February 18

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. — Eph 4:15 BSB

Sincerity is the foundation of all genuine profession of faith. Without sincerity, a person is nothing. God makes a person sincere by planting His truth in their heart, and when He does this, the truth will grow. Truth doesn’t lie dormant in a person’s soul like a stone in the street; it is a living, active principle. If truth is in the soul, it will always push out error because the two cannot coexist. Just as Isaac displaced Ishmael, and Jacob prevailed over Esau, so will simplicity and godly sincerity overcome deceit and error.

The truth of God in the heart will not wither or die. It is nurtured by the Sun of righteousness and made fruitful by the smiles of God. As truth becomes more and more precious, error and evil become increasingly detestable. A sincere soul is “girded with truth,” and this truth is both their protection and strength.

But how does this Christian sincerity protect the soul from error? By keeping it on constant watch, always seeking the teaching of God and the light of His countenance. A spiritually sincere soul doesn’t take anything for granted; it looks for God’s seal on all it accepts and the Spirit’s witness to everything it feels. A sincere person sees the dangers ahead that cause others to make shipwreck of their faith. With the ballast of temptations, afflictions, and trials, they are not easily swayed by every new doctrine. Their desire to be right keeps them right, and their fear of being wrong preserves them from error. The light of God in their soul gives them understanding, the life of God in their heart makes them sensitive, the fear of God in their conscience makes them honest, and the love of God in their affections makes them loving. All of this gives truth such a firm place in them that there is no room for error.

The Apostle adds, “in love.” It is not enough to be sincere; we must be “sincere in love.” It’s not just about having an orderly system of doctrine or a well-structured creed. In the hour of trial, what matters is not having a sound doctrinal system but having the truth of God brought into the soul by divine power. This truth communicates such sweetness that it creates a firm and abiding love for the truth itself and for the One from whom it comes and to whom it testifies. This is how we are made “sincere in love.”

The fear of God produces sincerity, and the powerful application of the truth creates love for it. When we are “sincere in love,” we grow out of spiritual immaturity, where we are easily tossed about by every new teaching and vulnerable to deception. We know the truth, love the truth, and become firmly established in the truth.