1 Timothy 5:24-25 (ESV)
[24] The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before
them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. [25] So also good works
are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.
You have heard the statement, “They’ll get theirs in the end.” That is
exactly what this verse is saying. We are so passionate about revealing sin in others,
“People need to know about them,” or receiving acknowledgement, “That was my idea,
and he took credit for it.” We forget that it will all come out in the end.
Those who have sinned will be revealed. Those who have done good works will be
acknowledged. As Paul says, some sins “are conspicuous . . . others appear later.”
The same is true of good works. Some “are conspicuous,” but “those that are not
cannot remain hidden.” The real question is not whether someone gets away with
sin, but whether we are patient enough to wait for God’s time. Similarly, the
question is not whether I will be acknowledged for my good works, but whether I
am willing to wait for God’s time. As Jesus said in Luke 8:17 “nothing is
hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be
known and come to light.” Please understand that this is not about
failing to deal with church discipline. This is about situations over which we
have no control. When we think that someone is getting away with sin, or that
we are not being truly appreciated, we need to trust that God will bring it all
to light in the proper time. It is not about justice. It is about trusting God.
Additionally, when we think that we are getting away with sin – that God has
not seemed to notice or that he apparently doesn’t think that what I am doing is
too bad – we need to remember that it will all come to light in the end. There
is no hidden sin when we stand before God.
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