Five Practical Applications of Honesty with God in the Christian Life

Abstract

Admittedly, the commonest instinct of human beings after the Fall is to run from the Creator and wear masks while hiding behind all kinds of appearances (like false religion, “good” deeds, and/or good intentions). Despite this (or perhaps for this reason precisely), God, in his all-knowing wisdom, has ordained honesty and the idea of living in transparency (by the Light of his Word) to heal and repair the broken relationship with him. This means that we, as humans, must be completely open with Yahweh first and foremost, but also with ourselves, admitting our faults to ourselves rather than ignoring them. Honesty with God, in other words, means renouncing all attempts to justify, minimize, or even deny the grievousness of our sin (otherwise said, renouncing all masks and the appearance of human “goodness”) so that we might be not just forgiven, but also cleansed, healed and restored (at least partially, until the “completeness” comes). Thus, based on the biblical premise that transparency is the best shield against deceit and self-deceit, this article discusses five practical applications that the habit of being completely transparent with ourselves – but, most importantly, with God – develops in our Christian walk of faith.