THE WORST SIN!

In the Biblical book of Hebrews chapter 12, we learn of a very interesting progression and warning. It begins this way:

Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Sin, particularly in the life of the Christian, can keep us from accomplishing what God intended us to accomplish. It prevents us from doing the will of God and finding purpose and meaning in our lives.

          The Bible continues further on down with more warnings of the dangers of sin:

Hebrews 12:14-15 - Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

If sin is not dealt with, it leads to these additional complications and problems in our Christian lives:

1. Prevents us from seeing the hand of God in our lives. God is evident all around us. Sin, however, will blind us to these evidences. People who are living a just and righteous life will see God’s involvement and hand in every aspect of their lives. But sin can blind us to all of that.

2. Fail of the grace of God. Grace is God’s provision for our insufficiencies. Sin can rob us of this provision. We all are lacking in things. God’s grace makes up for where we lack. But sin will cause a failure to receive or take advantage of that provision. This may be because we can’t see God’s activity in our lives.

3. The root of bitterness that defiles many. This is the ultimate burden of sin. Sin, left unchecked, will bring a root of bitterness into our lives that cause us to be blind to God, to fail of God’s grace, and eventually defile many of the things we love.

So what is the most dangerous sin? Your most dangerous sin is that sin that you have successfully hidden from everyone else. We don’t deal with a sin that we can successfully hide. We just continue to hide it. This is extremely dangerous.

I’ve often said that the best thing to happen to a child who does wrong is for him to get caught. Being caught means he must now deal with his wrong. He must address it. And he can purge himself of the guilt that the wrong produces.

But it gets worse when an adult successfully hides an affair, pornography, a drug habit, or what not. Not only does the guilt of the sin begin to poison his mind and his heart, but he never seeks to address it properly. He just keeps hiding it.

          The Bible also tells us:

Numbers 32:23 - But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

This does not necessarily mean that you will be caught. Though the odds of being caught increase the longer you hide your sin. But it means that your sin will eventually consume you, change your attitudes, your thinking, and your heart. Eventually, you won’t even care that people know what you’re doing or involved in. You may even get to the point where you brag about it.

This root of bitterness has destroyed so many relationships and families. I’ve witnessed firsthand the destruction of a sin that has been successfully hidden from everyone else. Eventually, their heart and mind is poisoned. They harm relationships, they begin to question God, and they have an uncaring attitude.

Your sin will come out one way or another. You will get caught, or you’ll get to the place where you just won’t care anymore. It left alone long enough, the root of bitterness will consume you.

The very best thing in the world to do is to admit your sin to someone that can help you. Obviously, you need to take it to God and ask for forgiveness, but you also need to admit it to the person you were trying to hide it from. If you don’t, you’ll continue to make it difficult to quit the sin, and you’ll just jade yourself even further. Admit it. Get it out. Seek help.

As a parent, if one of my sons come to me and admits a wrong, asks for punishment, and wants to fix the wrong, I would be floored. I can’t imagine that I would get angry or upset. In fact, I would have a difficult time even disciplining him. After all, the purpose of discipline is to get them to face the wrong and deal with it. But if he is already doing that, then I don’t need to. I would be ecstatic if my children did this. So would any parent.

Whatever your sin may be, bad or really bad, hiding it is the worst thing you can possibly do. It sears your conscious, it poisons your heart, and it allows that root of bitterness to begin to grow.

          That is the most dangerous of all sins.