Stop Lying To Yourself
Article by Eric Mattie
Have you heard the phrase: “Sometimes, you don’t know what you don’t know.”?
We all have this issue of not knowing what we don’t know. They are called blind spots in our lives. While we are made in the image of God and created as the pinnacle of all creation, we are still finite men and women, with limited knowledge, who can’t read minds, or see other hearts’ attitudes or motives.
On a personal level, it also means we don’t always know ourselves as well as we think we do. As humble Christians, we can admit that blind spots exist and that we are not perfect. We can cognitively nod and assent to that truth.
But do we let that truth sink deep into our hearts enough to affect our living in a godly manner rather than a sinful manner?
Remember the old pithy saying that “you can miss heaven by 18 inches, which is the distance between your head and your heart?” While this truth is used in gospel calls for salvation, it can also be used in the sanctification process as well.
In Killing Sin, Karl Clauson writes:
“Recognizing sin is a good thing, but owning it changes everything. Self-protection tempts us to avoid taking responsibility for our sin. We fear retribution, shame, or rejection.”
The difference between recognizing sin and owning sin is head knowledge versus heart knowledge. Mentally knowing the truth, doctrine, and theology is not the same as integrating it to affect our heart’s motivation, disposition, or convictions. We can foolishly justify any behavior if we can convince ourselves that we are in the right. We can say we have no sin. But the Apostle John reminds us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8).
If the truth is not in us, we are blinded to how stuck we really are under the guilt and power of sin, denying the need to be set free (Romans 6).
If the truth is not in us, we will have a hardened heart to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, denying the need to repent.
If the truth is not in us, we will deceive ourselves from seeing how awful a sinner we are in the sight of a holy God and deny the need for a Savior.
Deceiving ourselves is one of the reasons we don’t own our sin.
Be honest, let’s ask ourselves the hard questions. It is the only way to reveal our blind spots. In fact, we are not called to do it alone. God tells us to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13) That means admitting sin not only to God but also to someone you can trust. In fact, read James 5:16 and see the resulting promise if we do this.
Taking a hard look at our lives, hearts, and motives doesn’t come easy. Well, at least it is not as easy as reading an article about it. Take the time. It will be worth it.
See the results that the Apostle John says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Sincerely owning our sin, feeling its pain in our life and the harm it does to our relationship with God, ourselves, and others, and confessing it, opens the door to greater peace, freedom, and joy over time.
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Eric preaches, teaches, and serves as a lay elder in his local church and writes regularly at For1Glory.com. He and his wife, Melanie, live in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and have three adult children.