Does this mean it’s alright for you to live a flawed life, a life without purpose? If that were true there would be no need for the word correction. The experience of Adam and Eve teaches us that hiding serves no useful purpose. It also teaches us that flaws come at a cost that must be paid. For Adam and Eve, God sacrificed the blood (life) of two animals to cover their nakedness. For each of us, it is the blood of Jesus Christ.
When I hide, I replace God (on the throne) with myself so that I can cover my weaknesses and flaws. Cosmetic surgery can enhance a woman’s face and body, but no amount of surgery can hide vanity and pride. They say, “Clothes make the man.”, but clothes can’t hide selfishness and greed.
Hiding your flaws simply means you’re a slave to the thinking and behavior that keeps you living in fear. I never like to hear someone point out my flaws. It means that I was unable to hide something about myself which I fear. I immediately feel the overwhelming need to justify why I am the way I am. I feel vindicated and relieved because it allows me to continue hiding. Who am I hiding from? I’m already exposed and I’m still trying to hide? Does that behavior even make sense?
I’m slowly learning to accept that I am a flawed person. I’m also learning to trust God and others with the truth about my flaws. This does not mean that I will live with my flaws and tell others, “That’s just me, deal with it!” It means I will use the biblical concept of Aram (aw-ram’) of standing before God and acknowledging my guilt, allowing God’s Holy Spirit to smooth the flaws (the rough edges of my life); both inside and outside. I no longer have to be afraid.
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”5
I believe there are three benefits to being transparent instead of hiding in the shadows of deception:- Liberation
- Peace
- Spiritual empowerment
There is liberation in being honest about myself because the truth sets us free from fear. Being transparent expels the fear about me, enabling me to understand that God really does know and love me as I am. Because I am known by God, I’m also forgiven. When I reach the place where I no longer am afraid, I can stand before God and others and not feel shame. The bible says,
“God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”6
Fear robs us of power, love and a disciplined life. It also destroys our confidence. Fear and lack of confidence go hand-in-hand in distorting our identity and self-image; perverting who we are and how we see ourselves.
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”7
The real measure of one’s confidence is in (and from) God. It is through our identification with Jesus Christ that we discover who we really are. We recognize the truth about God and our self. This instills confidence because we are liberated from our basic fear of God; realizing the truth that He is our Father.
A second benefit of spiritual transparency is peace.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…”8
Peace dispels the anxiety, worry and fears I had about my identity; in other words, who I am. I am growing in that truth and as a result experiencing a new found comfort with who I am. I begin to experience the calm guidance of the Holy Spirit in the same way that Peter did when he followed Jesus out onto the water.
“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’
And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’
And He said, ‘Come!’ And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”9
Inner peace includes confidence in the Lord; allowing me to trust Him in every area of my life.
The third benefit of spiritual transparency is spiritual empowerment.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”10
The Greek word for power is dunamis (doo’-nam-is) which means force (literally or figuratively); specifically, it means, miraculous power. Dunamis comes from the root word dunamai (doo’-nam-ahee) which means, to be able or possible:--be able, can, could, may, might, be possible, be of power.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is (literally) the power of God resident in the believer. What does the power of God mean in my life? Literally, it is the inexhaustible power source which resurrects my life (spirit, soul and body) to live for God. I am empowered by God to live holy, honestly, truthfully and right before God and those whom I interact with. I am empowered to be a living example of Jesus Christ. It is not the Lord’s intent that I merely talk about Christ; I must honestly reflect Christ in my life. That is true power! It is a power which cannot be mimicked; it is only reflected from God through the believer.
Once I understand that I have liberation, peace and spiritual empowerment, I no longer need to be afraid and hide. I can reflect the life of Jesus Christ in my life and live a life of transparency. I am Aram (naked) before God, who is smoothing out the flaws of my life; both inside and outside.
I no longer need to hide.
Footnotes:- Hebrews 4:16, NIV
- 2 Timothy 1:7, NASB
- Romans 12:3, NIV
- Romans 5:1, NIV
- Matthew 14:27-29, NASB
- Romans 1:16, NASB
References:- Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, By James B. Strong, S.T.D, LL.D., Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
- Unger's Bible Dictionary, By Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, Chicago
- The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
- The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
I recently read the following:
“No one wants to be weak, so we find ways to appear strong.”1
As humans, we detest any sign of weakness. We expend tremendous effort, cost and time covering up our flaws. A strong man will use his muscular body to bolster his confidence. A beautiful woman maximizes her face and body to gain the approval she seeks from others.
