UNSPOKEN

In today's church culture, acknowledging one’s sin is treated as a criminal act. Hence we employ pseudonyms and euphemisms for our sins. We have personal “struggles, challenges, weaknesses, and issues.” We regret the “things” we’ve done, express our need for “spiritual growth,” and ask others to pray for our “unspoken requests.” We even confess we’re not "perfect" or "where we should be" in our spiritual walk. But woe to believers who admit the sin of immorality, unwed pregnancy, stealing, lying, witchcraft, substance abuse, depression**, doubt, gossip, hatred, greed, jealousy, selfishness, and pride! Lord, help me call my sin by its right name and save me from the summary justice of your righteous saints (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; John 8:1-11)—Samuel Koranteng-Pipim

**NOTE on "Depression": In the nugget above, I’ve included "depression" in the list of unspoken sins because there’s seldom an opportunity to talk candidly about it in the church. However, to avoid being misunderstood, let me make two brief points: (i) "Depression" can be a sickness--the result of chemical imbalances or disorders (and which can be treated with medication and counseling); (ii) “Depression” can also be sin—the result of unbelief, fear, anxiety, guilt, self-centeredness, etc. (and which can be overcome by repentance and an abiding faith in Christ). In the nugget above, I’m referring to depression as sin. Even Elijah, John the Baptist, and Paul were quite depressed at some points in their lives—out of fear, doubt, etc. Christians are not immune from this kind of sin either. Unfortunately, we’re unwilling to talk about our sin of depression for fear of what our fellow Christians will do to us. May the Lord help us to call our sins by their right names.