James H. Cagle
“Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, Amen” (Ephesians 6: 24 KJV).
Insincerity is natural. Insincerity was bequeathed to the human race as a result of The Fall. Sincerity was the mark of man’s relationship with God until he sinned. Then insincerity prevailed as he tried to cover his sin and blame others for it. Sincerity is the mark of the new man in Christ and is always under development as it purifies and perfects him and affords him a real relationship with the only real God.
Sincerity is defined as, being without deceit, pretense, or hypocrisy; truthful; faithful; straightforward; honest; being the same in actual character as in outward appearance; genuine; real.
Sincerity is thinking one way and living the same way. Insincerity is thinking one way and living another. Sincerity is being true and honest to oneself, others and God. Insincerity is lying to oneself, others and God. Sincerity is saying what we mean and meaning what we say.
Sincerity begins in the heart, with a new heart. It starts when a person gives their heart to Christ and is born-again. At the moment of salvation, a person must be sincere about their sin, and confess it, repent of it, and forsake it. If a person is not sincere at that moment with God, they will not truly experience His salvation and forgiveness, and may actually go through life pretending to be a Christian.
Christ’ blood is the bases for the Christians new relationship with God, but sincerity is required for that relationship to grow and become more intimate. Christians must be real and cannot lie about anything to themselves, others, or God. Insincerity in one of these areas hurts all the others. Christians, by the way, do lie to God. We can lie to God, but we can’t deceive Him. He knows all things.
To love Jesus Christ sincerely is to love Him from the heart. And that love will be expressed through a life of obedience to His Word. To love Him insincerely is to honor Him with our lips while our heart is far from Him.
Sincerity makes us strong, confident, and the possessor of good character. Insincerity makes us weak and the possessor of bad character. Insincerity is hypocrisy. Hypocrite is the name given to a lot of Christians.
