Featured He Who Covers Sin Shall Not Prosper

You misunderstand.

I am not speaking of my struggles but of picking up my cross daily. For believers taking up their cross and following Jesus means dying to the flesh and walking in the Light. It is, I know, a strange concept to the world but that is because the world is focused on the flesh.

It should not be so strange a concept to you.

Rather than "covering sin" or "walking in darkness" we are to live "in Christ".

To reiterate my experience on another board, as you seem not to have grasped the point, there was a man who years ago decided for some reason he would slander me and try to discredit me by making false accusations (I do not know why, nor do I care). He lied about me and I responded by insulting him. But sin feeds sin and this went on, he became obsessed and blinded by his own hatred, I continued to become hateful in my responses.

It was proven by a committee of Christians that he was wrong. No one knows what set this guy off (originally), I suspect it was simply that I disagreed with him, but sin led him to make assumptions at every turn and he was blinded by his own hatred, by his own agenda. But I was no better. I responded to his false accusations with insults. I was likewise confronted for my sin.

Three different groups of Christians came to the exact same conclusion. He was spreading lies about me and I was respondent in hatred. We were both wrong. He violated one of the Ten Commandments as he is guilty of bearing false witness (thus was proven by the admins.). I did not violate one of the ten commandments but was equally guilty of sin (also proven by the admins).

Looking at the OP we have two sinners. The man who was caught in the sin of bearing false witness (lies and slander) and me because of how I responded to him.

When confronted by Christians (granted, a third time) God opened my eyes to my sin. I repented, apologized to the man, forgave him for lying about me, and was forgiven by God. Rather than remaining in sin I confessed my sin, apologized, and forgave the man for lying about me. I was forgiven and died to that sin in my life (or, killed that sin).

On the other hand, that man remained prideful and blind to his own sin. He refused to "take up his cross". His sin was more important to him than Christ. Even after three different groups of Christian administrators (who could examine both sides of the issue) concluded he was wrong he chose to embrace sin. One even begged him to repent and follow Christ. He refused because he loved his sin more than he loves God.

He is condemned NOT for covering his sin (his sin is well known not only by the board but more importantly by God). He is condemned because he has chosen sin and rejected Christ in the choosing.

This is the condemnation. He has rejected the Light because his deeds are evil. The issue is not covering sin but rejecting Christ because to follow Him means to abandon our sin.

This speaks directly to the OP. It is a true account and I offer it not to praise myself (something you accused me of) or to show where I struggle (your other accusation). I offer it to show the work of God to obedience (I forgave the man, repented, and was forgiven) and the work of man in living in darkness (to my knowledge is remains in sin, he is a known trouble maker and his actions have discredited the man within that Christian community).

The command is to take up our cross and follow Christ. It is not about covering or uncovering sin but about NOT sinning. About walking in the Light. About seeking forgiveness when we do sin.

 

I believe that we are to share our testimonies, what God has done in our lives.

At the moment what is applicable to the OP is what God has done in my life in dealing with that situation. God convicted me of my sin and led me to repentance. That is, IMHO, what is supposed to happen.

It appears the OP may be pointing to the other man. I do not believe that we are to try to "uncover" his sins but rather to encourage him to "walk in the Light".

The difference, of course, is whether we focus on sin or we focus on Christ. I believe that if we walk in the Light then there is no darkness. When we sin we are not "walking in the Light".

It is that simple. That my testimony offends you is not something for which I will apologize. It is what God has done in my life.

 

I believe that we are to be honest, but at the same time not gossip. Let the one who has the shoe size wear the shoe.In my testimony I give the situation BUT I have not defended or provided my case. I will not present my case (this stuff started over 5 years ago when I was on vacation) As such I will not invite this person to plea his case. I am providing what the administrators found. Not what either of us claimed but the conclusion.

I thought that you were an administrator (or had been one) and took for granted that you understood that they could see edits and deletes where members could not. I apologize for the assumption and will clarify for the board as a whole.

