(A series on lies sin tells us to tempt us and trick us. Join me in exposing sin’s lies to God’s Word in this 8 part series.)
We don’t like to talk about our sin because we think people will judge us.
So we believe a lie that keeps us isolated and alone, one that falsely inflates our egos.
We believe our sin is special.
Convinced people won’t understand why we sin, we hide it. After all, they don’t know what leads us to make our choices. Despite what the old adage suggests, nobody, by walking a mile in another person’s shoes, knows the feel of the fit on the shoe owner’s feet.
It’s true- we are all individual people, with individual accounts to give before God. But when our individualized sin appears to be what’s special about us, we have a problem.
The inflation makes it seem as though our sins and our identities are one in the same. This lie makes a mess of our relationships, our concept of honesty, and our sense of shame. It makes a mess of us, melding us into people who hold sin in high regard.
When we believe our sins are special, then:
- Talking about them is risky
- Our excuses seem valid
- Others can’t get close to our real, imperfect selves
- Sin’s isolating effect is falsely normalized
- Sin looks way bigger than it is
- We compare our sins
- The forgiver of our sins seems under-equipped
Case Study: Comparison Comparison suggests our sins are "special" because they are too little or too much. We hesitate to tackle our sins when they seem so much worse than those around us face. At the same time, we sometimes excuse our sins when we compare our failings to the “bigger” sins of people we know. Comparing our sins’ to others can entice us to blame others for our errors, minimize or exaggerate our own sins, and judge other people for theirs’. Comparison is just another way sin deceives us about the special and personal quality of forgiveness by Christ.
God is a knower of hearts. He knows more about our hearts than even we do. As He forms our hearts, He calls them special, good, and precious in His sight.
God believes we’re special.
Notice: it is not our sin He calls special. It’s us.
His proclamation of our value is demonstrated in this: Jesus sent His son to die for us, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life- freely (John 3:16.) It is for freedom Christ has set us free (John 8:36.)
Our freedom to be especially who He made us to be is humbling and precious.
We are uniquely created by Him and for Him- sin is a condition He didn’t choose for us and will remove for us.
Because we are special to Him, He takes special care to deal with our unique sin, forgiving these hearts He knows so well.
Call out the lie that seeks to enslave: sin isn’t unique. God is.
We are His, and He calls us special too.
Interested in guest posting on First And Second? Click HERE…looking for your thoughts to add to the Sin Lies Series!
This post may also be shared on: #TestimonyTuesday, #RaRaLinkup, #Intentionally Pursuing, #WomenWithIntention, #TellHiStory, #Thought-Provoking Thursday, #DanceWithJesus, #LLMLinkup, Faith-Filled Friday, Sitting Among Friends, and #SoulSurvivalLinkup.
I think you are, once again, taking a page out of my book of life….
I will testify that this is true because I believed the lie.
“No one will forgive you”
“You have actually gone too far”
“You are a wretched person who is worthless”
“Your life will never be better, you deserve this”
“You will forever live in shame over your vile behavior”
and the lie list goes on….
PRAISES TO GOD for freedom, Truth and restoration!!
What a list, Dana. Mine looks similar. In fact I just muttered to myself that I am a disgusting human being…mostly because I sneezed all over the place, but I think things like those you mentioned all the time. Thanks for bringing it home and praising the Lord for freedom from lies with me!!
I am enjoying reading this series of posts on sin! Sin needs to be exposed! That is the central truth of the gospel! Thank you for bringing us back to the cross! God Bless:)
Amen, Lisa! What are any of our words without the Gospel, right? Thanks for joining in!
Bethany- Comparison gets me a lot, With social media flaunting in our face, it’s hard to not compare and measure.
Blessings!
Julie
Absolutely, Julie. Sometimes I have to scroll back up my news feed to figure out who I was comparing myself to and why I’m feeling yucky. Then it’s time to take to the Lord. Thanks for joining in!
Truth that thinking our sin is special isolates us further from those who could help.
I chuckled and said, “oh yes I’ve had many ‘special’ sins!” GREAT POST!
Haha, Susan! I hope the Lord brought that chuckle with the joy of knowing your “special” sins aren’t what’s actually special about you! I so know what you mean.
I’m glad to see this series, Bethany! Sin is something we don’t like to talk about, but it’s real, and it’s there. Thanks for talking about it here.
Thanks Betsy! (Sorry for the delay on your comment…somehow it was marked as spam!!) Sin has so many implications for us, even as believers. Thanks for joining in exposing sin!
Wow. Wow. Wow.
This post is so spot on for our culture — and particularly our Christian culture (unbelievably!). Have you listened to anything from the Gospel Coalition by Rosaria Butterfield? She’s all over this issue of “domesticating” our sin.
I’m behind on my reading, but want to look up the earlier posts in this series.
Thank you Michele! I love the Gospel Coalition articles…never realized there was speaking! Will be looking it up when I have time soon : ) Thanks for the recommendation and encouragement! I hope you enjoy the series- and feel free to contact about guest posting if you want to join in!
“God is a knower of hearts. He knows more about our hearts than even we do. As He forms our hearts, He calls them special, good, and precious in His sight.” Needed that reminder today Bethany! 🙂
Me too, Nicki! I look for the affirmation daily because I’m a self-condemner. Praising the Lord with you that He says there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ!”
Oh, how true! Satan wants us to believe our sins are “unique and special”. Great post!