Where is your strength? What do you depend on when exposure to your flaws is at risk? When confronted with the truth about yourself, do you hide your flaws?
Adam and Eve faced this dilemma in the Garden of Eden. After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they realized they were naked. When God called out to them, they hid from Him. It was a trait they would pass down to each human descendant; hiding from God.
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He walked in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.'”2
We all seek to maintain a level of confidence about our identity; confidence gives you a sense of worth. What gives you confidence? Perhaps you are intelligent. Maybe you are beautiful. Your muscles may bolster your confidence. Maybe you are an excellent cook or you know how to fix things. Maybe your job gives you pride and confidence about who you are. Is it a uniform you wear or the kind of car you drive? Each of us has something that we use to mask the fear deep within us; a fear of revealing the truth about who we really are. It’s the primary reason we hide.
We can’t afford to allow anyone to see us weak. We tell ourselves, “I can’t let them see me like this.” But what we’re really saying is, “I'm afraid, because of who I am, so I hide the truth about myself.”
I believe in God and because of that I believe that God is honest, truthful and the standard for integrity; qualities which He wants to reveal in us. We need to be transparent before God and others. I believe that God put that need in us. I also believe that oftentimes who we really are, is revealed by our own sabotaged attempts at deception. We don’t want to reveal the truth about ourselves and yet, the steps we take to avoid exposure reveal that very truth.
The thief gets caught, an immoral politician exposed, a Ponzi scheme discovered, an athlete with a secret life; all exposed to the revealing light of truth. Why? Do they subconsciously want to be honest and truthful about their life? Adam hid among the trees and yet, he still confessed before God.
In the biblical definition, nakedness doesn’t just mean without any clothing. The Hebrew word Aram (aw-ram’) means to be (or make) bare. This Hebrew word is derived from the concept of smoothness, being without flaw. Outside, there is nothing visibly wrong to be seen; like a smooth pebble which has no rough edges. Inside, there is nothing hidden, stored or perishable. This is contrasted with a piece of fruit which looks ripe and delicious on the outside only to reveal that it first rots from within. There is a clear, clean honesty in the concept of Aram (aw-ram’); that honesty was put there by God. I believe God wants us to be transparent; visible, honest and unafraid.
God made Adam and Eve bare (or Aram). Why? In His creative work, God made them without flaws so that they would have open, honest, face-to-face communication with Him in the Garden. It’s what God wants from all of us; to be unafraid so that each of us has open, honest communication with Him.
Although Adam and Even hid from God, were they truly invisible? Even though Adam was afraid, fearful and hiding, he heard the voice of God call him. He acknowledged his fear in the presence of God by standing before God and confessing.
“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid…”3
How do you respond when you are called to account for yourself? When the truth about you is about to be revealed, do you hide behind your intelligence, your beauty, your talent, your youth, your money, your job or your family? Are you afraid that seeing your flaws will diminish how others view you? Maybe you’ll appear as someone not that smart or pretty or strong. Perhaps God is calling you out, but because of your fear and flaws, you choose to remain hidden.
None of us are perfect no matter how much we cover ourselves. The truth cannot be hidden. You cannot make yourself right! No matter how good you make yourself, no matter how good or tight your game is; you remain flawed.
It is good to know that God no longer holds your flaws against you.
“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”>”4
I have found this to be the case in my life (particularly when I'm questioned about something I prefer to remain hidden from others). I can think of numerous times when I was lost driving but rather than acknowledge it, I would give my wife an alternative explanation for where we are.
"Is this still the interstate?"
"No, I got off because I was looking for a service station."
None of us are perfect now, no matter how much we cover ourselves. The truth cannot be hidden. You cannot make yourself right! No matter how good you make yourself, no matter how good or tight your game is; you remain weak.
It is good to know that God no longer holds your weakness against you.
“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”4
Tomorrow, I will discuss the benefits of living a transparent life before God and others.
Footnotes:- Strength in Weakness, Julie Ackerman Link, RBC Ministries
- Genesis 3:8-10, NIV
- Genesis 3:10, NIV
- Romans 8:1-2, NIV
References:- Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, By James B. Strong, S.T.D, LL.D., Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
- Unger's Bible Dictionary, By Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, Chicago
- The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
- The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
