“Christians are 'forgiven' sinners not 'perfect' saints. ”
I doubt if there is a single Christian alive who does not suffer from the guilt and anxiety of harbouring 'secret' sin. Whether the 'secret' sin is big or small, it is in fact neither venial nor cardinal, nor is it very 'secret'. God says He rewards those who give in secret (Matt 6:4) and He also tells us to pray in secret (Matt 6:6), so it makes sense to assume that God is well acquainted with the world of 'secret'. The psalmist who wrote the following verses was also well acquainted with the world of 'secret', "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long." (Ps 32:3) The silence the psalmist writes about is the silence we have probably all exercised at one time or another. For some reason we believe if our minds and mouth are silent about our sin, then either the sin will disappear into a void or we will somehow find a way at some point down the road of life to whitewash or justify it. We know the psalmist is talking about 'secret' sin for he goes on to say, "I acknowledged my sin unto the, and mine iniquity I have not hid."(Ps 32:5) But this confession occurs only after God has applied a little pressure, "For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah."(Ps 32:4) In these passages, the psalmist reveals to us that he was indeed guilty of 'secret' sin but, more importantly, God reveals to us that He knew about it! After the psalmist tells us he confessed his 'secret' sin, he goes on to tell us what God did about it, "I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah." (Ps 32:5) There is in fact no such thing as 'secret' sin - unconfessed sin, yes. 'Secret' sin, no.
Christians are 'forgiven' sinners not 'perfect' saints. The Apostle Paul, agonizing over the things he was doing but didn't want to do, cried out, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Rom 7:24) His cry reveals he was well acquainted with all the deception and disguises of sin. After exploring the dichotomy between natural law and spiritual law, Paul cries out with joy that release from the power of sin has been provided through "Jesus Christ our Lord,"(Rom 7:25) and that as far as sinners are concerned, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."(Rom 8:1)
The problem with 'secret' sin in a Christian's life is not with God. He settled the whole issue of all sin at Golgotha, when He allowed His only begotten Son to be beaten to a pulp, whipped without mercy and crucified with the burden of sin upon Him 2,000 years ago. The real problem with 'secret' sin is pride. Some try to claim that shame and fear keep them from confessing 'secret' sin, but they are deluded. Ask yourselves, when Jesus took sin to the cross, which ones did He take: Did He take small ones, large ones, a little of each or did He take the whole problem of sin with Him? Who can measure sin? Who holds the yardstick? God can measure sin and with His yard stick He has determined that no matter what the colour, size or shape of sin, the penalty is the same - Death! But joy abounds, as the Apostle Paul exuberantly points out in Romans, the penalty for sin has been paid for through Jesus Christ.
So what is the problem? I, who have had a closet full of 'secret' sin, have talked deeply with many troubled Christians and have discovered that by "human" measure, my closet of 'secret' sin was pathetic in comparison to the burdensome closets of others. These privileged glimpses into other closets led me to search out the root of the problem and I have found that many of us have been saying that our 'secret' sin is so big, bad and ugly that Christ couldn't have possibly have shed enough of His blood to cover them. Ultimately, what we have been saying is that we are bigger than God - we are beings of such strength and dimension that God cannot overwhelm us with His mercy, forgiveness and love! This is pride - not shame, not fear - but pride!
Brothers and Sisters, when you came to know Christ, you humbled yourselves and you accepted His mantle of forgiveness. At the time you knew He had shed more than enough blood to cover you. What happened? Christ has not removed His mantle. You are still welcome to its shelter. Christ has not changed. You are still welcome to drink of the water of life. The wellspring has not dried up. 'Secret' sin is only 'secret' to those around you, but to those who count - you and God - 'secret' sin is only 'unconfessed' sin and no 'secret' at all. Perhaps the greatest shame, and one that leads me to exhort you to return to your first love (Rev 2:4), is that you who suffer from this prideful condition are not experiencing the full joy of the promise of the Scripture which tells us, "Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for him." [emphasis mine] (Heb 9:28) If you are harbouring 'secret' sin, you are probably not waiting in expectant joy for the second return of Christ. But if you humble yourselves, confess your sin, He is faithful and will forgive you (1 John 1:9).
Brothers and Sisters, let this Easter be a time of full confession and restoration as you remember our Lord's sacrifice, and celebrate His victory over sin and death. Be at peace and rejoice with the psalmist, who concludes his psalm of insight with these words of comfort, "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." (Ps 32:10-11)
Madelaine is a wonderful friend and writer. Thanks, Madelaine, for the gift of your considerable talents! — Grant