Who You Are When No One Is Looking
By J.B. Hixson
03/08/2021
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. (Psalm 139:1–2)
If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise? This question has plagued deep-thinkers for centuries. I like the modern version. If a man says something in the woods and his wife is not around to hear him, is he still wrong? Or better yet, consider a spiritual variation on the question: If a person does something wrong and no one is around to see it, is it still wrong? I am not sure if I can answer the first two questions, but I can say with certainty that the answer to the last question is yes.
This issue is one of character. It has often been said, “Character is who you are when no one is looking.” Character is not merely what you do or what you say or how you behave. Character is the very essence of who you are. The standard for judging whether behavior is right or wrong is not its impact on others, nor is it the opinion of others. The standard of right and wrong is God’s Word. Morality is not up for debate. Ethics are not situational. What is wrong is wrong whether it is done in private or public.
The Bible tells us that God knows the secrets of the heart. King David wrote, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.” (Psalm 139:1–2) The phrase “my sitting down and my rising up” is a figure of speech called merism in which two opposite extremes are used to imply the whole. David is pointing out that God knows everything about us, even our inner most thoughts.
Jesus Himself said, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17) If a person does something wrong and no one is around to notice it, is it still wrong? Absolutely. We do not need someone to indict us for unrighteous behavior. We know instinctively when we have done something wrong. Even unbelievers have a conscience that serves as a “law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.” (Romans 2:15)
Character is an internal quality. Character is what keeps you in check when it would be very easy to step outside the boundaries of God’s law. Our challenge as believers is to uphold that inner standard of righteousness when everyone else is compromising. Paul issued the challenge to believers this way: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8- 10)
Who you are when no one is looking is the true mark of spiritual maturity. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to evaluate the spiritual maturity of others based on their outward appearance. Yet, I am convinced that the greatest rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be given to those who resisted the urge to compromise their standards and walked in faithful obedience even when they could have enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a season without ever getting caught. Who are you when no one is looking?
03/08/2021
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. (Psalm 139:1–2)
If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise? This question has plagued deep-thinkers for centuries. I like the modern version. If a man says something in the woods and his wife is not around to hear him, is he still wrong? Or better yet, consider a spiritual variation on the question: If a person does something wrong and no one is around to see it, is it still wrong? I am not sure if I can answer the first two questions, but I can say with certainty that the answer to the last question is yes.
This issue is one of character. It has often been said, “Character is who you are when no one is looking.” Character is not merely what you do or what you say or how you behave. Character is the very essence of who you are. The standard for judging whether behavior is right or wrong is not its impact on others, nor is it the opinion of others. The standard of right and wrong is God’s Word. Morality is not up for debate. Ethics are not situational. What is wrong is wrong whether it is done in private or public.
The Bible tells us that God knows the secrets of the heart. King David wrote, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.” (Psalm 139:1–2) The phrase “my sitting down and my rising up” is a figure of speech called merism in which two opposite extremes are used to imply the whole. David is pointing out that God knows everything about us, even our inner most thoughts.
Jesus Himself said, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17) If a person does something wrong and no one is around to notice it, is it still wrong? Absolutely. We do not need someone to indict us for unrighteous behavior. We know instinctively when we have done something wrong. Even unbelievers have a conscience that serves as a “law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.” (Romans 2:15)
Character is an internal quality. Character is what keeps you in check when it would be very easy to step outside the boundaries of God’s law. Our challenge as believers is to uphold that inner standard of righteousness when everyone else is compromising. Paul issued the challenge to believers this way: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8- 10)
Who you are when no one is looking is the true mark of spiritual maturity. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to evaluate the spiritual maturity of others based on their outward appearance. Yet, I am convinced that the greatest rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be given to those who resisted the urge to compromise their standards and walked in faithful obedience even when they could have enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a season without ever getting caught. Who are you when no one is looking?
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