By Mark Adams
Our secret sins can be not only our own undoing. They can bring about ruin for those around us. There is no such thing as harmless sin.
After Joshua and Israel saw the walls of Jericho come tumbling down and felt assured of entering fully into the Promised Land, Israel was crushed by a little foe. Small town Ai seemed a small thing to sweep away, but when Israel attacked, little Ai killed many. The confidence of Joshua’s army “melted in fear and became like water” (Joshua 7:5).
Why? “The Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things” (Joshua 7:1).
By the Israelites, the Scripture means one person — a soldier named Achan.
Piles of loot stacked up after Israel’s victory in Jericho. God had forbidden its use, but Achan saw a beautiful robe, a few shekels and a gold bar that he figured no one would miss. And no one did. He took these items secretly. No harm, no foul, right? No one he cared about was going to miss them, and they could help his family in the future. If no one knows, and it doesn’t negatively impact anyone, what harm could it do?
God knows. We know. Achan’s sin had devastating impact on all of Israel, and his sin ultimately brought about his own destruction.
Jesus reminds us that “nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light” (Luke 8:17 ESV). The manifestation of our hidden broken practices will certainly come to light on the day of judgment. Many of us count on this, relying on the mercy seat of Jesus and the forgiveness we know we experience through the cross.
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“Even if no one else knows, you know, God knows, and others are harmed.”
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We fail to realize that our sins are made manifest in destructive ways long before judgment day, even if they remain hidden from others while we yet breathe. Every action — good or bad — has ripple effects all around us and across many domains (spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, economic). Our sins harm others, even when we think they are secret.
Secret lusts fulfilled through dark web delights aren’t hidden even when the browsing history is. Over time, the eroding respect we should have for women or men falls prey to objectification, intimacy fantasies substitute for real intimacy with our real spouse, and our relationship begins to fray at the edges. Human trafficking (contributing to the sights seen in secret) ruins lives in unimaginably horrible ways. Even if no one else knows, you know, God knows, and others are harmed.
Secret doughnuts taste good for a moment. Over time, obesity becomes an obstacle in relationships, a poor example for children, and a heart attack waiting to happen — which, by the way, adds to out-of-control costs for even our national health care system. This harms ourselves, the family we love, and the communities we belong to. My secret sin may be hidden in an actuarial table somewhere, but it is made manifest in too many painful ways.
I could go on, of course: the little things stolen here or there from people who, we say to ourselves, don’t really need them anyway or don’t work as hard as we do; the anger or envy we hold close because it somehow feels so satisfying to believe we are better or more justified than “that” person; the little bet made with money we could not really spare; the too lazy moments that fritter away our precious time.
Our hidden sins will come to light, usually sooner than we imagine and never at a “convenient” time. When these sins come to light, your wife doesn’t look at you the same way. Your boss can’t keep you on. Your kids lose respect for you. Your community is negatively impacted through the tangled web in our interconnectedness that ripples darkness broadly.
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“If you struggle with a secret sin, don’t pretend it harms only yourself.”
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Good News From Jesus
We can proactively choose not to keep our sins hidden! Sin loses its grip when we follow the Spirit’s counsel from James 5:16 to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” In secret, in darkness, our sins multiply like fungus. But in the light of Christian community, with an earnest desire to repent on our journey toward life-giving holiness, there is healing.
If you struggle with a secret sin, don’t pretend it harms only yourself. But don’t deny the grace-filled opportunity to air it out, shine the light upon it, and experience healing and victory.
Written into the pages of Scripture and the Free Methodist Constitution is encouragement to seek out a faithful partner with whom you can share your secret struggles — not to a large group, not on TikTok or Facebook for a crazy world to dissect. Seek one or two faithful believers who can pray with you, remind you of the power of Christ’s forgiveness, and experience the joy of victory over secret sin.
Questions for Living Out Holiness
Here are four questions a small group of believers and I regularly ask of ourselves on our quest to live out life-giving holiness:
- What has tempted you this week?
- In what ways have you fallen?
- In what ways have you experienced victory?
- How can I pray for you?
This is life-giving. It helps to keep me from being an Achan in our midst.
If you are struggling today and do not have anyone you feel safe talking to, ask your pastor for a recommendation. I guarantee this will make her day, and you will grow in esteem in her eyes!
Empowered by the Spirit, freedom and healing can be just a confession away.
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Mark Adams, D.Min., is the superintendent of the Network of Undeniable Blessing, which includes connected churches in Northern California, Nevada and Fiji. He is an experienced counselor, social worker, church planter, pastor, social activist, and social work supervisor and administrator. He previously was the superintendent of the North Central Conference that serves seven Midwestern states. This article originally appeared on the network’s blog, and it is republished with permission. Click here for Adams’ Seeking Together video on this topic.
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