When sin came into the world, Genesis 3 tells us that Adam and Eve immediately hid from God. Human beings have been hiding ever since. You see it clearly with the children in your life, who will do everything possible to hide and deny their wrongdoings, even when these wrongdoings are very obvious. For example, I have a friend whose young sons adamantly denied eating the blue lollipops in their pantry, even though their tongues were stained blue. Of course, they were not successful in hiding the truth that they did, indeed, eat the blue lollipops. While your first instinct, like mine, upon hearing this story, may be to laugh at the naivety of their lie, the truth is that even adults attempt to hide their sin. While we may think our attempts are better than my friend’s sons', in reality, they are no better than a young child claiming he did not eat the blue lollipop, all the while having a bright blue tongue. After all, each one of us has a sin problem, and, try as we might, we cannot hide our sin problem.
The apostle Paul writes about our sin problem in Romans 3. In this passage of Scripture, he explained that every single person on earth is “under the power of sin” (verse 9). Next, he pointed readers back to what Old Testament passages of Scripture teach about sin, saying, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one” (verses 10-13). Notice in these verses the words “no one” and “all.” These words explain that every single person has a sin problem. No person is excluded from this truth. Try as we might to hide our sins and shortcomings, each one of us cannot escape our sin problem. That is why Paul concluded several verses later, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (verse 23). Each one of us has sinned. We cannot hide or run from it, as much as we might like to.
As we think about our sin problem, we know the good news that there is hope in Christ. We will talk more about that hope later this week. Today, our focus is on coming out of hiding and acknowledging that sin. John said it this way in 1st John 1:8-9, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” When we come out of hiding and confess our sins, we will find healing and forgiveness in the light of Christ.
Maybe today you need to acknowledge that you have a sin problem. Maybe you need to confess your sins today instead of trying to hide them. I urge you, bring them into the light of Christ today. Only then will you find His freedom and healing.
Have you been hiding your sin, doing your best attempt to cover it up? There is a better way than our vain attempts at hiding our sin, and that is confession. When we confess our sins and bring them to the light, we find freedom and healing. Take a few minutes now to confess your sin to God. Acknowledge any sin in your life, asking Him for forgiveness and thanking Him for the forgiveness that is available through Jesus Christ.
Prayer Prompt: Use this prompt to guide you as you pray.
“God, I recognize that I have a sin problem. I confess…”
1 Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? 2 Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.
3 True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? 4 Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,
“You will be proved right in what you say,
and you will win your case in court.”
5 “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) 6 Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? 7 “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” 8 And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.
9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
11 No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
