Authenticity
Part 2
An example of authenticity to reminisce
is the story of King Saul and David who simply walked with God. When integrity
and authenticity, with humility stands before pride and deception, something breaks; and the atmosphere shifts. It was very obvious
that Saul wasn’t willing to wait for Samuel; and he did not trust and waited
for God.
And
he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed:
but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.” “And
Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he
offered the burnt offering;1
Sam. 13: 8-9.
Whereas,
David waited on God throughout his time in the wilderness; (Ref. Psa. 42).
This demonstrates David’s trust in God
and Saul’s lack of trust in God.
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come
and appear before God; Psa. 42: 1-2.
Authenticity is God’s way of stripping
those illusions apart; one’s insecurity, and brokenness forces the person to
see themselves, which they had avoided too long. The peace the authentic personalities
carry is a threat to chaos for someone who does not live in truth. The
character, the emptiness inside, and the counterfeit identity person projected
will be stripped away.
Authentic person’s clarity,
humility, honesty, emotional sincerity, and spiritual alignment parts fear
around those who want to manipulate to twist their script differently against
the truth.
Neuroscience on authenticity
Authentic conversations activate the brain’s reward system. When
we engage in genuine dialogue, the ventral striatum, responsible for feelings
of pleasure, lights up. Think of the warm rush you feel when someone truly
understands you. That’s dopamine flooding your brain. This natural “high” is
why authentic interactions are so satisfying. Now consider the
opposite. You’re in a meeting where the dialogue feels forced, like everyone is
just ticking boxes. Your amygdala, the brain’s fear center, senses the
disconnect. It triggers a stress response, releasing cortisol, the stress
hormone. Over time, these inauthentic interactions can leave you drained,
anxious, and even distrustful.[i]
There is real battle between authenticity and the one who lives in
deception, pride, and hide behind various masks. The battle between The
Truth of God and Deception is scriptural.
Remember this: Satan
tried to manipulate and control Jesus, but Jesus went by what is written in
God’s word. Pharisees and their deeds of darkness evaporated before Jesus
Christ, who is the Truth Himself.
Understanding the neural basis of human
honesty and deception has enormous potential scientific and practical
value. In particular, by separating and capturing distinct adaptive problems
facing signal senders and receivers, signaling games provide a framework to
organize the complex set of cognitive processes associated with honest and
deceptive behavior. Recent meta-analyses have further shown that lying
was associated with greater activation in regions including dorsolateral and
ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior insula and superior frontal lobule.[ii]
Jesus: Honors the Father; Jn. 8: 49; seeks God’s glory,
not His own; Jn. 8: 50; offers freedom through the truth.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free; Jn. 8: 32.
Pharisees: Dishonor Jesus with slander; Jn. 8: 48; Seek to
protect position and prestige; Jn. 11: 48; Remain enslaved to sin despite
heritage claims.
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin; Jn. 8: 34.
In this world where Pharisees lived in varied
masks, Jesus The Authentic Son of God, who became man becomes
their mirror, and makes it very clear that hiding is very impossible. Christ’s
Authenticity strips the ability to guilt trip, gas light, and twist the
reality and The Truth.
Clinging to traditions and
rituals without truth, and not willing to learn can breed hostility toward
God’s revelation. False accusations, without proper checking the truth and gas
lighting often masks deeper resistance to divine authority. Jesus’ unwavering
commitment to truth, and his obedience to God, His Father in heaven invites
believers to stand firm, even when misrepresented.
Authentic
people in Christ live from inside out. To worship in
truth means, one should worship according to the whole counsel of
God’s word. This is keeping ourselves in the light of the New Testament
revelation; based on what is written and given to us.
It also means that we should come to God
in truth, not in pretense or a mere display of spirituality.
To worship in spirit means we should concern ourselves with
spiritual realities. This does not concern so much with places, outward
sacrifices, proclaiming charity to everyone, cleansings, and trappings.
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with
actions and in truth;1 Jn. 3:18.
“Here is a test of this
love; if we do not divide our bread with the hungry, we certainly would not lay
down our life for him. Whatever love we may pretend to mankind, if we are not
charitable and benevolent, we give the lie to our profession.”(Clarke)
The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who
are trustworthy; Prov. 12:22.
Our God is Truth Himself. He loves humans
to speak the truth and regards the lips that spread lies as
offensive, an abomination.
Strong's Hebrew: 7563. רָשָׁע (rasha) -- Wicked, evil, guilty
The Hebrew
noun רָשָׁע (Strong’s 7563) designates a person who is morally wrong, hostile
to God’s standards, and liable to divine …[iii]
The sense of the Hebrew
for desperately wicked seems to have sickness more
than depravity in mind. “Unregenerate human nature is in a desperate
condition without divine grace, described by the term gravely ill in
verse 9 (RSV desperately corrupt, NEB desperately sick).” (Harrison)
Therefore, rid yourselves of all
malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind; 1 Pet. 2: 1.
Peter
has just demonstrated the glory and eternal character of God’s word; which is
full of The Truth. In the light of what is written and given to
us, we should receive the word and receive it with a humble hearts. This is
because the matter of the heart is heart itself! Dying
to self is not a quick process: standing alone without dependence on man, without
praise; obeying without applauding; and depending only on God brings freedom, and
this terrifies darkness.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer. 17: 9.
“The pravity and
perversity of the man’s heart, full of harlotry and creature confidence,
deceiving and being deceived, is here plainly and plentifully described; and oh
that it were duly and deeply considered.” (Trapp)
Humility is the fertile ground on which
the tree of righteousness grows and yield the fruit of the Spirit. Many
problems in both individual Christian lives and in congregations is mainly they
failed, to desire or to receive this pure milk; The Ultimate Truth.
“The sickly condition of
so many Christians sets forth a lamentable complaint of the food with which
they are supplied. To say nothing of strong meat, they do not even get milk.
Hence the Church of God too much resembles the wards of a children’s hospital.”
(Meyer)
[iii] hebrew word for wicked - Search
