Scott Lyons
1/26/2014
Sin is shameful. It is what we Christians are not supposed to do. But we do sin. Some Christians get uncomfortable (or even angry) when other Christians go around saying that they are sinners. But Christ's admonition in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) is a powerful one, and it should not be ignored or dismissed with a theological construct. The problem with not looking honestly at ourselves—at what we do, at our sins—is that we begin to believe that we are better than we are and (worse) better than others. We begin to judge others; we begin to be unmerciful to others who sin because, well, they are sinners. This judgment, this failure to show mercy, is a sin that Jesus views harshly because it fails to understand the great mercy we ourselves have been and are being shown.
I am a sinner. I do shameful things. In fact, I did not commit all of my shameful sin before I came to Christ and turned away from it. All of my sin—every shameful, horrible thing—was done as a Christ-follower. Wisely, no one asks for my testimony. I don't headline tent meetings. I'm not good. Sometimes I don't even want to be good. When I have gone for some time without confessing my sin, I feel like skipping the specificity (more shame and sin) and simply presenting the Decalogue to Christ and saying, "Here, I've done all this."
Yes, sin is shameful. Because of this, we rightly want to hide it. But hiding from others and God is not the answer. Indeed, the instinct to do so is dangerous and leads us away from holiness rather than toward it. Sin must not be hidden. Hidden sin is strong, buttressed, and defensible. Hidden sin is easily repeated. You will never conquer hidden sin. The dark empowers it. You will never conquer your addiction to pornography by hiding it. Never. Drag the ugly thing into the light, and then you can begin to deal with it. Certainly it's shameful. But will you allow the shame of it to keep you from Christ? And your judgmental attitude that seems so sweet and is welcome in your home? It will remain with you if it remains hidden. It will embitter you, driving love far away from you. You will grow old and unmerciful. And you will die.
"I will continue to hide it, and I will do better this time," you say. But you will not. In a week, or a month, or three months, you will be doing the same thing as before, secretly sinning. Do not hide it. Do not weave fig leaves over it with your fear or with your theology.
"When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He replied, 'I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked' " (Genesis 3:8-10, NLT).
Don't hide. Don't cover your sin; cover your neighbor's shame. In mercy, God covered Adam and Eve's nakedness. Noah's righteous sons covered his nakedness. In love, cover your neighbor's sin and shame, but do not cover your own. Confess your sin and shame before God; in this encounter with Christ, let the fire of his love burn it away. If you hide it—or if you don't acknowledge it, thinking highly of your own righteousness—then you will become like the Pharisee, who thanks God that he is not a sinner like everyone else—glad that he is not like that tax collector.
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