Why do we get angry when confronted with our sin?

Imagine this scenario with me:


I went to church on Sunday and was approached by one of the medical personnel that are a part of my church family. They approached me and said: "Hey, Matt, I've noticed that you have a little bump on your neck. It may be nothing at all but then again it could be serious given the location. You really need to get it checked out first thing tomorrow."


How do you think I would respond?


"Hey, doc, it's none of your business! In fact, they call people like you hypocrites - you're in poor health and yet you're pointing out health problems in other people. Besides, what makes you think I even wanted to hear your opinion!?"


Of course not! My reply would be VERY different:


"Oh, thank you so much for pointing that out. I hadn't noticed it but I'll get it checked out first thing tomorrow. Thank you so much for caring enough about me to point it out.


Easily 99% of us would respond that way. Why? That's an easy answer - because we want to be physically healthy. We don't want to experience pain and suffering so we'll take medical advice anytime we can get it.


Yet, too often, we act very differently when God's Word or some fellow believer points out some area of concern in our spiritual lives. We bristle. We get defensive. We get angry.


Why? The only possible answer is that while we value physical health, far too often we do not value spiritual health.


The Word of God is for our healing. It points out areas of concern that will lead us down the wrong road and prescribes a remedy.


If we value spiritual health, we must pay careful attention as the light of God's Word shines onto the sinful areas of our mind and heart. We must make the necessary changes if we are to experience the benefits and joys of spiritual health.


Hebrews 4:12-13 (New Living Translation)
"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable."


Hebrews 3:13 (New Living Translation)
"You must warn each other every day, while it is still 'today,' so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God."

Why we need accountability partners

Before I go out for the day, I do what most wise husbands do - I ask my wife how I look.

After all, my extent of colors is limited to those found in an 8 pack box of Crayola crayons. Kim is much better qualified to tell me if my clothes match. If she takes a look at my attire and gets a pained look on her face, I know I chose poorly. If I want to avoid getting the same look from many of the folks I meet that day, I would do well to listen to her assessment and make the necessary adjustments.

Living as a follower of Jesus is much like that. More times than not, we may be blind to our own mess-ups. We are engaged in sin or are on the slippery slope toward some grievous sin and may not realize it. That's when we need other believers to take a look at us and give us an accurate assessment of what they see. 

No one likes to see it but they may get a pained look on their face as they look at us. But, let's be real - the pained look isn't the real problem. The real problem is what has caused that pained look.

The wise response is not to get upset at that Christ-follower for pointing out some error in our life. The wise response is to make the necessary adjustment.

Unfortunately, too many folks are saturated with pride. Instead of making the adjustment, they get angry at the one who notices the problem.

2 Chronicles 36:11-13 (New Living Translation)

"Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the LORD, the God of Israel."

So, are you being held accountable by at least one other Christ-follower (not including your spouse)? Have you given at least one other person the right to address problems in your life and be honest with you regarding what they see?

How do you respond when a Christ-follower points out some error in your life? Do you humbly make the necessary correction or do you get angry?

If your response is typically anger, people will stop telling you where you need to make adjustments. Without that needed feedback, you could wake up one day and wonder how you got so far away from the Lord. Others could have spared you that wasted time away from the Lord.

Do yourself a favor and listen to fellow Christ-followers when they give you feedback on what they see in your life. You are the one to benefit from the feedback.

Sermon (video): Preparing for the Day of Judgment (Matthew 25:14-30)

To view the sermon, click here.

As Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, He told a parable about a master who entrusted a large sum of money to his servants. After doing so, he went away into a far country. The bulk of this parable has to do with when the master came back and called his servants to give an account for how they had managed and increased his wealth.

This parable speaks volumes about the Judgment Day each of us will experience as we stand for Jesus and have to give an account for how we spent our short life here on planet Earth.