“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (Proverbs 27:6)
Read: Proverbs 19:25; 25:11-12; 27:5-6; 28:23
Devotion: When you are wrong about something or you sin in some way, what is the last thing you want to do? Usually, it’s to admit that you were wrong or that you sinned. Instead of owning up to our sins, we either act like they never happened or justify them in some way in an attempt to hide from any consequences of our actions.
Hiding from God and running from our guilt has been the default human reaction to sin since the first sin in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they first tried to from him (Gen 3:8). Then they made excuses for their sin when God confronted them (Gen 3:12-13).
And the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree, as reflected by today’s culture. In large part, the western world has a huge victim-complex problem. Every wrong done is not the fault of the one who sinned but is the result of some outside factor like some systemic injustice, the person’s parents, the culture they were raised in, or the diagnosis of some mental illness. While the manner in which we were raised and the culture that we grew up in do influence our thinking and can increase our predilection toward certain sins, those things do not erase our accountability for the sins we commit. Thus, they all fall under the banner of “excuse,” and there are no legitimate excuses for sin. As God makes clear in Leviticus 5:17-19, we are accountable even for those sins we committed in ignorance.
Rather than trying to hide or make excuses for our sin, which do nothing to fix our problem, God repeatedly tells his people to confess their sins and turn back to him. To put it another way, we are to be personally accountable for our sins. We do this in faith, trusting that God is exactly who he says he is: merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex 34:6). Likewise, we know that if we do sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).
When we sin, we must not run away or minimize or sin. Rather, Scripture calls us to humbly go before the throne of grace in the name of Christ, knowing that we will find mercy and grace to help in our time of need (Heb 4:14-16). As we regularly practice confessing and repenting of our sins to God—and others if we have sinned against someone in particular—our souls will be refreshed. As David learned, sin is a burden and trying to cover it over only adds to the weight (Ps 32:3-4). But when we genuinely confess and repent of our sins to God, trusting in Christ’s work on the cross, we will find the forgiveness according to God’s promise and the burden is lifted (Ps 32:1-2; 6-11).
Yet it is vital to remember that our flesh will tempt us away from confession and accountability. Our fallen tendency will be to either run and hide or make excuses when we sin. Having a redeemed nature and the Holy Spirit living inside of us are great boons in fighting our flesh, but our flesh is still there. Thankfully though, God has given us another great means of his grace, which is the church. As the wisdom of the Proverbs reflect, the wise person welcomes the loving rebuke of friends (Prov 27:5-6). The wise man treasures being held accountable because he knows that accountability is what he needs (Prov 25:11-12).
This is just another reason why being a part of a local church is so vital for our overall well-being, because in the church we have brothers and sisters who are not only struggling against their own sin but who are also striving after the image and example of Christ just as we are. Thus, in the church we have both the opportunity to be a means of God’s grace as we restore a brother caught in a transgression with a spirit of gentleness (Gal 6:1), and we have trustworthy saints who will do the same for us (see Heb 3:12-15). It would be the height of prideful folly to neglect such a great gift from God.
Therefore, if you haven’t already, seek out at least one brother or sister (depending on your own gender) to whom you can be mutually accountable with as you share your respective struggles, temptations, and even victories over sin. Families should be practicing this within their family unit naturally as you hold one another accountable, but even there those faithful wounds of a friend are still massive tools for our sanctification. The more people in our lives who know the truth and who will hold us accountable when we are not living according to our confession of Christ, the better.
Ponder and Pray: Consider why it is important to take accountability for your sin. Why is it also important to have others around us who can hold us accountable for your sins? Finish your time by praying to your heavenly Father and confessing your sins to him (1 John 1:9).
