November 4 – Authenticity (Galatians 6:1-5)

“Each one should test his own actions.”(Galatians 6:4)

IN WORD:
What is the measure of hypocrisy? Is it defined by acting contrary to your feelings? Is it pretending to be someone you’re not? We know that acting holy while harboring sin is hypocrisy. Is a born-again child of God who acts contrary to the new nature also a hypocrite?
Christians easily get drawn off the course of authentic faith. On the one hand, we can quickly become pretenders, acting outwardly according to biblical standards — while cultivating corruption within. We appear sanctified, but we’re not. On the other hand, we can become so open to our impulses and so transparent in our indulgences that we are authentic, but not very sanctified. It’s a confusing balance, and we need to ask questions: Is a holy life a hypocritical life? Is an authentic life an indulgent one?
We must find that balance. We must avoid hypocrisy but embrace the call to holiness. There’s a difference between pretending to be who you’re not and disciplining yourself to be who you ought to be. The hypocrite will fake holiness with no real commitment to it. But the authentic, sanctified person will embrace God’s call, seek to live it outwardly, and openly confess both the inward struggle to do so and the failures that will inevitably come. Purity does not have to imply pretense. In fact, if it’s real, it never will.

IN DEED:
Don’t fall for the lie that if you act contrary to your feelings, you’re a hypocrite. Truth isn’t always about feelings. If you struggle with sinful thoughts, confess them openly to trustworthy people and let them help you through your struggles. But do not indulge those struggles in the name of avoiding hypocrisy.
At the other extreme, do not be so focused on your image that you become inauthentic. Don’t pretend to be holier than you are. A truly consecrated life does not need to put on airs. It’s transformation is more than skin deep.

“Real holiness has a fragrance about it which is its own.”
-Father Andrew-