A Pastor’s Thoughts: Sincere, but Sincerely Wrong

The word “sincere” means to be free of deceit, hypocrisy, and falsehood, and it is genuine and real. Sincerity is a good character trait to be held on to. But, have you ever made a decision in which you were sincere in making, but you found out later that you were sincerely wrong?

Consider the following, written by a motivational speaker: 

One of the greatest challenges you’ll ever face in the workplace is confronting someone who is sincere, but sincerely wrong. Their absolute belief in the rightness of what they’re doing is what makes it so difficult to change their mind or offer correction.

I especially see it when I work with religious organizations and encounter a staff member who’s making a huge mistake. Everyone else can see it, but because they invest it with personal belief – sometimes even spiritual justification – it’s almost impossible to correct. In fact, I’ve dealt with a few who are so convinced of their position; they’d allow the organization to go bankrupt before they admitted how wrong they were. 

Reflecting upon my 68 years, I can say that I have made sincere decisions, only to find that I was sincerely wrong. Years ago, while living in Texas, my wife and I bought a house, sincerely believing that it was the right thing to do only to find out that we were sincerely wrong and we lost money when we sold it. Sincerity can be painful if it is based on false assumptions, or when it is not based on truth.

In my estimation, the greatest of all ways to be sincerely wrong is with regard to heaven and hell. For the first 18 years of my life, while living in Hicksville on Long Island, I went to church. I was taught all those years that I was going to heaven based on something that I did. My parents were sincere, the church was sincere, I was sincere, but we were all sincerely wrong. Going to heaven has nothing to do with what I do. It has everything to do with what Jesus has done for me. My part is to put my faith and trust in what Jesus did, confess my sins, and accept Him into my heart. 

I trust and pray that, as you read this, if you haven’t made life’s most important decision, you would ask Jesus into your heart now, for life is short and eternity is long.