Sincerity in the Inward Being
We as Christians are called to have the aim of cultivating sincerity in our inward being. In Psalm 51:6, the Psalmist states that God “delights in truth in the inward being”. When looking at the nature of a person, who we truly are, our “inward being”, it is often described by scripture as the ‘heart’. We can view God’s desire for the heart of man also in 1 Samuel 16:7b where it states, “For the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” This term which connotes the inward being, ‘heart’, transcends the material parts of us and encompasses our mind, emotions and will. Sincerity in the inward being is a cultivation of the heart, an act of service unto the Lord done under reverential fear of Him (Joshua 24:14, Colossians 3:22). We are bondservants of Christ and are to do the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man (Ephesians 6:6-7).
The Outward Being
The outward person is the external human existence, the physical nature of the person which decays, being here today and gone tomorrow. Although there is a transcendent and spiritual emphasis on the inward being shown in 1 Samuel 16:7b, there is also a great appreciation and responsibility held for the physical nature of a person. The appreciation of the physical nature of a person can be seen throughout scripture for example through the acknowledgement of both beauty and form. In Song of Solomon, the bride confesses her love to Solomon and she is described as very dark, but lovely. Also in 1 Samuel 16:12, Samuel is also spoken of as being ruddy, had beautiful eyes and was handsome. Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 after being falsely accused by those that sought to undermine his apostleship, clears himself by surrendering his rights and calls his life to account by describing his responsibility to discipline his body, keeping it under control, lest after preaching to others he himself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27). The discipline of Paul with his body was crucial for his subjecting it under his control. This form of physical discipline was an act of service unto the Lord and had great benefit toward the inward conformity of his own heart.
The Nature of the Heart
The nature of the heart of a person is also known to be sinful. Scripture tells us that we can’t even trust our own hearts describing it as, “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9a). With this, in man’s sinful state, before Christ we are incapable of truly cultivating sincerity in the inward being because we ourselves are dead in tresspasses and sins. Prior to faith in Christ when He transforms our hearts through regeneration (Titus 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:18), we are told in Ephesians 2:1-3 that we are,
“dead in trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
When we sin, our sin affects our inward being cognitively, emotionally and volitionally. Our sin does not stay contained, it can impact others and at times even the environment around it. Sin brings death, “For the wage of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. For this very reason, the susceptibility of our sinful nature, Christ was pierced for our transgressions: He was crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53: 5a,b). He is the only Hope for those who are still dead in their trespasses and sins. As believers, what kindness it is from God that He “does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). As we strive to walk in sincerity within our inward being, an act of service in obedience to God’s ways, He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
Renewal
With the bending of our heart by our sinful nature, as Christians, we are to pursue continual renewal of our hearts. In 2 Corinthians, Paul seeks to steer believers onto unity and purity within the church by reminding them of their ministry in the gospel of Christ and of their responsibilities and future glories in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, he encourages believers by saying,
“So we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal”.
To attain sincerity within the inward being, we must look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen, that which is eternal, that includes looking to God and to His Word. We must not be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our mind, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). By our study of the scriptures and reliance upon God, He will enable us to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inward being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Our Response
Having sincerity in the inward being means that we are also called to be in humble submission to God and His Word. Scripture displays the lives of real people who were in the real world and currently calls us to an open and authentic faith in our own life’s circumstances. We cannot read the truths of scripture and fail to apply it into our own lives because we believe ourselves to be living outside of the context from which it was given. The heart of man is the same from generations to generations and does not change. Because of the innate sinful desires of man, we are to inform our hearts aright with God’s Word, storing it deep in our hearts so that we may not be led away by diverse and strange teachings (Psalm 119:11, Hebrews 13:9).
In Luke 6:43-45, Christ gives us a picture of the heart of man and how it functions. It reads,
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
From these passages we get a sense of why we do the things that we do and see how our behavior has its connection to our heart. In the Luke 6:43-45 passage, fruit is used as a metaphor for behavior, stating that a tree produces fruit while our hearts produce behavior. The things that we do are directly associated with what is in our hearts. It is by our choices and actions that we are able to know what is ruling our hearts, revealing the desires within. Matthew 6:21 tells us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Let us then with all diligence, cultivate a heart of sincerity within the inward being, an act of service unto the Lord done under reverential fear of Him. With God’s strength and help as He works in us (Philippians 2:13), we are able to keep our “heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Written by Rebecca Onagoruwa
Serenity & Grace Counseling
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