Separating Sincerity and Belief

Even though this is the question frequently asked, obviously it is aimed at the very root of faith and belief in an eternal sense.  It usually arises in discussions exploring the basic questions:  “Why are we here?” “What is our purpose and ultimate destiny?”  “How can I be saved?”  However, sometimes this is a person’s way of saying, “Leave me alone.  I want to believe what I want to believe.”  Unfortunately both history and personal experiences tell us sincere belief in anything is not enough. Both sources furnish abundant examples of beliefs based on falsehoods that caused many to suffer enormous amounts of pain and grief. Let’s think this statement through to some conclusions:

Ø      Sincerity is not a measurement of right or wrong.

Ø      Absolutes are generally not founded on beliefs.

Ø      Truth cannot be opposed to itself.  But there can be many interpretations of the same event, or data.

Truth about What?

This short paper cannot examine all the philosophical arguments about what is truth.  We do have to ask ourselves if we are sincere about some beliefs, on whose “truths” are they based.  The “truth” according to whom or what?  This paper is limited to examining the truth according to God’s word, the Bible.  If one does not believe the Bible, the search for truth starts with a paper regarding the authenticity and reliability of the Bible as God’s word and is beyond the scope of this paper.   

Biblical Truth Is Absolute and a Living Being

This is one more time we must look to God’s will as our basis of belief.  The Bible defines truth as both an absolute and a person.  As an absolute, Jesus said,  “Sanctify them through thy word.  Thy word is truth.”  As a person, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man comes to the Father but by me.”  These are not contradictory.  God’s word contains the truth about Jesus and about us, and Jesus life is the word of God personified.  Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” 

Importance of What We Believe

In an eternal and absolute perspective, if we miss the way, that is, if we miss God’s provision for our life now and eternal, which comes through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, then it matters very little what else we do believe or how sincere we are about it.  If we miss Jesus, we have missed all that is important both in this life and for eternity. 

Sincere But Lost?

Often the proponent of the position that it doesn’t matter what we believe if sincere offers a three point argument:  (1) The Bible says God loves everyone.  It does indeed. (2) If God is love, then He would not allow anyone to miss Heaven.  And (3) if there is a Hell, and if God is love, He would not send anyone there.  The Bible as the word of God does not agree with these last two points.  He allowed us to have a free will.  In addition to being a loving God who does not want anyone to perish, He is also a just God who has every intention of punishing those who do evil and reject Him and His Word.  We can choose good or evil.  We can choose God and meet Him through Jesus.  Or we can reject His invitation to life and goodness and pay the consequences at judgement day.       

Sincerity, Love and Justice

If a person really believed sincerity is all we need, there would be no purpose for a written legal law or a court system carrying both rewards and punishment. God saw Adam and Eve eat of the one tree in the entire Garden of Eden He had expressly warned them to avoid because of the terrible consequences.  I am sure they rationalized eating from this tree by thinking, “God surely won’t care because I believe it is okay to eat from this tree, after all he has given us everything else to chose from.”  They were wrong and sin and death entered the world.  Deviation from God’s directives does have undesirable consequences.  But God did provide a means of escaping eternal punishment through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.  This demonstrates both the justice of God and the love of God.  He will not allow unrepentant bad behavior to go unpunished, but He will provide a way for a sinning human to be saved if he repents and accepts God’s invitation through the blood of Jesus

Choose God or Accept the Consequences of Rejecting Him

One more example of God’s justice and how He dealt with the question of evil occurred in the story of the flood.  Before the flood the world became very sinful, full of people disobedient to God.  So God sent a flood saving only Noah and his immediate family.  Neither did He save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but rained fire and brimstone on them ending their injustices and perversions.  However, He did save Lot, who was obedient to God, and his daughters.  Again, this is a demonstration of the goodness and severity of God.  He showed goodness and mercy to those who accept and follow Him.  He destroyed those who engaged in evil, forsaking God and His counsel.