SINCERITY

2Corinthians 1:12—Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.

No one likes to be manipulated. An individual may express an outward message that is incongruent with an inner motive. Once I placed a large order of cassettes for a music project I was working on. The sales person assured me of the solid reputation of this “Christian” company. He did not tell me the company was deeply in debt and about to declare bankruptcy. His motive might have been to help the company pull in more business. Because he withheld information, I made a purchase decision which resulted in losing my money and not receiving the products I’d paid for

How do I know if a person is sincere? Often I don’t know. Perhaps this is why it is wise for me to first engage in personal introspection.

1. Am I honest? Do I have a hidden agenda I don’t want others to know about? Once certain of my own honesty I may ask the question, “is the person I’m interacting with a person of integrity so far as I can tell?” Acts 24:16—“So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

2. Am I faithful? Have I established consistency in my character and conduct? If I am undependable and untrustworthy it is questionable as to whether or not I should judge someone else as insincere! Psalm 18:25—“To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless.”

3. Am I genuine in my intentions and actions? Would others see in me hypocrisy or pretense? It’s easy to assess a person as insincere because of poor workmanship when in reality training or counseling might be needed. I may falsely sense a person is insincere because his approach differs from mine. Style, personality, socioeconomic status, and cultural mannerisms do not define sincerity. Before accusing someone else of being insincere, make the effort to see through her lens. John 1:47—“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, ‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’”

At the end of a letter comes a word of deep meaning—it says, “you can count on me.”

Inspiration
Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.—Oswald Chambers in Studies in the Sermon on the Mount