Authenticity Part 2

 

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)

 

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[i] Brainz Magazinehttps://www.brainzmagazine.com › post › the-neuroscienc…

The Neuroscience of Authentic Communication and its …

Jan 28, 2025 · Neuroscience confirms that authentic interactions activate the prefrontal cortex, the area of …

[ii] ScienceDirect

https://www.sciencedirect.com › science › article › pii

Cognitive neuroscience of honesty and deception: a signaling framework

Oct 1, 2016 · Figure 1. Neural correlates of honesty and deception. (a, b) Previous meta-analysis results of neural correlates of truth … 

[iii] hebrew word for wicked - Search

Authenticity Part 1

 

Authenticity

Part 1

Strong's Greek: 831. αὐθεντέω (authenteó) -- To have authority, to ...

Classical Greek employs cognate nouns for a “master” or “perpetrator.” By the Hellenistic and early Roman eras, verbs in this word[i] 

In contemporary Greek, αυθεντικός is the most common term for "authentic," used to describe something that is genuine, original, or trustworthy, such as authentic food, documents, or experiences….[ii] 

AUTHENTICITY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

The meaning of AUTHENTICITY is the quality of being authentic : the quality of being authoritative, valid, true, real, or genuine[iii]

            Authentic people are those who strive to align their actions with their core values and beliefs. Biblically this means someone who base their standard on what is written in God’s word with regarding to their character, especially exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit of God in their lives. This is with  the hope of discovering, and then acting in sync with, their true selves. These individuals when they act in ways that violate their self-concept, and their core values they may experience negative feelings, ranging from mild discomfort to heavy guilt.

“To do the truth is at any rate to live up to what one knows; to live an honest, conscientious life.” (Dods)

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth; Jn. 4: 24. 

       The Spirit of  God in a Christian soul recognizes the spirit in another. When a person has the Spirit of God, another spirit filled person recognizes and leaps within to hear the other person speak. A good example will be when Mary met her cousin Elisabeth at the mountain.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb; Lk. 1: 41-42.

      When a person’s spirit is not aligned with the Spirit of God and meets a person aligned in God’s Spirit something very powerful can happen.

Deep moral and spiritual darkness

Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly;  Mk. 6: 20. 

       Authenticity is the force of the Spirit of God. This person’s identity is anchored in truth and shaped by God. Not controlled by fear, flattery or approval from others. Authenticity exposed what darkness hides over time; and destabilizes manipulation and evil.

 “More weak than cruel, Herod listened to John with an undeniable fascination. John’s word left him perplexed, and in anguish. Yet he found a strange pleasure in the authoritative preaching of this holy man, whose stringent life gave added power to his probing word. Too weak to follow John’s counsel, he nevertheless had to listen.” (Lane)

 

      Breaking through to authenticity is not a one-time decision; it’s a daily practice with much effort. This requires our own self-awareness, vulnerability, weaknesses, some times our child hood practices in life for survival to varied difficult situations. This indeed requires courage to embrace both our strengths and imperfections boldly wanting to move to moral and spiritual wellness. One had to remember some of the  messy chapters of past life to start with. This is exactly where the greatest breakthroughs had to happen.

 

When you commit to authentic communication, you’re rewiring your brain for connection, empathy, and resilience. You’re creating a ripple effect that can transform your relationships, your community, and ultimately, your life.[iv] 

      Authenticity carries light, which reveals everything around. Truth cannot blend with pretense; but exposes one’s emotional distortions, the hidden web of charms disguised in as spiritual camouflage.  

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved; Jn. 3: 20.

“They chose to walk in the darkness, that they might do the works of darkness-they broke the Divine law, refused the mercy offered to them, are arrested by Divine justice, convicted, condemned, and punished. Whence, then, does their damnation proceed? From THEMSELVES.” (Clarke)

      Authenticity destroys one’s illusion of control: confusion as one’s shield, manipulation the language, emotional de-stability, false perceptions, mixed signals, guilt tripping, strategic charms applied to keep people off the balance, doing long charming prayers in front of people to hide who they really are, and the identity one builds on false ground.  Good example is the contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees who are spiritually abusing the people; Reference Matthew 23.

“There is another kind of slavery than social or economic slavery. Sin is a slave-master, and it is possible even for people who think of themselves as free to be enslaved in sin.” (Bruce)

Neuroscience of deception

Your brain is architecturally equipped for deception, not because you lack integrity, but because lying recruits a coordinated network of prefrontal suppression, anterior cingulate conflict monitoring, and limbic threat calculation that evolved long before moral philosophy. Dr. Sydney Ceruto has observed over 26 years that the most consequential form of deception is rarely the lie told to others. It is the lie the brain tells itself: the motivated reasoning that rewrites memory, filters perception, and constructs narratives that protect the self-concept at the expense of accurate reality testing.[v]

      Authenticity is God’s way of stripping those illusions apart; one’s insecurity, brokenness, and forces the person to see themselves, which they had avoided too long. The peace the authentic personality carries 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.

   Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin;  Jn. 8: 34.

“We should not minimize the force of ‘bondservant’. It does not mean a person who is paid wages and who has a considerable area of freedom. It means a slave.” (Morris)

                                                                    (To be continued in Part 2)

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[i] Greek word for authentic - Search

[ii] I.bid.; Greek word…

[iii] Merriam Webster https://www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › authenticity

[iv]The Neuroscience of Authentic Communication and its Impact on Our Brain and Relationships

[v] mindlabneuroscience.com https://mindlabneuroscience.com › lying-exploring-the-neuroscience-behind-it

Neuroscience Of Lying: How It Rewires The Brain | Mind LAB Sep 5, 2026 · Each lie dampens the amygdala's alarm, making the next one easier. A neuroscientist maps the four-region brain …