“They seemed to be sincere!” is to say something nice about a person, describing them as being perhaps trustworthy. There was an interesting term in the early days of computers which was WYSIWYG. It stood for the first letter in these words, “What You See Is What You Get.” It spoke of the time when what appeared on the computer screen was actually what you typed on the keyboard. I remember using the term when taking the funeral of a close friend. I made the point that what he appeared to be outwardly was actually what he was really like inwardly as a person. He was a person of great sincerity.
I recently woke up during the night and began to think of my late wife Carole. One of the things I greatly admired about her was her absolute sincerity in everything she said and did. She was never two-faced in any of her relationships and all her conversations were expressed with great sincerity. I knew I could trust her because she was a WYSIWYG person. What she appeared to be, was actually what she was like inwardly. What a privilege it was to meet with the beautiful young woman of God’s choice and to be married to her for almost 54 years. She made me want to have the same sort of sincerity in my own life and ministry.
When I awoke I decided I should read what the Bible has to say about sincerity and the following is part of that search.
1]. SINCERITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Sincerity Was Commanded In Worship. Joshua 24:14.
- “Therefore, fear the LORD and worship him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshipped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the LORD.”
Israel’s God Yahweh wanted His people to be free of all the idolatry of their former gods and to be committed totally to Him as the one true God. They fell away as they neglected to be true to God and they had no peace. But we read in 2 Chronicles 15:1 “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet King Asa and said to him, The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” This led to King Asa beginning a religious reform. The people swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15:14.
Sincerity Was Rewarded With God’s Rest. 2 Chronicles 15:15.
- 2Ch 15:15 “All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They had sought him with all sincerity, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.”
The people had acted in all sincerity on the promise “If you seek him, he will be found by you” and God rewarded them for their efforts to please Him. At last they knew the rest that only He could bring.
2]. SINCERITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
There are two main words in the Greek New Testament used for sincerity. Below is how they are used. [The G stands for the Greek reference number in Strong’s Concordance.]
A]. G1505 [eilikrineia; εἰλικρίνεια] clearness, purity, sincerity, integrity.
- 1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity [eilikrineia; εἰλικρίνεια] and truth.
The Believer’s Bible Commentary helpfully comments on this verse, “As we rejoice in Christ, we must have no evil thoughts in our hearts toward others. From this we see that the Apostle Paul was not speaking about literal leaven, such as the yeast that is used in making bread, but rather he was using leaven in a spiritual sense to describe the manner in which sin defiles that with which it comes into contact. We are to live our lives with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 Indeed, this is our boast: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity [eilikrineia; εἰλικρίνεια] and purity, not by human wisdom but by God’s grace.
St Paul wrote to the Corinthians to remind them that his ministry to them came from the grace of God. He and his colleagues conducted themselves with “godly” sincerity towards the Corinthians. It reminds us that there can be such a thing as ungodly sincerity, that which is not pleasing to God. It is possible for people to be sincere but sincerely wrong. Godly sincerity will be pure because it is based on godly wisdom and not on earthly wisdom.
St James wrote on the difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom in James 3:13 -18, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.’
Godly sincerity requires godly wisdom.
- 2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity [eilikrineia; εἰλικρίνεια], as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
St Paul used the terms “as commissioned by God”, “in the sight of God” and “we speak in Christ,” to show that true sincerity is that which originates in God, is in those who are in Christ and is displayed before God. His ministry was to glorify God and not to make money for himself. Sincerity comes from pure motives and these are to be found in those who are committed to God and living by His grace and wisdom.
B]. G572 [haplotēs; ἁπλότης] simplicity, sincerity, purity of mind, simplicity and frankness of character. These two references are to having “sincerity of heart.”
- Eph 6:5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere [haplotēs; ἁπλότης] heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.
Slavery was common throughout the ancient world but the coming of the Christian message that all believers were brothers and sisters in Christ sowed the seeds of its eventual demise in many parts of the world. However, when St Paul wrote there were many slaves who worked for their masters and some of them who had become believers, may have found it difficult to accept that their masters controlled their lives. So Paul reminded them that they were serving Christ in everything they did. So they were to serve their masters with a sincere faith, not just working hard when they were in the sight of their masters but doing the will of God from the heart.
- Colossians 3:22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity [haplotēs; ἁπλότης] of heart, fearing the Lord.
St Paul gave the same instructions to the slaves in Colossae as he gave to the Ephesians. They were to serve their masters whether they were being watched or not, and with sincerity of heart. They were to serve as fearing the Lord.
SUMMING UP
Many of us have grown up in families where sincerity was seen in relationships and heard in conversations. Some of us, in the plan and purpose of God, met and married our life partners in whom we recognised that same sincerity. So it is much easier for many of us to seek to be sincere in everything we say and do because we have been motivated by wonderful examples of sincerity in people who enriched our lives.
