New Morning Mercies #209

Since by grace God forgives, it makes no sense to hide, excuse, or shift the blame when you are faced with your sin.

Here’s the bottom line when it comes to moral candor—denial is rooted in fear and confession is rooted in hope. You cannot embrace the radical hope of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and make sense out of our drive to present ourselves as less than needy. But that instinct is alive and well in many of us. When faced with our sin, we immediately excuse ourselves or shift the blame. When our consciences bother us, we hide the wrong that we have done like Adam and Eve hiding from God in the garden, or we try to convince ourselves that what we did was not so bad after all.

Now, because God’s world is so big, there will always be places to hide, and because you live in a world that doesn’t operate as God intended, there will always be people and things to blame, but it is all one big, sad, irrational lie. Why would you and I work so hard to hide or deny what has been fully, completely, and eternally forgiven? Why would we work so hard to pretend that we are something less than sinners when the message of the gospel is that Jesus loves and accepts sinners? Why would we hide in guilt when Jesus has fully borne our guilt? Why would we allow ourselves to be motivated by shame when Jesus willingly carried our shame? Why would we construct a false façade of righteousness when Jesus has given his righteousness over to our account? Why would we fear God’s wrath when Jesus took the full brunt of God’s anger for us on the cross? Why would we care what others will think of us if we’re honest about our sin when the One who holds our destiny in his hands has accepted us as if we had never sinned? Why deny who we are and what we need when full provision has been made? Why act as if we’re something that we’re not when grace has met us right where we are? Why act as if no one would understand when we have been given a faithful and understanding High Priest who is sympathetic with all our weaknesses? Why act as if there is no hope for people like us when our Savior has conquered sin and death for us? Why sing the truths of the gospel on Sunday and functionally deny the gospel during the week in street-level acts of denial, excusing, and blame? Why would you defend yourself when a loved one points out a wrong or excuse yourself when you are caught? Why, in the face of wrong, would you work to soften the pain of conviction by debating the Holy Spirit’s gracious prompting?

Paul encouraged the believers in Colossae to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard” (Col. 1:23). Forsake excusing, denial, and all other acts of gospel irrationality that minimize your sin. That way, you will never forget the awesome hope that you have been given in Jesus.

For further study and encouragement: Philippians 3:1–11