For those who do not know why the administration and not members HAVE TO determine these issues:

In my testimony an individual made accusations against me. I told the person he was mistaking, but it escalated. He ended up continuing to make false accusations and I ended up responding to him inappropriately. Both this man and I appealed to the Administration to resolve the issue. The Administration listened to this man's case (he was the one making the accusations). Then they heard my defense.

The administration can SEE changes people make to their posts. They can SEE when a member deleted his or her posts and they can actually SEE the deleted post. These things are not actually removed from the board but are removed from public view. EVERY EDIT can be seen.

The Administration concluded the man had made false accusations. Part of this, they concluded, was things he had assumed rather than what was actually posted. They provided both of us with the EVIDENCE (the PROOF) based on what they and not the members could SEE. BUT they also determined that I responded to him inappropriately and that we were both at fault. This happened THREE TIMES. AND WITH A DIFFERENT GROUP OF ADMINISTRATORS. EVERY TIME the conclusion was the same. He made false accusations and I responded inappropriately.

The reason I will not argue my case or drag this man here to argue his:

1. This was on another forum and we are not allowed to drag specific issues from another board to this one.
2. I am not talking about the arguments but my testimony concerning the conclusion and how God used this in my life.
3. It would be gossip here. The members here do not need to hear two sides of an issue that has been resolved.
4. No one here could see actual evidence from the other board (only Administrators there can see).


Am I talking about Iconoclast? No. I am talking about a situation where two people were guilty of sin. One person repented and another did not. I am giving my own testimony and I will continue to do so in order that perhaps the man will stumble on this and God will lead him to Christ or back into the Light.

I will not discuss this on that other board because it would be inappropriate. But I will discuss their conclusions on the BaptistBoard because it is a part of my own testimony and what God did in my life to overcome a sin I had previously ignored.

I personally believe we are to use our testimonies and in that conviction I will use mine. True accounts that have been resolved and are in the past are better than talking about "John and Jane Doe".

 

Amen. But all of Scripture should present a reality check to us all.

In the account I gave I was not only forgiven by God for confessing my own sin and forgiving the sins against me, but I was blessed. By God's grace I overcame my own sin and moved that much closer to the image of Christ. This is why I refuse to remain silent (I will not "bust the guy out" but I will afford to him every opportunity I can in hopes God will lead him to a fear of God that exceeds his hatred of others. I will never stop offering him this opportunity until he repents or one of us dies. God has put him in my path for a reason, and I think it is to keep him from moving on and trying to "cover" his sinfulness. If he is truly a Christian then God will convict him. If God does not convict him and discipline him then he is not a Christian. God disciplines His own as God has disciplined me. And I have been blessed for that assurance.

1 Peter 1:17-25
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.


Christians today have lost a fear of God. They reduce this to "respect" ignoring that God will judge our hearts and call into account every wicked thing we have said. This is why we should wear out that path to His Throne through Christ in repentance.

 

Yes. A long time ago I enjoyed watching Bernie Williams, ignoring his affiliation. I repented.

 

I'm watching the NY GAME now. It is strange with an empty stadium. But not as strange as I expected.

Problem is with this season who really cares. I feel like I'm watching Spring training.

 

Well, Michelob Ultra still stands between your beverage and water....

 

John Owen wrote a wonderful little book on this topic called The Mortification of Sin.

He asks "Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you."

I think that one issue Christians have with sin is that they (depending on their theology) view their sins as already being forgiven in the past and therefore not an issue in the present. That, of course, is a false theology. Peter speaks to believers, to those who do call God as Father, in this way:

"If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth".

The problem is, IMHO, that Christians have lost this fear of God. They slouch into His presence to offer a rote prayer and move on.

Christians need to be convicted, to actually be sorrowful over, the sin in their lives. But this is not enough. They have to repent. They have to destroy that sin in their life.

But what I see most often is professing Christians justifying their own sin, seeking their own vindication, and opposing anyone would dare to point out their wrongs. This is a part of "Church discipline" but it does not start there. It starts with Christians living for Christ and honestly engaging with other believers to uplift and encourage them to move from glory to glory ever increasingly being conformed into the image of Christ.