Sincerity

“So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities” (Acts 26:9–11).

The apostle Paul had been given another opportunity to tell his story. Speaking with King Agrippa and Bernice, he recounts his past life as Saul of Tarsus, a “...Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion” (Acts 26:5). This religious background led him, like many other Jewish religious leaders, to take an antagonistic stance toward Jesus. Saul just took the opposition to a whole new level as the text beginning the article reveals. Saul felt compelled by God to oppose Jesus as well as those who chose to follow His teachings.  Read again his words: “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He thought he was doing what was right. He was sincerely trying to please God.  But he was sincerely wrong.

It’s good to be sincere when that sincerity is properly motivated. Believers are  encouraged to be sincere and blameless (Philippians 1:10).  It’s good to have a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:5). We are to have sincere hearts (Hebrews 10:22), a sincere love for our brothers and sisters (1 Peter 1:22), and a sincere mind (2 Peter 3:2). But misguided sincerity can be a very dangerous thing. If I convince myself that God is calling me to abuse and mistreat others, it doesn’t matter how sincerely I feel that what I’m doing is right. I am still wrong.

God loves you!

Mike