Inauthentic Christians
I believe that some of the most inauthentic people in this world are Christians. Yes, you heard me right, Christians. From my perspective, Christian ladies (myself included) seem to be the experts at knowing how to put on a good act. We have mastered the art of pretending like we’re something we’re not, hiding behind masks, and trying to cover up who we really are. Some of the greatest actresses around don’t come from Hollywood. They come from the church.
Let’s just be honest. The majority of us Christian ladies are living inauthentic Christian lifestyles. I see it all the time, and honestly, it is me from time to time. Yes, I slip in and out of inauthenticity every day, more times than I can count.
We are self-deceived when we believe that the Christian life is about who can LOOK and ACT LIKE they are perfect at living like a Christian or who has the least flaws. But to LOOK and ACT LIKE a perfect Christian, and LOOK and ACT LIKE we have the least flaws, we have to perform. And when we perform, we’re being fake because we have not yielded to the Holy Spirit.
Performance-based Christianity
It’s called performance-based Christianity. Performance-based Christianity is when we put on a spiritual show to act like we’re something we’re not. It’s when our Christian lifestyle is a farce. We have the right look, say the right things, carry a Bible, serve in ministry, and be faithful to church; we have all the makings of a spiritual Christian on the outside, but the reality is that on the inside, our hearts are far from God. We’ll fool everyone, including ourselves, with our stunning outward actions and appearances while never allowing God to search our hearts and shed light on anything that doesn’t belong there.
Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my reins and my heart.- Psalm 26:2
We can become spiritual actresses when we get caught up in the pressure to perform spiritually. We desire to appear more spiritually mature to impress others. So, because of our ego, the thought is that if I pretend, I can try to conceal who I really am. No one will know that I struggle with deep sin, depression, anxiety, a broken marriage, an addiction, or that my Christian lifestyle is hollow.
I get it. I’ve had those same thoughts.
Some of us do not feel comfortable sharing our flaws with others. It doesn’t come naturally. It’s human to hide and cover-up. Right? We’ve been covering up and hiding since the very beginning. Think Adam and Eve. When they sinned, what did they do? The Bible tells us,
“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife HID themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees in the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I HID myself.- Genesis 3:7-10
The first thing Adam and Eve did was cover themselves and hide. And just like Adam and Eve, we cover up and hide. It’s easier to do that than to admit we’re not where we should be spiritually. We’re conditioned to think that if we choose to show our true selves, be honest about who we really are, and admit that we struggle with sin and imperfections, then we’ll most likely be rejected by our Christian brothers and sisters or become the subject of Sister Susie’s next gossip session. And sometimes, that is the case, but we must remember that no one is perfect. Even Sister Susie has no room to talk.
Because no one is perfect
Name one person—one Christian lady—who doesn’t struggle with sin. We ALL do. From the least to the greatest of spiritual women, we ALL struggle with sin. The Bible tells us so.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. I John 1:8
There we go. We don’t have to hide. The Scriptures already tell our business for us!
When I think about us Christians and how we struggle with performance-based Christianity, I think about the Pharisees during Jesus’ day.
The Pharisees in the New Testament were the spiritual leaders of their day. They were always putting on a “spiritual show.” People looked up to and admired them and assumed they were close to God based on their immaculate appearance and award-winning performances. No one would dare question their spirituality or their authority. But the Pharisees were proud and self-righteous. They were so good at putting on religious shows and impressing others with their outward, righteous appearance. They fooled everyone except Jesus. He knew their hearts were desperately wicked. Oh, they looked good on the outside, but on the inside, their hearts were far from God.
However, Jesus was bold and confronted the Pharisees regarding their hypocrisy because He was more interested in their hearts and what was honest about them than the spiritual show.
Like the Pharisees
This is us. We are just like the Pharisees, self-righteous Christian ladies who spiritually perform day in and day out, hoping to impress others with our outward religious show, pretending to be more than we really are, and becoming comfortable with being fake. So, let’s be honest with ourselves. Are we for real, or are we successfully faking it? Could there be areas of our lives that are nothing more than an award-winning performance?
What are we more interested in, our external image than our internal- our hearts? Are we professing God with our mouths and worshipping Him, all for it to be in vain because our hearts are far from God? Are we doing all the things that make for a victorious Christian life—faithful church attendance, reading our Bibles, praying, serving in ministry, giving, helping others, being kind and compassionate, etc., but never humbling ourselves before God and asking Him to search our hearts and invest in an intimate relationship with Him?
God has not called us to be fake. He is not interested in surface-based Christianity. We are not here to impress people. We’re here so that God can gain glory from our crazy, messy, and chaotic lives.
God loves authenticity
Authenticity is important to God, and we must learn to live authentically daily. If God expected authenticity in the New Testament, He still expects authenticity today, even in our imperfections and flaws. This is why God allows for repentance. Christian ladies who live authentic Christian lives are not perfect. They know they sin but are quick to admit it, repent, and get right with God.
Living authentically is not synonymous to living a perfect life. Living authentically is living a perfecting life. With Christlikeness as our goal, mirroring the most perfect Christian that ever walked the face of this earth, Jesus Christ, we understand that we’re not always going to get it right. We won’t live perfectly until we get to Heaven. Until the, we go back to God, ask for forgiveness, repent and get back on our journey.
Stop the performance
Performing spiritually to be accepted and look impressive to other Christians is a waste of time. That is not what the watching world needs to see or what other Christians need to see. What we all need to see in each other is what’s honest about us: we don’t always get it right. We struggle with sin- pride, gossip, unkindness, prejudice, bigotry, stealing, lying, adultery, lust, fornication, rebellion, etc. Our marriages aren’t perfect, our kids aren’t perfect, and our lives aren’t perfect. We get depressed and have suicidal thoughts. Some of us suffer with anxiety. We’ve been through trauma and abuse- some sexual, some verbal, some physical. We’ve had abortions. Many of us worry, get angry, and sometimes sin in our anger. We fight and argue and divide our families and churches. WE ARE NOT PERFECT CHRISTIANS; there is no such person.
But, if God is allowed to work in your life every day to mold you and shape you into the woman He’s called you to be, then by the grace of God, you are a PERFECTING CHRISTIAN. That’s what’s real.
What about you?
If you have been successfully faking it in your Christian life, then as a friend who cares about you so much, please believe me when I say you don’t have to fake it. Stop the act. You can live an exciting, prosperous, powerful, fulfilling, authentic Christian life by developing an intimate relationship with God. That is the pathway to authenticity. There are no facades. No masks. No performances.
I pray that today, you are motivated to let go of the popular, fake, performance-based Christianity, and embrace a real, authentic Christian life by pursuing an intimate relationship with God.
Love and hugs,
Terrie
I’m not perfect. I’m perfecting.
II Corinthians 7:1
