An Eternal Oscar?

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:13 ESV

To be laid bare is a terrifying thought to many.

For someone to know every detail of our lives, from our darkest actions to our most depraved thoughts, is unsettling to say the least.

There are people who project an image and work for years to construct a positive reputation only to have that carefully constructed facade come crashing down around them, usually making a mess in the lives of those surrounding them as well.

In fact, Jesus named the scribes and Pharisees to be people just like this, saying they were like “whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones” (Matthew 23:27).

Now here is an interesting conundrum: the religious men of any day, such as the scribes and Pharisees, would undoubtedly profess that they lived a life of “holiness” to please God and fulfill his great designs for human living, yet interestingly when these religious men met God, he came to quite an opposite conclusion.

We, being 2000 years removed from this scene, can quietly scoff and sneer at their hypocrisy while enjoying our modern authenticity. But ironically, this seems highly hypocritical of us!

Understand this once and for all, genuinely dwell on this, that God knows everything. When we read that “all are naked and exposed” to his eyes, the text really means that “all are naked and exposed”!

With that in mind, is our Christianity lived out as a theatrical performance for our friends, family, and fellow pew warmers?

This is a deep question.

Remember, if our Christianity isn’t lived in honest expression privately as well as publicly, there is no point. God sees, God knows, and he, unlike people, can’t be fooled.

Are you an actor? Do you realize an Oscar isn’t the Christian’s eternal reward?