The Importance of Authenticity in Christianity
Written by: Alexandria King
3 John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth”
In a world where it seems like people are sharing who they are now more than ever, how many times is it an authentic picture instead of a photoshopped view? In a meeting with my fellow Delight Girls a few weeks back, we had a testimony night where so much truth was shared. As one person would open up, many more would follow and people were able to identify with each other. Many people recognized that they were in the same season or ending the same season. It was beautiful to see how truth can bring light. It also served as a great reminder of how God wants us to walk in truth and authenticity and the impact of walking in that way. In this article we’ll discuss three great aspects of having authenticity in your Christian walk and why they’re important.
Encourages others
3 John 1:3 “It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.”
An authentic walk with Jesus means bringing God the best and worst parts of you and letting him work in you. Authenticity in Christianity is not about perfection it’s more so about the honest process of giving your all to God and enacting his ways. One great benefit of having an authentic walk with Jesus is the encouragement it can bring to those around you. In 3rd John, John is encouraged by hearing how another believer is walking in the truth. It brings him joy to know of this person’s sincere walk with Jesus and how God has brought truth into their life through the gospel. I’m sure many can identify with John’s joy (I know I can). When people see someone’s honest walk with God, I believe it can be more encouraging than seeing an edited false version of the walk. Huge takeaways from someone’s authenticity can be “if they can do it I can too” or “ I am not alone.” Authenticity in your relationship with God can encourage others to bring their all to the Father and become genuine in their life with him which ultimately creates a great space for change and healing.
Frees Us
John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Pretending can be tiring and God didn’t call us to pretend. He called us to actual freedom. A practical example of this is: a person doesn’t have to pretend that they don’t smoke cigarettes. Instead, it would actually be more beneficial to confess the habit so that they could get the help they needed to be free from it. It’s the same way in our walk with Jesus. It’s better to not hide and pretend in front of God. How can God move in an area of ourselves that we have not given to him?
1 John explains this idea that authenticity and confession are precursors to God moving in that area of our lives:
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Being authentic with God brings freedom! And it’s important because without it how could we repent of all our sins while still hiding some of them? How can we be changed and healed if we pretend something isn’t there? And how can we truly encourage others when we are walking in an illusion of perfection instead of genuineness? When we choose Authenticity with God we choose freedom.
Builds a deeper relationship with God
John 14: 15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
In John, Jesus says that if we love him we’ll keep his ways and in Proverbs 6:16 we learn that God hates lies. We can gather from these scriptures that if we love God we should probably steer very clear of lying. In any relationship in which you love someone you try to stay away from things you know they detest and cling to things they love. It’s the same in our relationship with Jesus. In knowing the character of God, we can conclude that he loves authenticity. And in practicing what God loves we can show our love to him. Not only does authenticity build a deeper relationship with God through doing what he loves; but we are also building intimacy through openness. Just like how in other relationships the more you open up the deeper the roots of the relationship go, it is the same in our relationship with God. Ultimately our Authenticity can draw us deeper and closer to Jesus!
I hope in exploring the importance of Authenticity in Christianity, you are encouraged to be more open in your walk with God. I pray that your authenticity encourages others and provides healing and change in your own life. : )
