No Secrets with God

“Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. Remember the sins of some people are obvious leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.” 1 Timothy 5:22, 24-25 NLT

Notorious criminal action is easy to spot. Flagrant public immorality is also hard to conceal. The same is true for acts of kindness by an organization or individual in supporting those in need without seeking recognition. Their deeds are noticed. Public displays of sinful lawlessness and immorality are seen by all who come across them. Again the same is true for public works of kindness. The Lord God also sees all these actions in real-time and He also sees the sins and good deeds done in secret. They will one day be revealed for all to see, but the Lord sees them now. There are no secrets with God.

The book of 1 Timothy is Paul’s manual for pastoral training. In this case, the pastor-in-training is Timothy. Paul is advising Timothy to continue to be cautious in the selection process of elders. He tells them not to be in a hurry. A hasty decision may result in not uncovering some sin in need of repentance and not fitting for an elder. Paul goes on to say that in keeping with a slower process in time these sins will be uncovered. But, regardless, God is aware of them for nothing gets past Him and it will be revealed. Again, the opposite is true, good deeds will also be exposed and come to light which is a good thing.

So, what is the lesson for us. Paul’s instruction to Timothy is applicable for us. It is a comfort and perhaps frightening to know there are no secrets with God. There is no such thing as a secret sin. The public, our friends and family may not know, but God does. If not dealt with in confession and repentance to God, you can be sure it will no longer remain secret.