There’s No Such Thing As Secret Sin

Have you ever seen a baby rattlesnake? They look like adult rattlesnakes in miniature. And while they may appear rather harmless, they’re mean from birth. Worse yet, a baby rattler’s venom is more potent than that of an adult rattler.

We often will look at sin in the same way. Though it may not look like a big thing, it will bite us. And once compromise has worked its way into our lives, it permeates every area.

Jesus warned about this very problem in the parable of the yeast. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough” (Matthew 13:33 NLT).

In Scripture, yeast (or leaven) always has negative connotations. When the Israelites were preparing to leave Egypt, Moses instructed them to get rid of all the yeast in their homes in preparation for the first Passover (see Exodus 12:15).

Picking up on this picture, the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, “Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old ‘yeast’ by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:6–7 NLT).

The Living Bible puts verse 6 this way: “What a terrible thing it is that you are boasting about your purity and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don’t you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be affected?”

Some of the Corinthian believers had been proud of the fact that they had welcomed a person who was living immorally into the church. Paul was saying, “This is not what you should be doing. This is not the way you should be living.”

Yeast represents corruption, infiltration, and compromise in our lives. In Scripture, it’s always negative. Jesus warned the disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6 NLT).

Little things can turn into big things. The psalmist wrote, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18 NLT). In other words, if we hang on to sin in our lives, God will not hear our prayers.

Is there sin in your life that you haven’t dealt with? Do you think it’s a secret? Do you believe that you’ve covered your steps? Secret sin on Earth is open scandal in Heaven. There are no secrets with God. He’s aware of it.

You may have rationalized it and somehow managed to find a way to live with it. That could be the compromise in your life, the very thing that could bring you down. Get rid of it before it undermines you spiritually.

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