“We have seen why
sincerity is compared to the soldier's girdle or belt. Now we proceed to the
other use of this girdle, which is to strengthen his loins and to fasten his
armor close to him. In Scripture, girding implies strength: "Thou hast
girded me with strength unto battle" Psalm 18:39. He "weakens the
strength of the mighty" Job 12:21.; in this passage the Hebrew meaning is
"He loosens their girdle." It is a grace, which establishes and
strengthens the Christian in his whole walk; on the contrary, hypocrisy weakens
and unsettles the heart: "A double minded man is unstable in all his
ways" James 1:8.
A soul has as much
of heaven's purity and incorruption as it has sincerity. "Grace be with
all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" Ephesians 6:24. So,
then, the strength of every grace lies in its measure of sincerity. But not
only does sincerity cover all infirmities but strengthens the soul for
Christian warfare.
"The
integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors
shall destroy them" Proverbs 11:3. Despite all his clever strategies to
save himself the hypocrite eventually sinks into his own instability; but
sincerity holds the Christian safe above all dangers.
Israel's hypocrisy
was "a generation that set not their heart aright"; they had a spirit,
which "was not steadfast with God" Psalm 78:8. Stones which were not
set right on the foundation cannot stand strong nor long.
We see more of
this bitter fruit from the hypocrite's branches in the same Psalm: they
"turned back, and dealt unfaithfully... they were turned aside like a
deceitful bow" (v. 57). Before a defective bow is bent, you cannot see
anything wrong with it. But when you draw the arrow to the head it flies to
pieces. This is exactly what happens to a false heart when it is put under
stress.
Sincerity,
however, keeps the soul pure in the face of temptation. "He that walketh
uprightly walketh surely" Proverbs 10:9.
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete
Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell.
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