Sin is Only as Hidden as God Allows

If we have been nursing secret sin and not been exposed, that is because God has not decided to reveal it up to this point. Nothing we do is unknown to God, and in his omnipotence, he could expose us at any moment if he so chooses. Sin is only as hidden as God allows.

We see a perfect example of this in the life of Gehazi (2 Kings 5). God had used Elisha to heal Naaman of leprosy. In his joy, Naaman offers to give Elisha expensive gifts, but Elisha refuses. Elisha did not want to give the impression that Naaman could buy God’s favor. He also wanted to show that the servants of the true God are not like the pagan priests. Faithful servants of God are not greedy for earthly gain.

Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, was not quite as noble and decided he wanted some of Naaman’s riches, so he returned to Naaman and said, “Elisha changed his mind; we could use some of your gifts.” Having been healed of leprosy, Naaman is more than happy to give him bags of silver and clothing. Gehazi takes his treasures home, puts them in his house, and goes to see Elisha.

Elisha asks him, “Where have you been?” Gehazi says, “I went nowhere?” To which Elisha replies in essence, “I know what you have done.” God had revealed Gehazi’s sin to Elisha. God then strikes Gehazi with leprosy for his sin.

Today, it is unlikely that God would give anyone direct knowledge of our hidden sin, but that does not mean that he does not know about it and could not expose it. If we are involved in unethical business dealings, all it would take is an accidental email to the wrong person, and our misdeeds could be brought to light.

If we spend time online on inappropriate sites, simply deleting the history does not mean it is gone for good. The Lord could easily make that visible in a data breach. He is still God, and he is still sovereign. We will never be able to outsmart him. If he has kept your secret until this point, consider it an act of grace, but if you do not soon repent, he may bring it to light.

I do not write this to condemn anyone. I write this because we often fail to tremble before the greatness of our God. If you are a child of God and you are playing with sin, know that he is more concerned about the state of your soul than your reputation or whether you get to keep your job or family. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul (Matthew 16:26)? If we are his child and we do not repent, he will discipline us (Hebrews 12:6-8).

As we consider this, if there is any evil way in us, we should lay it at his feet in repentance. Then, we should thank the Lord for his mercy because we rarely experience the full fallout our sins deserve.

-D. Eaton