2 Corinthians 4:1-6: Scrupulous Honesty
Saturday, December 13, 2025
We have renounced shameful, hidden things . . .
Just recently in my workplace we have undergone a quality review by visitors from outside our community and we have been commended for our integrity. This comes at no small cost. It takes scrupulous honesty to peel away the sham and artifice in order to allow the gentle truth to emerge. This kind of deep and searching honesty is frequently an unwelcome guest of the heart. We shrink from repentance; we do not want to change. We prefer the walls we have constructed that block out any fear that might cause us to change for the better. We must move away from all hidden agendas and come into the light.
We have not acted deceitfully or falsified the word of God . . .
Just recently in my family we have suffered a soul-shattering loss and we continue to struggle with ourselves and with one another. Truths must be pronounced but gently, kindly, mercifully. The enormity of our grief might cause us to hide, or it may impel us to strike out at one another. It is possible to nurse sad feelings or harbor grief; we may possibly ignore the growth that our suffering offers. Or we might grow in wisdom as we allow the Spirit to open and heal us. We might allow our divinity to teach us about our humanity. In order to find union with God and mend our broken spirit, we must remove ourselves from deceit and we must allow God’s truth to guide us. And we must do this lovingly, gratefully.
By the open declaration of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God . . .
As humans we tend to think that we exist in isolation. The skin that contains our organs prevents us from physically occupying the space someone else holds. We live in the illusion that we can hide from one another. We allow small lies to color our stories, our perspectives and our opinions. We forget that all that we are and all that we do are of and from God. We live in the illusion that we create ourselves when the scrupulous truth is that we are co-creators of life with God. When we move away from sham and artifice we can see all of this more clearly. And when we spend time with God to sort through our sorrows, we become less frightened, less egocentric. We become more loving, more vulnerable. We become the promise God has hoped for us.
We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord . . . and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
When we spend time worrying about ourselves and not others we have the wrong end of the stick. God creates us to serve one another rather than be served. God wants us to tend to one another rather than to be tended. We are created to advocate for others, not to hide from, lie to, deceive or trample others. When we become slaves for the sake of Christ Jesus we begin to fulfill our potential. We prepare ourselves in the best way possible for our union with God.
For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ.
We are created to make known God’s goodness to others, and it is our scrupulous honesty that opens us to God’s light. It is in this way that we become a fearless, grateful, authentic revelation of God’s love.
A re-post from November 18, 2011.
For information on the importance of honesty, click on the image or visit: https://charityforchange.org/honesty-is-a-skill-vital-to-a-childs-development/
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