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{The Application
Application for the Godly
Four General Directions for a Conclusion of the Whole
Be Sincere}
In your course of life and all the particular activities of it, be sincere. Sincerity is not a distinct grace, but shows forth the truth of every grace and of gracious actions. There is a sincerity of our state and a sincerity of our actions.
There is a sincerity of our state; it shows forth the uprightness of our hearts in the main, and has already been described in the directions I have given in the duty of self-examination.
There is a sincerity of our actions. This is twofold: it may be either with respect to single and particular actions, or it may be with respect to our whole course of life. “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you” (2 Corinthians 1:12 NKJV). There is a natural sincerity and a godly sincerity. Natural sincerity is nothing more than simplicity or plain-heartedness; there is no guile or deceit in any action, no purpose to deceive, no pretense of what is not intended, no consciousness of any evil in what we do, nor any evil intent in it. In this sense, God bears witness of Abimelech’s integrity (Genesis 20:6). God testified concerning Abimelech’s taking of Abraham’s wife that he did it in the integrity of his heart; that is, he had no evil intent in it. He did not know that she was another man’s wife and he intended no wrong to her husband in it.
Then, there is also a godly sincerity. This supposes the sincerity of our state [in Christ]. Nobody can live his life in godly sincerity who is not first a godly person. It includes in it not only truth, but faith and love, and honorable openheartedness to God. Godly sincerity is not only good intent, but a good will to the work and to the Lord for whose sake we do it.
To walk sincerely is to walk in the light [sight] of God as the witness of our uprightness and to whom we dare to appeal. It is also to walk in the power of the grace of God that carries us on to pursue His honor and priorities. The opposite to this sincerity is fleshly wisdom or carnal policy that makes our religion and its exercises consistent with, and subservient to, our fleshly concerns. And godly sincerity is particularly opposed to hypocrisy and false pretenses. There may be two types of hypocrisy in our actions. It may be total, which makes them [intrinsically] hypocritical actions. Or it may be partial, when although the heart is mostly upright and the actions are acceptable to God, there is still some little mixture of deceit in the heart. Although this is a matter of humiliation to the doer of the action, it does not wholly hinder God’s acceptance of what is done.358 Just as there is no person, so there is no action so perfectly sincere and upright with God, that it does not have some moral defect in it.
Brethren, be upright in your ways and be true to the Lord, not putting Him off with eye-service [external actions only], but serving Him in singleness of heart. Be guileless and openhearted to God, with good will, serving Him. Whatever good words you speak, whatever good duties you perform, whatever good fruits you bring forth, let good will be at the bottom of them. Do not let fleshly wisdom have anything to do with the management and ordering of your spiritual ways. You must be fools359 if you wish be honest: “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18 ESV). Thus, let the one who wants to be upright lay down his fleshly wisdom. Let him not consult with flesh and blood or seek to cast himself into the word’s mold. Let him not limit himself to only such a measure of godliness that will best secure and advance his earthly concerns. But laying aside such considerations, let him follow the Lord in all things without respect for outward and carnal consequences.
Beware of hypocrisy and false pretenses; do not be mockers of God. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 ESV). This teaches: first, God cannot be mocked; there is no sleight of hand with God or deceiving His eye. When you have done all you can to varnish an empty or deceitful work, God cannot be deceived; His eye sees what it is. There are no false pretenses with God, whatever may be the case with men. Second, God will not tolerate being mocked. He will never be put off with, nor bear, mocking services, but as people sow, so shall they reap. As their work is, so shall their reward and wages be.
There are two kinds of mockery: a deriding mock, and a deluding mock. There is a deriding mock that is putting scorn on someone. The enemies of Jerusalem mocked at her downfall (Lamentations 1:7), and the persecutors and crucifiers of Christ mocked Him and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” (John 19:3).
There is also deluding mockery, that is, putting a cheat on someone to deceive him. He who promises anything that he does not intend, or who does or gives anything that is something other than it appears to be, is a mocker. “You have mocked360 me these three times,” said Delilah to Samson, when he pretended to have told her all that was in his heart, but only lied to her (Judges 16:15). He who “refreshes” the needy with a verbal blessing only (“Be filled. Be warmed”), or who falsely promises to give or relieve him, gives only mock charity. He who pays debts or buys things with counterfeit money gives only mock justice. And, he who “worships” God with only tongue-worship or knee-worship has only mock Christianity [because his heart is not for God].
Oh, how many professors of Christianity are guilty of such great mocking of God! There is nothing but words in their professions or prayers and nothing but words in their confessions and acknowledgments.361 Their faith is a mock faith, their repentance is mock repentance, and their humility is mock humility. Indeed, even their charitable giving and benevolent deeds, even though they refresh and relieve those to whom it is given, are mock charity as far as God is concerned. Whatever is done, there is nothing of a heart for God in it. There is no good will [for God or His glory] in their good works, and where this is lacking, the Lord looks on it all as nothing.
