The Sincerity Error

Have you ever met people who chided you for condemning the errors of people's faiths because they're sincere about them? Since when does sincerity make anything right?

The Bible doesn't say either way, yet it appears that Cain was sincere in his offering to God. But, as Genesis 4:5 (KJV) states, "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."

We learn from this verse that God expects to receive offerings in the way he prescribes. No matter how sincerely a person does things for the Lord, their efforts won't be accepted by God unless they're done his way.

I'm sure that many first-century Pharisees were sincere believers in their religious rites. But Jesus warned his disciples in John 16:2 (KJV) that, "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."

Today, we have zealous Muslims who believe what the Qu'ran says regarding coercing unwilling infidels and killing apostates. Does their sincerity absolve them of the charge of assault or murder?

Furthermore, a zealous Pharisee named Saul thought he was doing God service by persecuting Christians. But in Acts 9:4 (KJV), we read how Jesus himself confronted him about his sincere beliefs. "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?'"

I could provide many more examples but you get the point. I'll also tackle this subject in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Sincerity doesn't make anything right, as naive believers think. They need reality to mug them in a way that will show how mistaken they are.

In my next post, I'll deal with the notion that people are born basically good. That's as wrong as wrong can be.