You have put off who you were.
God is wrapping you in who He is.
So there’s no point in lying to one another.
Be honest about who you are — tell the truth about yourself, Paul writes here. The old you needs Jesus, and the new you is being reinvented to look like Him, quite apart from your own ability or actions.
When we know we need to be changed and that He is the only one who can do the changing, we have freedom to stop pretending to be someone we’re not. If we have trouble admitting sin and weakness to others, we are still trying to manage the old self — still trusting threadbare lies to cover own nakedness — instead of believing God has clothed us in the righteousness of His Son (Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 4:24, Romans 13:14).
In Christ, our sin should no longer lead us to secrets and despair, but to repentance and rejoicing and retelling the story that He has done what we could never do.
It’s the truth that sets us free, Jesus says, not our trying (John 8:32). Honesty is a stronger mark of salvation than holiness.
Holiness is the product of God’s transformation. Honesty is the place it begins.
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4 Comments
Ariëlla
Thank you very much for this refreshing post! “Be honest about who you are — tell the truth about yourself” Great lesson for me.
Kelly
Great lesson for me, too — I think it always will be.
Jennifer
So very good! I am a very honest person and usually have no problem voicing my faults to others. What’s funny is how silent the rest of my small group can be… It often leaves me thinking either they’re all perfect or there is something seriously wrong with me. Thankful that it is truth that sets us free. Trying is exhausting.
Kelly
I find the farther I get from grace, the quieter I am about my weak spots … but God alone knows how He is drawing me, you and your friends to His glory. We can have confidence He is at work in both the silence and the speaking and reveals truth at His time. Keep telling that His grace is enough for your own sin — that’s our work — “this is my story, this is my song, praising my savior all the day long!”