Walking with the Wise #452: Telling It Like It Is

“These also are sayings of the wise.

Partiality in judging is not good.

Whoever says to the wicked, 'You are in the right,'

will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,

but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

and a good blessing will come upon them.

Whoever gives an honest answer

kisses the lips."
—Proverbs 24:23-26

Growing up, I often heard my family refer to bold preachers of the Gospel who weren’t afraid to call out sin as men who “tell it like it is.” “Telling it like it is” means seeing sin, calling it sin, and then calling people to repentance. If we are to be faithful men and women of God, we must all tell it like it is—call sin to account and not try to hide, overlook, or explain it away. To do that, we must be bold and dedicated to honesty, even if it means suffering because of it. It requires courage and confidence—something that many of us lack. Our fear of man usually trumps our fear of God. But God will have none of it! He is calling us to the deeper life, where we are renewed in our inner man and where the Spirit working through the Word of God forges the mettle of our character.

Being a Christian means dedication to truth-telling—be honest in our judgments, caring not for the accouterments and successes of fallen man, and be willing to side with God and His people despite threat of opposition or persecution. If we stand on God’s truth, we may sorrow like Jeremiah, but we will feel the delight of staying true to the Word of God. Don’t underestimate the power of a clear conscience! How many men and women walk about this fallen world every day carrying the weight of a stained conscience? How many are so weighed down that they feel paralyzed and trapped? How many have been imprisoned by the devil by the overwhelming guilt of their sin, kept in bondage—shackled by the chains of choices long since past—the prisoners to compromises of conscience whose souls bear miserable scars? The numbers stagger the imagination.

God calls us to clean consciences by appropriating Christ’s death on the cross as our own and His righteousness as our own. We do this by faith in what He did for us—that He acted as our substitute and by the wounds of sin—which act as payments required for our sin—He took our punishment upon Himself, paid the price, and then afforded to us His righteousness. Our responsibility now is to tell the truth—be honest in our practices and impartial in our judgment, refusing to compromise by calling sin out and people to repentance. Such an attitude and action is like giving a kiss to the lips—it is a delight to our soul.

Have you compromised with sin? Have you refused to be impartial? Call sin out and let God be the one to determine the right and the wrong. Submit to what He has revealed, stand for that which He says is true, tell it like it is, and wait for God to reward you. He will stand by to strengthen, establish, and guide you for His glory and our joy. Amen.