The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.

1 Timothy 5:24-25

The apostle Paul writes to Timothy and reminds him that some kinds of sin are super obvious. These are the sins that are all too easy to judge. If someone has an addiction to nicotine or marijuana or food, these sins become very external and obvious. If someone is engaging in an openly gay relationship or embraces gender dysphoria, they often wear their sin on the outside. Their sins are obvious and seem to go “ahead of them” as they walk into a place, especially a church environment.

But we need to be careful not to judge those whose sins are external and obvious. First, judging others for their sin has a boomerang effect on our own life according to Jesus:

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6:37-38

If we judge others for their sin, that judgment boomerangs back upon us. Yet, if we show grace, love and generosity toward others, that too boomerangs back upon us.

But another reason we shouldn’t judge others for their obvious sin is because most sin is more like an iceberg. The hidden sins in people’s lives are often the sins that are most damaging.

Anyone who has worked in ministry any length of time knows that there are deep, dark sins that many people hide. A person can look great on the outside, all put together and healthy, and yet be full of darkness and death behind-the-scenes. This was the case for the Pharisees in Jesus’s day. These sins “trail behind” people and aren’t immediately obvious. These sins seem to receive less overt judgment from others in the church community yet are just as deadly and damaging to a person and to the church.

As a pastor who has the honor and responsibility of being on the front row seats of many people’s lives, and as a minister who regularly does inner healing and deliverance ministry, I can assure you that the person most church-goers thinks is the “biggest sinner” in the room isn’t.

If we could see what God sees, we’d stop thinking there was such a thing as a “biggest sinner.” God sees the beauty and the ugliness in us all. And as someone who gets to partner with the Holy Spirit to see people get set free from demonic oppression in their life, there are many people sitting next to us at church who are dealing with darkness that we can’t see on Sunday mornings.

Paul tries to remind Timothy that these hidden sins will eventually be exposed and cleansed by the Light of Christ. We get to decide if that happens in private now or in public later (1 John 1:6-9). He also reminds Timothy that our behind-the-scenes good deeds will operate the same way. If we’ve been faithfully serving Christ in obscurity, that too will eventually come to light for all to see. Jesus said as much in Luke 8:

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

Luke 8:17

Paul’s point to Timothy is that this principle applies both to sin and to service. Things won’t stay hidden for long, whether good or evil.

So next time we see someone with obvious sin that goes “ahead of them,” let’s check ourselves and guard our hearts against judgment. For most of us church people, we have more sin that “trails behind” us and is hidden than we do obvious sin. Is it possible that we escape other people’s harsh judgment simply because we’re better at hiding our sin? But God sees it all.

Let’s be people of grace and purity. Let’s be people who are better at hiding our good works than our sin. And let’s be full of generosity and compassion toward those whose sin is external and obvious.