Boys need to grow up knowing that sin cannot ever be truly covered up. One of our regular prayers should be that God would give us (parents) any information we need to know in order to be good parents.
If young men begin to nurture secret sin in their lives, then they have forgotten (or perhaps have never been taught) certain basic truths from God's Word. "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)
Secret sin is only temporarily secret. God is not mocked, and a man reaps what he sows. Reaping is typically a very public matter. And God has promised to publicize things we would rather keep secret. As we know from King David in 2 Samuel 11, sin breeds sin and hidden sin breeds more hidden sin. But as sin accumulates, it becomes impossible for the sinner to "manage".
Individuals who hide their sin are often guilty of another sin as well -- the sin of individualism. They believe that what they do affects only them. This is false.
But, through all this, God is merciful. He will forgive young men who have been discovered in the grip of secret sin. The only solution to this is to want God's mercy so much that you are willing to do exactly what He says when you apply to Him for it. And that means full and honest confession. This does not mean that everything is automatically fixed through an act of "mental obedience" alone, but it does begin there.
<"Future Men" by Douglas Wilson>
No comments:
Post a Comment