Welcome To The Website
Of The Northeast church of Christ

Elk City, Oklahoma

Jerry Brewer

Sincerity is one of the greatest virtues a person can possess, but it is not all-sufficient in any phase of our lives. Sincerity has never made a wrong way right.

Honesty and sincerity are probably more appreciated in people than any other characteristics and the Bible demands those things of every child of God. But many people think that's all God requires. So often, we hear people say, "Just so a person is honest or sincere, he is saved and will make it to heaven."

Most people use common sense in every phase of life, but when it comes to religion they toss reason out the window. Religion is the only thing in this world in which people believe that their sincerity, instead of God's word, makes them right. For instance, a traveler wants to go to a certain place and honestly and sincerely thinks he is on the right road, but he's going in the wrong direction. I'm sure most of us have been in that situation at one time or another. Does anyone really think that the traveler's sincerity will bring him to his desired destination? I don't believe they would.

Why would anyone expect this rule to work in religion when it will not work anywhere else? That's just not good reasoning. There are many examples in the Bible of people who were sincerely mistaken in what they believed. We also find in those examples that dire consequences follow mistakes, even though a person may be sincere in his belief.

One example is that of the young prophet in First Kings 13. He was an honest and sincere young man and proved to be so when he went from Judah to Bethel at God's command to denounce Jereboam for his idolatry. God had commanded the young prophet not to eat or drink or dwell in the land, and to return by another way than he came to Bethel, and the young man was sincerely determined to follow God's instructions. But when he had done what God commanded and was returning home, he met an old prophet who lied to him.

The old prophet told him that God had changed his orders and that the young prophet was to return to Bethel and eat with the old prophet. The young prophet sincerely believed that lie, and lost his life because he failed to obey God. The young prophet was sincere in believing an angel had spoken to the old man, but he was sincerely wrong.

Nothing is more reasonable than true religion and the fact that God has revealed His will in the Bible is proof positive that sincerity alone is not enough to please Him. If sincerity in religion is the standard of right, then the Bible is worthless, for it reveals the right way to heaven and no other way will take us there, even though we may sincerely believe another. Religious lies are abundant and one of the most dangerous is that sincerity alone will save.