Isaiah was never more aware of his sin and sinfulness than when he found himself in the presence of the Holy God. He was impacted negatively not only by the presence of His sin but also by its pollution. Even his righteousness he would have seen as a menstrual cloth.

I used to say that my son was gifted with obliviovision. He could look at something right in front of his face and be oblivious to it. That was especially the case when it came to discarded clothes on his bedroom floor.

We can exercise obliviovision when it comes to the sin in our lives. It can stare us in the face and yet we don’t see it. Sometimes we don’t see sin because we’ve justified it with an excuse or disguised it with a cloak of righteousness. Sometimes, we whitewash sin through euphemism. In many cases, though, we are just blind to it.

That’s one of the benefits of Christian community. Brothers and sisters in Christ can help us to see our sin and exhort us in the way of righteousness. That’s important because sin can act as a cancer, negatively affecting our walk with God, our fellowship with brethren, and even our personal well-being. David’s confession in Psalm 32 shows both the spiritual and physical effects of harbored sin.

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