Secret Sins

I was thinking about secret sins the other day. These are the worst sins because they are so destructive. When we practice sins in secret they have more power to destroy us because we have no chance to overcome them- since no one knows we are doing them.

Why do sins become secrets? I think it primarilly occurs because of bad attempts at sanctification. Perhaps someone has been “riding” us about something they don’t like us doing. Maybe we are embarassed by getting caught (or almost caught) for the sin. Perhaps we are frustrated that we can’t find the willpower to overcome the sin that we give up. Either way these bad motives for sanctification produce no sanctification at all. Rather than admit our sin and try to overcome it, we want to continue in its comfort and find that it is just easier to do it secretly than stop.

The real problem of secret sins is that we are missing out on the power to overcome them by keeping them secret. When we keep a sin secret, we justify it by not admitting it is “that bad” or that it is even a sin at all. With a small view of our sin we consequently have a small view of Christ- we don’t need him much because our sin isn’t that great.

When we confess our sin, bringing it from the secret world into the public, we have to admit that it is wrong- that’s why it’s so hard to admit them. But by admitting our sin and honing up to its seriousness we can then appreciate how much Christ did for us. Grace becomes truly amazing to us again.

This grace is a much more powerful force towards sanctification than nagging, willpower, or anything else we do in our own power.