Hardly a day goes by without our hearing about some new allegations of sexual misconduct made against very rich and powerful men. No one knows if all of the accusations are true, but we have to assume that there are a lot of nervous men out there who are hoping they won’t be the next ones to have their past sins made public.

We all want to appear to be better people than we really are. Hiding our wrongdoings, though, is like living on the edge of a cliff. Think about how hard it would be for sexual predators to keep up the guise that they are respectable human beings. Evidently, some have been living double lives for many years—publicly respectable, but privately despicable.

What about the rest of us? We all have secrets. We may not be rich and famous, but there are things in everyone’s past they are glad no one else knows about. Hopefully, they are not criminal, like the accusations we have been hearing about. Even so, I doubt that any of us would want all of the things we have ever done or thought exposed on tonight’s evening news for all to see.

It’s possible to keep secrets from others, even though it can be difficult at times. On the other hand, no one can hide any of their failures from God. That is impossible because God has a perfect memory, and He knows everything. “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar” (Psalm 139:1–2). “…For

[God] knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21).

We may assume that God will overlook most, if not all, of our sin when we stand before Him. After all, we know that nobody is perfect. That sounds reasonable, but it just isn’t true. God’s holiness demands that all sin be punished: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:18).

So, now what? We all have our sins, secret or otherwise, and God demands that all our sin be punished. That is a horrible predicament, but God Himself has designed a solution because He loves us. He has provided a way for us to be just as pure and holy as He is, in spite of all of our sin.

How is that possible? It can happen because Jesus stepped in and paid the horrific penalty our sins deserve when He died on the cross for us. He “bore our sins in His body on the cross…” (1 Peter 2:24). That means that if we put our faith in Christ, God can completely cover over all of our sin because Jesus’s death has paid for it. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account” (Romans 4:7–8).

If you have put your faith in Christ, then I know that the words to the song “Before the Throne” by Charitie Lees Bancroft will bring you pleasure. They capture the joy of having our sins paid for and taken away.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest, whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heav’n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there! the risen Lamb!
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM
The King of glory and of grace!
One with Himself, I cannot die;
My soul is purchased by His blood;
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God.

Followers of Christ don’t have to worry about ever facing their secret sins when this life is over. Because we have repented and turned to Christ, we can know that God will not deal with us “… according to our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10–12). Hallelujah!