But it is possible for all believers to become people of sincerity because they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God who is the Spirit of truth, and who sheds the love of God in our hearts. Romans 5:5. His love frees us to become people of integrity, and to serve others with “glad and sincere hearts. ” That is what happened to the people in the early church as they embraced Christ as Saviour and committed to Him as Lord, “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere [aphelotēs; ἀφελότης = sincerity] hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. “Acts 2:46-47.
Blog No.547 posted on Monday 22 April 2024.
holbeck 
547. The Blessing Of True Sincerity In Our Lives
“They seemed to be sincere!” is to say something nice about a person, describing them as being perhaps trustworthy. There was an interesting term in the early days of computers which was WYSIWYG. It stood for the first letter in these words, “What You See Is What You Get.” It spoke of the time when what appeared on the computer screen was actually what you typed on the keyboard. I remember using the term when taking the funeral of a close friend. I made the point that what he appeared to be outwardly was actually what he was really like inwardly as a person. He was a person of great sincerity.
I recently woke up during the night and began to think of my late wife Carole. One of the things I greatly admired about her was her absolute sincerity in everything she said and did. She was never two-faced in any of her relationships and all her conversations were expressed with great sincerity. I knew I could trust her because she was a WYSIWYG person. What she appeared to be, was actually what she was like inwardly. What a privilege it was to meet with the beautiful young woman of God’s choice and to be married to her for almost 54 years. She made me want to have the same sort of sincerity in my own life and ministry.
When I awoke I decided I should read what the Bible has to say about sincerity and the following is part of that search.
1]. SINCERITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Sincerity Was Commanded In Worship. Joshua 24:14.
Israel’s God Yahweh wanted His people to be free of all the idolatry of their former gods and to be committed totally to Him as the one true God. They fell away as they neglected to be true to God and they had no peace. But we read in 2 Chronicles 15:1 “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet King Asa and said to him, The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” This led to King Asa beginning a religious reform. The people swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15:14.
Sincerity Was Rewarded With God’s Rest. 2 Chronicles 15:15.
The people had acted in all sincerity on the promise “If you seek him, he will be found by you” and God rewarded them for their efforts to please Him. At last they knew the rest that only He could bring.
2]. SINCERITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
There are two main words in the Greek New Testament used for sincerity. Below is how they are used. [The G stands for the Greek reference number in Strong’s Concordance.]
A]. G1505 [eilikrineia; εἰλικρίνεια] clearness, purity, sincerity, integrity.
The Believer’s Bible Commentary helpfully comments on this verse, “As we rejoice in Christ, we must have no evil thoughts in our hearts toward others. From this we see that the Apostle Paul was not speaking about literal leaven, such as the yeast that is used in making bread, but rather he was using leaven in a spiritual sense to describe the manner in which sin defiles that with which it comes into contact. We are to live our lives with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
St Paul wrote to the Corinthians to remind them that his ministry to them came from the grace of God. He and his colleagues conducted themselves with “godly” sincerity towards the Corinthians. It reminds us that there can be such a thing as ungodly sincerity, that which is not pleasing to God. It is possible for people to be sincere but sincerely wrong. Godly sincerity will be pure because it is based on godly wisdom and not on earthly wisdom.
St James wrote on the difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom in James 3:13 -18, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.’
Godly sincerity requires godly wisdom.
St Paul used the terms “as commissioned by God”, “in the sight of God” and “we speak in Christ,” to show that true sincerity is that which originates in God, is in those who are in Christ and is displayed before God. His ministry was to glorify God and not to make money for himself. Sincerity comes from pure motives and these are to be found in those who are committed to God and living by His grace and wisdom.
B]. G572 [haplotēs; ἁπλότης] simplicity, sincerity, purity of mind, simplicity and frankness of character. These two references are to having “sincerity of heart.”
Slavery was common throughout the ancient world but the coming of the Christian message that all believers were brothers and sisters in Christ sowed the seeds of its eventual demise in many parts of the world. However, when St Paul wrote there were many slaves who worked for their masters and some of them who had become believers, may have found it difficult to accept that their masters controlled their lives. So Paul reminded them that they were serving Christ in everything they did. So they were to serve their masters with a sincere faith, not just working hard when they were in the sight of their masters but doing the will of God from the heart.
St Paul gave the same instructions to the slaves in Colossae as he gave to the Ephesians. They were to serve their masters whether they were being watched or not, and with sincerity of heart. They were to serve as fearing the Lord.
SUMMING UP
Many of us have grown up in families where sincerity was seen in relationships and heard in conversations. Some of us, in the plan and purpose of God, met and married our life partners in whom we recognised that same sincerity. So it is much easier for many of us to seek to be sincere in everything we say and do because we have been motivated by wonderful examples of sincerity in people who enriched our lives.
But it is possible for all believers to become people of sincerity because they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God who is the Spirit of truth, and who sheds the love of God in our hearts. Romans 5:5. His love frees us to become people of integrity, and to serve others with “glad and sincere hearts. ” That is what happened to the people in the early church as they embraced Christ as Saviour and committed to Him as Lord, “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere [aphelotēs; ἀφελότης = sincerity] hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. “Acts 2:46-47.
Blog No.547 posted on Monday 22 April 2024.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.