Deceit and Other “Little Sins”
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all DECEIT, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. – 1 Peter 2:1-3.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, DECEIT, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. – Romans 1:28-32.
Colin Dowse has an idea that on the surface seems somewhat strange. His idea? Chemically treated (to increase the adhesive power) mud to spray on SUVs. The product “Sprayonmud” is selling for about $14.00 a quart in the USA. The product will allow urban SUV owners to appear to be “all-terrain adventurers.” Would anyone actually buy such a thing? Dowse says, “I’m just shipping a load to Japan we’re opening up distributorships in Canada and in the U.S. I’m talking to people in Germany and Holland. The interest is phenomenal. We’ve had a hundred thousand hits on our website.”
On the surface, this desire to appear to be something that we are not – does not seem to be such a bad thing. Who is going to be hurt if I have some mud on my SUV that did not actually get there by driving off-road or through a swamp? However, it is a symptom of a more serious condition, this wanting to deceive – to be something that we are not. Deceit is a serious condition as evidenced by it appearing in a list along with “murder, strife” and many other ugly things.
Does it really hurt anyone if you appear to your neighbor to be someone that you are really not? Most likely, the only one it is hurting is you and your relationship with your God. As with many sins there appears to be degrees from our view of them. (However, the Book of James makes clear that any sin makes you guilty of all. James 2:10, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”) As in a “little white lie” at one end of the scale, and a “whopper” at the other. Sin has a way of growing; as we participate, and grow accustomed to one level of the sin, it is easier to slide up to another level. We may start out with “sprayonmud” and move on to cheating on our income taxes.
The point is that when we become aware of these little imperfections that is the time to repent, confessing them to the Lord (1 John 1:9) and overcome them. If we tolerate them, it is like watering a weed, and it will grow becoming more and more difficult to take care of later. So, if you’ve become a “sprayonmud” customer it is time to visit the car wash and come clean.
(The importance of repentance and confession of sins while they are still “little”.)