If you believe something deep down in your soul without question or hesitation, does that make it true? I think most people would say no. We have all had some belief or two that have been shattered by the facts. My mom used to always say to me, “don’t confuse the situation with the facts!”. She was funny that way. Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, or the tooth fairy are examples of things that have been perpetuated as truth.
I have met some seriously sincere people throughout the years. Some believed just being a good person was good enough for salvation, or going to church on Christmas and Easter, going to confession once a year or praying the rosary. Some people believe that it really doesn’t matter what you believe but as long as you are sincere you will spend eternity with God. Here are a few examples of sincere beliefs. See what you think.
· Mormon prophet Joseph Smith found a unique stone and sincerely believed that it was a seer stone. Staring at it intently, he believed he received a revelation that people of medium stature and a life span of nearly a thousand years inhabit the moon.
· Hindus sincerely believe that both human and animal spirits will reincarnate and return to earth many times in various life forms.
· After his death, follower of Confucious built a temple to honor him. They sincerely believed his spirit resided there, so they worshiped and offered sacrifices to it.
· Taoists sincerely believe that there are seven gods, and Yu-huang is the god of gods to whom all other gods must report.
· Buddhists sincerely believe that a desire for existence perpetuates a cycle of successive reincarnations.
· Certain Muslim makes sincerely believe that by sacrificing themselves to kill others, they’ll gain possession of seventy-two sexually anxious, virgin females in paradise.
· If I stare at my putter long enough, I am Tiger Woods!
Sincere belief of a lie has tragic consequences.
What does God think of sincere believers who worship other gods? Let’s look at one example recorded in 1 Kings 18.
A succession of ill-fated kings had brought
Ahab arranged a show down of sorts between the prophets of Baal and Elijah. Picture this! A huge crowd (super bowl sized) gathers to watch these prophets and Elijah go at it in the very first “Sincerity Bowl”. “If the Lord is God, follow Him; but is Baal (pronounced bah-all) is God follow him” Elijah says. The test is each side would put a bonfire together and wait for their god to light the fire. The prophets of Baal prayed, they danced, they implored their god to light the fire. They even cut themselves to show how sincere they were but nothing happened. Elijah, tired of all the theatrics, goes to God in prayer after poring water on his stack of wood. Not only did God light that fire but also lit the wood of the prophets of Baal until all of it was consumed totally. Wow! This story can be read in its entirety in I Kings 18 in the Old Testament.
Belief in a lie has tragic consequences. A false religion is a lie conjured up by human imagination.
Sincere belief in truth results in salvation and the certainty of heaven.
We began by looking at sincerity. Now let’s take a look at truth. Webster defines truth as “that which accords with reality.”
Belief that a god whittled from wood decides you destiny, arsenic is health food, or that a coral snake is a dove simply doesn’t accord with reality. The greater the sincerity of such beliefs, the greater the peril. God puts a high premium on truth and reality. Jesus identifies Himself as the personification of truth, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, He affirms. “No one comes to the Father except through Me”. (John 14:6)
In contrast to false beliefs in man-made religions is Christ—who appeared among us, taught as no man could teach, perform miracle no man could perform, died for our sins and validated his redemptive work on our behalf by His widely attested resurrection. Jesus Christ accords with reality. He is a real person. Not something made up from someone’s imagination. He expects us to believe nothing without proof. His message and His mission which was to suffer the penalty for human sin and save for eternity all those who trust in Him alone for salvation. Do you?
Sincerity does not make something true. A person can be sincerely wrong. Sincerity must align with truth to affective. Trust sincerely in what is true and reject sincerely what is false. Never rely on sincerity alone to lead the way.
What do you sincerely believe? Is it true? How do you know?
Read I Kings 18
No comments:
Post a Comment