He walled it off in his mind and became a sort of Jekyll/Hyde. Most of the time he seemed fine, but under the right circumstances he became someone else. I have seen trial footage of various criminals who deny any involvement with the crime, even when videotaped committing it. I saw a woman who was convicted of child abuse after she was videotaped smacking around a little toddler. She was the boy’s babysitter. After viewing the tape at the trial, she looked at the parents and said, “I want you to know that I would never hit your child.” This kind of denial is astounding to me, but is played out in everyone to some extent. We just don’t want to believe that we could be evil, and we certainly don’t want to be punished for it. Another tape showed a man convicted of date rape of at least a dozen women. He would use a drug in their drink, take them home and abuse them. After his conviction he told the women “You are all wicked. I would never rape anyone, the very idea disgusts me.” Yet the evidence was overwhelming that he was guilty. The strange part is that he was a very popular guy and could have had “legitimate” relations with as many as he wanted. But something about the drug made things more interesting to him. He had no real reason to do this outside of fulfilling a fantasy. It was more thrilling to have something forbidden.
The Bible makes it clear that “No temptation has come upon you but what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” From this I can derive that what tempts me is also being used against most other men, and vice versa. The difference is in what we do with it. But I think it is always true that the more a man contemplates and enjoys a fantasy, the more willing he is to act on it, be that lust, murder, road rage, etc.
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Part 3
Obvious and Hidden Sin
Some people have pointed out that a preacher friend of mine has some flaws and sins that they don’t care for, and that he should repent of. I’ve been thinking about how I should respond, if I respond at all. I’m not his defender or middleman, and I am not here to excuse sin. I’ve witnessed the same things they’ve mentioned, so I know that he has a sinful nature to deal with like the rest of us. However, every person I know has an ugly sinful side that most people don’t get to see. A tapestry or needlepoint looks great on one side, but the other side that is hidden from view is a mess. Most great preachers and teachers that people honor and hold in high regard, still have to deal with their own sinfulness, and like most people they turn a blind eye to a lot of it or justify it in some way.
Conversely, my friend spends a lot of time in spiritual disciplines that we all should be doing and are not. He has spent the last quarter century ministering in a place that most of us wouldn’t consider going to, even for a visit. He once said, “Don’t tell me what to do unless you’re going to get into the water [of a raging river] with me.” Jesus spoke an analogy regarding this when he said “Why do you try to remove the speck from your brother’s eye when you have a log in your own? First remove the log, then you will be able to see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” The problem is that most of us are not aware of the log, nor do we see any reason to remove it. Some are even proud of their logs. The sin of some people is obvious, while other people keep theirs concealed pretty well. It is easy to sit back and pick out flaws, and allow the flaws to eclipse the good being done. It is easy to ridicule some one else’s work, while not working ourselves. Something that we consider a huge shocking deal may turn out to be a speck in his eye, while our willingness to condemn and take life easy may turn out to be a log in our own eye.
Solomon spoke a proverb about how people put on a “face” to appear one way while being another. Proverbs 23:1-8 warns his son about the dangers in politics and dealing with those who want to butter you up and be your “friend”. He says that all we can see is the outside “face”, but “As he thinks in his heart, so is he” (v.7), i.e. he may very well be plotting your downfall, so be on guard. Or as Solomon aptly said, “Put a knife to your throat” and be careful whom you call a friend. In the same way, people are typically good at hiding their true nature from others, and even from themselves. Hypocrisy is probably a lot more commonplace than we would like to admit.
Hypocrisy is a root of destruction. We all have an ugly side, but the difference is in what we do with it. Many people will be shocked and surprised on Judgment Day when they are blocked out of the presence of God. They always assumed they would go to Heaven and walk the streets of gold. “But Lord!!!” The horror at realizing what could have been, and knowing that it will never be theirs, only eternal suffering and torment instead – will bring about much wailing, mournful cries, and gritting of teeth.
*Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
*Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
*By your words you will be acquitted, by your words you will be condemned.
*Men will give an account for every careless word they have spoken.
*Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me.
*Whatever you didn’t do for the least of these, you didn’t do for Me.
*This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.
So then, what can I conclude? Jesus led the way to the cross that I must bear today. I must die so He can give me life. The only answer is to become a new creation. It is written, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” Who will nail me up? It sounds so simple, but it seems to be difficult to actually attain. “Do not be deceived; He who does what is right is righteous, even as He is righteous.” 1 John 3:1-10 deals with how John expects a Christian to behave. He expects us to behave like Jesus, and expects that we have seen Him and know Him. He speaks of us being “now” the children of God, and that when He appears we shall be like Him. Some have concluded that we don’t have to do anything, that Jesus did it all. As far as the act of bringing salvation, that is true. But now that we are “in the Vine”, we are expected to remain in the Vine and to bear fruit, lest we be cut off and thrown into the fire.
Then I look at my own life and see the filth of my own mind, the rage, malice, lust, envy, and pride that pollute me. I know what I ought to be, but see instead the grossness of the world. The Apostle Paul said something similar, pitting the fleshly desires against the mind that aggress with God, but also concluded that Jesus will rescue him from “this body of death”. Does this mean that only at death are we freed? The very next verse (Romans 8:1) states that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” What the statutes of the Law could not accomplish, since they were weakened by sinful flesh, God accomplished by fulfilling the requirements of the Law in the death of Christ. But then he goes on to say that it is those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit are led by Him and have their minds controlled by Him, not by the flesh. This is the key. The Holy Spirit dwelling inside me is the only way of freedom. This is made possible through the death of Jesus and His resurrection. Romans 8:12-17 goes on to say that living according to the flesh brings death, but living by the Spirit brings life.
I want to be filled with God, immersed (baptized) in God, saturated with God, and possessed by God. When we are one, then I’m ok. I don’t know how to get there from here, except to ask.
Recap of simple decisions that led to destruction
Eve: Fruit looked good to eat, chomp.
Cain: Abel really bugged him, whack.
Esau: Hungry!!! Gave his birthright away for stew.
Aaron’s sons: Approached God’s presence unauthorized. Fire consumed them.
Reuben: Passion for the moment. Lost sonship and inheritance.
Uzzah: Touched the ark of God. Struck down.
Lot’s wife: Just one more look… Salt.
Achan: Just a bit of silver and cloth. Slaughter.
Judas: Jesus won’t be arrested, He always gets away. Suicide and damnation.
Ananias: Just a little white lie. Dead.
Sapphira: Yeah, just a little white lie. Dead.
When the tower of Siloam fell on some people, Jesus said that they were not any worse sinners than the rest of the people, but that the rest who are alive need to repent or they will likewise perish (suddenly and without recourse).
The same held true for those who were in “church” offering sacrifices, and Pilate ordered them slaughtered. Jesus said that they were not worse sinners than anyone else, but that their deaths should serve as a warning to us to repent.
I’m becoming increasingly convinced that people who spend intimate time with Jesus are more aware of the real “fruit” in other people’s lives. The fruit that Jesus spoke of is something that happens by being close to him and abiding in him. He was very black & white about this fruit also: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Thus, it must be more than the outward face that we put on, because even cult members can do good things and be moral people. This fruit must be spiritual, and is spiritually discerned. God can reveal a person’s secrets to someone who is intimate with Jesus. So we ought not to think that our hypocrisy will go unnoticed. (However, I have seen people make it up before also, wanting to look to others like a prophet. These people are even worse hypocrites. When God reveals something hidden like this to one of his children, it is for the other person’s restoration and isn’t something that should typically be broadcast to the church.) God is merciful, but there comes a day when he will judge the world according to His own righteousness. The only way of escape is to already be in Him. Like Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, "Go and sin no more."
posted by Jason Woodrow at 8:33 PM
