Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.
How to Hide Sins
James 5:19-20
"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
Hiding sin is normally not productive. In fact, the Scriptures warn us in Proverbs 28:13 not to cover sin. However, in the verse above God shows us that the proper way to hide sins is not by covering up, but it is by converting the sinner. I want you to notice that this is not simply talking about a lost person, but it is talking about someone who is saved and has fallen into sin. God says when you convert the sinner that you "...hide a multitude of sins." Let me teach you several things about converting the sinner.
First, conversion believes there is good in a person. Whenever you take an old car that needs converting, the person who does the conversion believes that the car still has value if it is converted. Though a Christian may have fallen into sin, let me remind you that there is still good in that person which God can use. If there were no good in them, then God would not leave them on this Earth.
Second, conversion sees what they will be. When a person converts an old car, they must have a vision of what that car will become. Likewise, if you are going to be successful at converting the fallen, then you must look beyond their fallen condition and see a finished product. God did this with several people. He called Jacob Israel, because He didn't see the deceiver, but He saw the prince that Jacob would become. He called Gideon a mighty man of valor because He didn't look at the scared person, but He saw the mighty warrior who fought the Midianite army with 300 men. God looks beyond the fallen condition to see the converted condition. You will only be successful at converting people if you will look beyond their fallen condition and see their converted condition.
Third, conversion takes work. It is never an easy process to convert the sinner from the error of his way. This is why you don't see many Christians involved in the conversion process. Too many Christians want immediate results when true conversion takes time and hard work.
Fourth, conversion takes patience. Whenever you try to convert something, you will always run across unexpected problems that you could not foresee. Likewise, you must be patient with a person if you are going to convert them from their sin. They will have setbacks, but you must not give up on them. Be patient until you see the conversion process completed.
Fifth, conversion causes other to forget what they used to be. This is exciting because when people see the finished product, they don't see the scars under the paint, they only see the finished product. Conversion is like the paint that covers the sins of the fallen so that people only see the finished product. Are the scars still there? Oh yes! However the scars of sin are covered by the finished product.
Last, conversion makes the finished product more valuable than the original price. Many times when a car is converted, the price of that car is far more valuable than what it cost in the first place. Likewise, when a sinner is successfully converted, they will be more valuable after the conversion than before they fell. This is exciting to me because that means everybody still has great value, they just need to be converted.
Let me challenge you to get into the conversion business. Invest your life in converting the fallen and you will find extreme satisfaction in the work God will use you to do.