Oh, remember and bewail all of your hypocrisies and false pretenses. You may have been praying, fasting, keeping the Sabbath, visiting the sick, or relieving the oppressed. In these you may be apt to think, or at least would make others think, that you have been doing some great good services. But, it may be that you have been only pretending to work for the Lord. You may thus need to go pray again, not only “Lord, forgives us our sins,” for pride or covetousness, but, “Lord, forgive us our prayers.” Forgive us our mock repentance, our mock fasting, or our mock Sabbath-keeping. Consider, brethren, what a high provocation this is: it is no small sin to mock people, but will a man mock God? “Will a man rob God?” (Malachi 3:8)362 says the Lord. Though you dare to steal and purloin from each other, do you yet dare to be so highly impious and sacrilegious as to rob God? You have robbed me, said the Lord. You have not only robbed My prophets and My Servants, but you have robbed Me. Will a man rob God? Will a man mock God? Isaiah asked, “Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?” (Isaiah 7:13 ESV). Does it seem a small thing to you to deal falsely with men? And will you deal falsely with God also?
Brethren, in all your ways, observe the rule, “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31 ESV; cf. Matthew 7:12). If you would not want the Lord to mock you, stop being a mocker of God. Do not put off the Lord with pretend duties unless you would be content to be put off with pretend mercies, pretend comforts, a pretend pardon, and pretend salvation.
Beloved, let us bewail our hypocrisy. Let us not only bewail and be humbled under anything we have offered up to God in which we have been completely hypocritical and done nothing else but play the hypocrite, but let us bewail all those lower degrees of hypocrisy that have been mingled with the best of all our duties. Blessed be God, that although we have been too hypocritical, yet we are not [fundamentally] hypocrites. Blessed be God for any sincerity that He has seen in us. But woe to us and shame to us, that there has been so much hypocrisy mingled with it. Oh, let us fear a hypocritical heart. Oh, let us watch against a hypocritical heart. Let us purge out all of the remainders of this Pharisaical leaven.
Let there be truth in all we do, and as much as depends on us, nothing but truth. Let us draw near to God with a true heart (Hebrews 10:22). Let us be undefiled and upright in the way of the Lord (Psalm 119:1). Let our works be found perfect before Him. Let us love in truth and speak the truth in love. Let all our paths be mercy and truth. Let our hearts be in every word, in every step of our lives. Let the heart do all. Let the heart pray, let the heart hear, and let the heart give, lend, and forgive. Let the grace in our hearts do all (Hebrews 13:9; Colossians 3:16). Let faith pray, obedience hear, repentance celebrate our fasts, wisdom guide, truth speak, mercy give, love forgive, patience bear, longsuffering forbear, temperance feed us, humility clothe us, and integrity preserve us. Let grace do all and let God have all. Let pride, covetousness, and envy have nothing. Let lust neither have a part in our doings, nor eat any of the fruit of our doings. Let there be written on all we have or do, “Holiness to the Lord” (Exodus 28:36).
Let us be more eager to be holy than to be thought holy by others. Let us be more eager to be merciful, just, humble, and patient than to be thought so by others. Let us more greatly desire to have a good conscience in the sight of God, rather than to get a name as among the best of men.
If we are not reckoned among the ablest of Christians for gifts, abilities, or endowments, let us be content that we are Christians. If we are not the most skillful Christians and our fruits are not the fairest and most beautiful, yet let them be fruits brought forth to God, the right fruit, and sound fruit. If what we do is feebly done, yet let it be honestly done.
Let us be Nathanaels, Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile (John 1:47). Let us be so plain-hearted and single-hearted in all our ways that neither God nor our consciences may call us hypocrites, even if our enemies do so. Let us be able to appeal to God as the witness of our integrity. “Lord, you know that I love you” (John 21:17). Lord, you know that my heart is with You. Let us be able to commit ourselves and our ways to the Lord, who is able to plead for us against all the slights and censures of men. “My God will plead my cause and answer for me” (Psalm 43:1).
Brethren, sincerity will give us boldness before the Lord. We will be able to lift up our faces in His presence and look in His face in peace. And, he who can be bold with God may be bold with all the world. He who can look God in the face may look his accusers, despisers, and persecutors in the face. He who can freely appeal to God can boldly appear before men.
“The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’” (Isaiah 33:14 NKJV). The sense of their guilt and guile joins with every danger they are in, strengthens every fear that comes upon them, makes their own hearts to fight against them, puts a sting into every cross, and starves them out of all their comforts. To God or conscience they dare not look. They dare not remember their duties and ways. All their supports have forsaken them and left them to shake and sink under every trouble that comes upon them. It is innocence that has boldness, dares to be upright, and fears nothing. “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works” (Ecclesiastes 9:7 NKJV).
358This is true only for the believer since Christ presents our good works to the Father as sanctified and purified by His precious blood.
359“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NASB).
360NASB has “deceived,” KJV, NKJV, ESV have “mocked.” The Hebrew root, תָּלַל [talal] can mean deceive, mock, or trifle with. The word seems to imply that to deceive someone is to treat them with at least some disdain.
361confessions and acknowledgments: profession of Christian faith and adherence to doctrinal standards.
362When God is mocked, disobeyed, or dishonored in any way, He is robbed of His justly due respect, obedience, and honor. To deny tithes (the topic of Malachi 3:8) is also truly robbery, for the tenth is His.
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