In my Bible reading, I have been reading through 1 Corinthians and was in chapter 4 the other day. In 4:4 Paul says “For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted, but the one who examines me is the Lord.” What does Paul mean by this? Is the one who describes himself as the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) somehow not conscious of his own sin? Well, of course Paul is very aware of his sin. He is very aware that his sin deserves God’s judgment and that Christ has died on the cross as an atonement for his sins. What Paul is saying is that, even if he ever judged himself to be fully sanctified, the Lord is the judge. It is the Lord’s judgment alone that matters.

But that thought led me down another trail. Why is it that so many people are unaware of their own personal sin, especially in our world today when sin and its consequences are evident in whatever direction we turn? I explore this question in an article that can be read at this link:

Why are you unaware of sin? 

Having an idea of why people are unaware of sin in general and are unaware of their sin in particular can be a help as we discuss with them eternal matters and ultimate questions. RMB