Let’s Be Real for a Minute
“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.” – 2 Corinthians 1:12
Be honest – have you ever made yourself out to be something that you are not? Why? To make a good impression? To win someone over? To impress someone you perceived as “better” than you? To shame someone you wanted to believe was “worse” than you? Creating a false self-image is bad, and these are bad reasons to do it. Bad reasons to do a bad thing – that point needs much more arguing or convincing.
But there is a different levels of this action, and often with good (at least partly good) intentions. Have you ever tried to become something that you are not, in order to please, impress, or persuade someone of something? Now, maybe the change in your lifestyle or behavior would actually be an improvement. Maybe the shift in habits, or taking up a new hobby, or working on that rough spot in your life is a good thing! But why are you doing it?
Whether you are guilty of the first type of self-image shifting or the second, there are commonalities. Perhaps we’re most guilty of this kind of thing when it comes to seeking and forming relationships. We perceive that a certain character trait or quality is important to someone that we want to be close to, so we try to “morph” ourselves into enjoying working out, or eating a certain food, or driving a certain vehicle, or dressing a certain way. We hope that in doing so, the person will see us a having things in common with them, and therefore be attracted to whatever kind of relationship or friendship it is that we are seeking. Perhaps this is basic to human interaction, but I’m not convinced its basic in a good sense.
In a broader sense, we see this kind of pandering very often in advertising. Why do deodorant companies want to be politically correct? Its not because the dilemma of unpleasant armpit aroma is more common on one side of the political aisle or another – its because there is a perceived value in appealing to the most popular group. Why do companies spend billions of dollars to place Super Bowl ads that usually have little to do with demonstrating their product? Because they want to appeal to the romantic, the emotional, the humorous – something to make a connection, a memory, an impact big enough to draw you in. But there is an emptiness to that. In the end you learn that your favorite soap company wasn't all that concerned with equal rights after all - they just wanted to sell soap to people who were.
Now, let me try to land the plane here and get back to the scripture we read at the top of this article. Paul makes a big statement, and uses a bit of irony. He says that his “boast” is that they behaved with simplicity and godly sincerity. Now, simplicity and sincerity usually aren’t bragging points. They are the unnoticed virtues – not the attention-grabber. And that is just the irony. Paul’s approach to ministry – read, to the Christian life - was to be counter-culturally sincere. There was no fireworks show or bandwagon following Paul as he spoke truth into people’s lives. There was simplicity, honesty, truth, forthrightness, the willingness to “be real” rather than trying to pander to an audience.
Later in the same epistle, Paul says “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Cor. 4:1-2) There are some big themes there. No underhanded ways – that is, no hidden motives. No cunning – that is, no clever or sly tricks. No tampering with God’s word – that is, no distortion or making it say what it does not say.
On the positive side, the approach was to be open – that is, to set something forth clearly. To state the truth honestly. Regarding the personality aspect, they commended themselves to everyone’s conscience. To commend means to “put on display” as in a jeweler who places a diamond on a black, velvet background. Its all out there, plain to see. “What you see is what you get.” There is no room for bait and switch in the Christian life and ministry. If we attract someone to the faith with deception, then we have sinned against God and the individual. If we win someone with deception, then we will be tempted to keep them with more deception. And deception is not always an outright lie, sometimes its just embellishment. But when we convince ourselves that the message needs embellishment to be attractive, we disregard the message itself for the allure of good advertising.
As Christians, we are heirs of and ambassadors for the greatest treasure in existence. The jeweler with the precious gems has nothing on the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel doesn’t need our embellishment. We don’t need to convince people that our lives are perfect and unbelievably enjoyable in order for the Gospel to be effective. We need to be clear, open, honest, and put the real work of God on display. After all, that is exactly what God has done in Jesus Christ! In Romans, Paul tells us that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) That word “shows” is the same word as “commend” in 2 Corinthians 4. God “puts his love on display” in the Gospel. He “lays it all out there.” There is no deception in the truth of God. He doesn’t bait us with promises of a perfect life in order to win us over, He tells us that life is still difficult – but there is so much more.
So let’s be real for a minute. Let’s not bait others with some delusion of perfect life experience, no problems, no sorrow, no pain. Life is still hard, but the Gospel of Christ reaches through and beyond these temporary experiences of pain. Let’s be open, honest, sincere, and simple as we present Jesus, the greatest treasure, to a world that desperately needs Him.
In love,
Pastor Aaron Frost
June 18, 2021
