Tuesday, July 25, 2017

The Stupidity of Secret Sin

Image result for cheetos

The headline seemed like something out of a comedy movie, “Burglar Leaves Trail of Cheetos.” According to the ABC News article, here’s what happened.

During the early morning hours of January 6, 2013, county deputies were called to the Cassatt Country Store in Cassatt, South Carolina to investigate a burglary. The deputies determined that someone had broken into the store and stolen beer, cigarettes, snack foods, and energy drinks. The burglar only stole $160 worth of goods, but caused about $2,500 in damages. The store manager surveyed the damage, but noticed that in his haste to escape the intruder punctured two or three bags of Cheetos. That was the robber’s undoing. When police arrived they followed the trail of cheesy breadcrumbs less than 1/5 of a mile from the convenient store, right to the house where the burglar was staying with a friend. As officers approached the front door of the home, they observed more fresh Cheetos on the front porch.[1]

I wonder, when the thief was fingerprinted at the police station did he leave a cheese dust residue? “Be sure your sin will find you out,” Numbers 32:23 tells us. We may sometimes be able to hide our sin from the people around us, but nothing is ever “hidden from God’s sight” (Heb. 4:13). He sees each of our failures, thoughts, and motivations (1 Sam. 16:7; Luke 12:2-3). Our sin may not be revealed as quickly as the Cheeto bandit, but our sinful actions will leave a trail. Like the bungling burglar, we aren’t nearly as clever as we think we are. God will not allow His children to sin successfully. Our sin may be a secret on earth, but I can assure you that it’s an open scandal in heaven. Consider the words of the theologian A.W. Pink:

“How solemn is this fact: nothing can be concealed from God! Though he be invisible to us, we are not so to Him.  Neither the darkness of night, nor the closest curtains, nor the deepest dungeons can hide any sinner from the eyes of God’s omniscience. The trees of the garden were not enough to conceal Adam and Eve’s guilt. The earth under Achan’s tent could not hide his stolen gold. Neither could the thick palatial walls protect David from the piercing gaze and the boney finger of the prophet, “Thou art the man.”[2]

Galatians 6:7 is an immutable law of the universe, just as sure as gravity, “Do not be deceived God is not mocked, for what so ever a man sows that which he also reaps.” We ought not sow wild oats and then pray for crop failure. There is nothing safe about secret sin. It is folly to think we can mitigate our sin by keeping it secret. It is double folly to tell ourselves that we are better than others because we sin in private rather than in public. And it is the very height of folly to convince ourselves that we can get away with sin by covering it up. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper” (Pro. 28:13).

But here’s the good news of the Gospel: The sin we cover, God will eventually uncover and the sin we uncover, God will cover by the atonement of Christ (1 John 1:7, 9). -DM



[1] Kevin Dolak, “Trail of Cheetos Leads to Store Robber,” ABC News, 9 January 2013
<http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/trail-of-cheetos-leads-to-store-robber/>
[2] A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1975), 22. 

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