Sin is often understood, in a broad sense, as breaking the rules and regulations of a religion. However, in Christianity, sin is more deeply defined as an offence against God and His ways. It can be understood in three dimensions: despising God’s people, acting against His commandments, and causing harm to others—whether physically or emotionally.
While the first two are often seen in relation to faith—how one regards God’s people, mainly the servants of God, and responds to His commands—the third extends beyond religious boundaries. It speaks to our conduct toward all people. Yet, many limit this understanding, thinking it applies only to fellow believers, rather than recognizing that any act of harm against another person is, in itself, an offence against God.
Offence Against A Fellow citizen
In civil society, when a person is accused of wrongdoing against another, the law examines the case, and if guilt is proven in court, the person is punished according to the nature of the offense. This way of thinking has, at times, influenced the community of believers as well. Offences committed against fellow believers are often treated as violations to be punished under God’s law, as though the sin is primarily against another person. However, in God’s perspective, it is not merely a punishable act between the believers. Rather, such behaviour falls under His judgment because the wrong is ultimately committed against the Creator of the one who was harmed. In this sense, every offence is first and foremost a sin against God Himself, not just against a fellow human being.
When we fail to understand that any harm done to another person is ultimately a sin against God, we begin to rely on religious practices to settle such offences at a human level. Commonly, the one who caused harm and the one who was hurt are brought together, and forgiveness is encouraged so that the matter appears resolved. If the offence were merely between two people, such a resolution might seem sufficient. However, if every wrong is truly committed against God, can such a settlement fully address the depth of the offence? Can human reconciliation alone remove the guilt of the offender or bring true peace to the one who was hurt? This raises a deeper question: are we resolving the matter only outwardly, or are we seeking restoration in the sight of God, where the offence ultimately resides?
Remedial Actions
When we attempt to resolve the matter against God by internalizing it within the people themselves, it may provide a false sense of relief and satisfaction that their sins are forgiven. However, this approach only accumulates sins over time, ultimately creating a barrier between man and God, thereby disconnecting man from his Creator forever. A lie has been told to them: that their sins separate them from God, leading to advice for remedial actions that primarily benefit the mediators. For this reason, God has clearly told us that He never departs from us because of sin; rather, it is the guilt inflicted by sin and religious leaders in the hearts of believers that stands between them and their Creator. This truth behind these false remedial actions is explained by God Himself in the following passage:
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
Isaiah 59:1-4 (NIV)
The Reality Of The Secret Sin
Among believers, there is often a notion of “secret sin”—acts committed in private, hidden from the knowledge of others. Yet, when the consequences of such actions become evident, some attribute them to the influence or possession of evil spirits, claiming that the individual is no longer in control but driven by these forces into further sin—whether lust, pornography, sexual abuse, incest, covetousness, theft, or even violence.
This raises a serious question: if these sins were committed in complete secrecy, how are they so readily attributed to external forces? Is it truly a matter of unseen spirits taking control, or is it that hidden desires, once entertained, gradually take hold of the heart and shape one’s actions? The issue, then, may not lie outside the person, but within—where what is nurtured in secret eventually reveals its power.
What we must learn from this is that there is truly no such thing as a “secret” sin. If it is believed that even evil forces can recognize and take advantage of such hidden acts, how much more is the Creator fully aware of them? Nothing escapes His sight.
Even before we fall into sin and become subject to its consequences, God, in His grace, has already made a way to save us and lead us toward eternal life. The New Testament reveals this clearly through the Son of God, who foretold Peter’s denial before it ever took place—down to the very moment it would happen. This stands as a reminder for all of us that nothing is hidden from God. Our thoughts, intentions, and actions are all known to Him, calling us to live not in secrecy, but in truth before Him.
When King Aram was fighting against the King of Israel, he became worried that the King of Israel somehow knew his war strategies and would defeat him. He suspected there was a mole among his army, and upon inquiring, he was informed about the power of God: no one can hide what they plan or do, even if they devise those plans from their bedroom (2 Kings 6:9-12). Knowing the penetrating eyes and discerning power of God, believers often fool themselves into thinking they can sin secretly, convincing their conscience that God will not know about it because they are committing these acts in private. With this misconception, they feel comfort in their sinning, deeming it as “secret sins.”
When the king of Aram was at war with the king of Israel, he became troubled because his plans were repeatedly exposed and defeated. Suspecting a traitor within his own army, he began to search for a mole. But he was told that it was not betrayal, but the power of God—who reveals even the plans formed in the secrecy of one’s own chamber (2 Kings 6:9–12).
In light of such truth, it is sobering to see how people deceive themselves. Though they know the all-seeing and discerning nature of God, they still convince their conscience that their actions can remain hidden if done in secret. This false belief brings a sense of comfort, making sin seem easier and more acceptable. Yet, what is called “secret” before men is never hidden from God, and such thinking only deepens the deception of the heart. There is no secret from God; He knows everything we have done and will do, even before we think of committing those acts.
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
Luke 8:17 (NIV)
Let us no longer view our wrongdoing as merely offenses against people, but recognize them for what they truly are—sins against God. When this truth settles in our hearts, we will not find comfort in hiding our actions from others or justifying them as “secret.” Instead, we will become deeply aware that we stand before the all-seeing eyes of the living God. Such awareness will strip away our self-deception and lead us to turn away from these false notions that only serve to excuse and sustain our wrongdoing.
The Jordan Valley 
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