Justifying ourselves

In the world we live in today, these words of Jesus truly stand out.

You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

We as humans can make so many excuses for our sins. And the people of this world may accept those excuses and even praise and celebrate our sins.

But God knows our hearts. He knows the guilt that many feel for their sins. He knows the guilt that others have buried so deeply that they no longer feel it. And while this world may even celebrate certain sins in this world, they are still abominations in God’s sight.

The question is, what do we do with the sins in our heart? Are we making excuses? Are we working hard to bury our feelings of guilt?

We can fool others into thinking we’re doing right. We can fool others. But we’re not fooling God.

Let us not sear our consciences by making excuses (I Timothy 4:2). Instead let us confess them before God and in his grace and his strength, deal with them.

As John said,

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)