[Biblemat] A) IS SINCERITY ENOUGH?

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Monday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my ancient files:

IS SINCERITY ENOUGH?

     There  can be little doubt that sincerity is essential to plea-
sing God.  Jesus reserved the most scathing rebukes of His
earthly ministry for hypocrites (Matt. 23).  He said the first and great 
commandment is to "love the Lord your God with 
all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:27).  
Religious words and services that are not from
the heart are useless (Matt. 15:8; 1 Cor. 13:1-3).  A pure heart
a good conscience, and a sincere faith are essential to pleas-
ing God (1 Tim. 1:5).

     I am convinced that only conscientious, sincere and devout people will 
go to heaven.  I don't believe there will be
any hypocrites and pretenders there.  But, is sincerity and de-
votion enough to save one?  Is it possible for two people to be equally 
sincere, devout and conscientious in their worship
and service toward God and one be saved and the other lost?
Does the fact that one is sincerely doing what he thinks is
right toward God make him right?  Is it not possible that one
might be sincere and devout and, at the same time, be ignor-
ant and/or deceived as to what God requires of one to be sav-
ed?  Once we see that one is sincere and devout in his religi-
ous service, should we leave him undisturbed to do what he
believes to be right?

     It is possible for one to even kill the Lord's servants think-
ing he offers God service (Jno. 16:2).  "Oh, but killing the 
Lord's servants could never be right," one may say.  If sincer-
ely thinking a thing is right before God makes it right for that
person, then such killing would be right for such persons.  Obviously, there 
must be some standard of judgment.  The
Word of God will judge us (Jno. 12:48).  It must be preached
(2 Tim. 4:2).  It must be obeyed (1 Pet. 1:22).  One is born
again by it (1 Pet. 1:23).  It lives and abides forever (1 Pet. 1:
23-25).  Peter then shows that the Word of God is not some
inner voice, but "the word which by the gospel was preached
to you" (1 Pet. 25b).  Regardless to how devout and sincere
one is, he still must conform to the objective standard of the
Word that the apostles preached -- the New Testament revel-
ation.

     In Acts 2, Peter tells an audience of "devout men" (vs. 5)
that they had crucified the Christ (vs. 36).  They were told to
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized...for the remiss-
ion of sins" (vs. 38).  If being devout was enough, why must
they repent?  Why must they be baptized for the remission of
sins?  Evidently, being devout is not enough.

     In Acts 9, Saul of Tarsus was converted.  What kind of per-
son was Saul?  "A wicked persecutor of Christians," you ans-
wer.  That's right, but that is not all.  He was an honest, devot-
ed, sincere, conscious clean, persecutor of Christians.  He
was doing what he conscientiously though to be right toward
God.  He later said, "I have lived in all good conscience before God until 
this day" (Acts23:1) and "Indeed, I myself
thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus
of Nazareth.  This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the
saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the
chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote
against them" (Acts 26:9,10).  Paul always did what he thought was right and 
what he sincerely believed God wanted
him to do.  Evidently, such sincerity was not enough.  He later said he was 
chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

     In Acts 10, Cornelius was "a devout man and one who fear-
ed God with all his household, who gave alms generously to
the people, and prayed to God always" (vs. 2).  Yet, he need-
ed (words by which {he} and all {his} household {would} be 
saved (Acts 11:14).  If he was yet to be saved, then he was
presently lost.  Here is a devout, God-fearing, alms-giving and constantly 
praying man who was lost!  He still had to hear the gospel, believe it and be 
baptized to be saved from
his past sins (vv. 34-48).  Again, God must require more of us
than sincere, conscientious, heart felt devotion.  It is possible
for one to have a zeal for God and it not be according to knowledge (Rom. 
10:1).

     One must devoutly, sincerely, and conscientiously learn,
accept and obey the truth to be saved -- to become a Christ-
ian (1 Pet. 1:22-25).  As a Christian, one must devoutly, sincer-
ely and conscientiously walk according to the truth of the 
Gospel (cf. Gal. 2:14ff; 5:7).  All spiritual truth is found in the
Word of the Gospel which the apostles preached (Jno. 16:13;
Gal. 1:8-10).

     "Whosoever transgresses and does not abide in the doc-
trine of Christ does not have God" (2 Jno. 9).  It does not say
"whoever (unless he is devout, sincere, and conscientious) 
transgresses..." but "whoever" -- sincere or not.  ----- Edward
O. Bragwell, Sr. in Gospel Guide, Vol. 28, No. 2, Feb. 1995.   </HTML>
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