By It is no secret that what we believe to be true about life, and what is true about life are not always the same thing.
For example, my car is a 1.6 litre petrol van—family car. Now, based on how I drive, it might feel at times either like a donkey cart with a sick donkey, or if my imagination is vivid, I might think it is a formula 1 racer. Or I might be deceived by joking friends into thinking it is a diesel and completely mess it up when I fuel up next time.
The point is that whether or not I think so, whether or not it is my experience, and irrespective of my feelings and opinions, certain things are true all by themselves. Reality does not need to be acknowledged in order to have happened. Reality does not need to be agreed with in order to be true. The reality of anything is totally independent from a personal realisation of that reality. Just because I do not realise that my car is a 1.6 litre petrol sedan, does not make it any less so. The same is true for spiritual realities.
The reality of many spiritual truths is totally independent from a personal realisation and understanding of those spiritual truths.
The most obvious form of this is Atheism – just because some believe there is no God does not make God disappear. Just because you deny the existence of something, does not mean that something does not exist. Things exist whether or not they are acknowledged.
Likewise spiritual realities exists in each of our hearts whether we acknowledge those realities or not. For those who have a Bible, there is no excuse for being ignorant of, or for denying, the spiritual realities of our souls.
1 John 1:8-10 talks about the reality of sin in our lives. Some might deny it in various ways, but as believers, we confess the reality that sin is part of our lives.
Sin is a reality. And your response to that reality is a most telling witness to your spiritual condition. Remember this next time somebody close to you points out that fact. Instead of denying it, confess it. Those who know the reality of sin, and believe the reality of sin in their own lives, and who acknowledge that their sin is real, they find forgiveness and hope of change.