I am sure I am not the only one that heard about a certain instance at a concert recently that brought a sin to light. I have decided not to name specifics as to not add to the infamy of the situation, and also keep in mind there are family members that will remember this for the rest of their lives. There are so many thoughts that came to mind, but the one that has stayed with me the longest I will try to unravel below.
We all have sins in our lives that we think are “hidden”. Perhaps hidden from people around us, but not hidden from the Holy Spirit. What if we all were sitting in a gigantic venue and our “sin” was flashed up on a giant screen for all to see. How much embarrassment would it bring us and our family? How much would our “hidden” sin have ripple impact for years on those who saw it? Luke 8:17 (NLT) says “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.”
It also got me thinking about the working of the Holy Spirit and how He convicts us of sin in our hearts, minds, and actions. Sometimes it only takes His still, small voice to prick our hearts and for us to take steps in repentance. But often, we dull that pricking and become callous to His voice. We tune Him out because we are distracted or we are listening closer to our flesh. The flesh that desires what is not good for us. Thus, the Holy Spirit has to take appropriately drastic steps to get our attention. To make us realize how consuming this sin is in our lives. That could even be a giant screen at a public event and a moment that goes viral quickly. The Holy Spirit’s motivation is to bring us to repentance.
How easy it is for us to be entertained by someone else’s sin. To watch from a distance and think “I am glad that wasn’t me.” But it can be useful to take moments like this for reflection. To look inward and truly grasp that “but for the grace of God” that could be me! That the “little” sin I allow is still sin just as much as a hugely public sin. That repentance is needed in my mind and my heart and my actions. Not just saying “I’m sorry” but truly changing direction and not returning to that sin any more. By using the power of the Holy Spirit to keep that sin at a distance and not be tempted by it anymore.
This is a positional theology. Having a heart position that recognizes how holy God is and how naturally depraved I am. Recognizing my position of being on my knees at the foot of the cross thanking Jesus for his payment for the sins that I have committed. I am not looking down at other people and their sins, because my eyes are on Jesus!