Nothing hidden
One of the great dangers of the human heart is believing that what is hidden is somehow unseen. We may conceal things from other people. We may explain away our motives, justify our attitudes, or bury our sin beneath outward appearances. But nothing is hidden from God.
“Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels.” Ezekiel 10:12
God sees. He sees beyond appearances and into the depths of our hearts. He knows our thoughts, our motives, our attitudes, and the things we hope no one else notices. Nothing surprises Him, and nothing escapes His attention.
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:1-4 (NIV)
Grace was never intended to excuse sin. Grace sets us free from it.
Through Christ, our old self has been crucified. We are no longer slaves to sin. We have been united with Him in His death and raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:6-7 (NIV)
In Malachi's day, God's people continued bringing offerings while living unfaithfully. They wondered why God no longer accepted their worship, but the problem wasn’t their sacrifices. It was their hearts.
“Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.” Malachi 2:13-14 (NIV)
They had convinced themselves that outward religion could compensate for inward compromise. But God is not impressed by appearances. He is after faithfulness.
“You have wearied the Lord with your words. ‘How have we wearied him?’ you ask. By saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’” Malachi 2:17 (NIV)
We can justify what God calls sin. We can convince ourselves that because others don't see, it doesn't matter. But sin always affects more than we realize.
Eventually, sin finds us out.
The good news is that Jesus did not come merely to forgive us. He came to free us. Freedom begins with honesty. It begins when we stop hiding, stop pretending, and bring everything into the light. If we have died with Christ, then we no longer have to live as slaves to sin.
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” Romans 6:8 (NIV)
Nothing is hidden from God. And because of Jesus, nothing brought into His light is beyond His power to redeem.
