Authentic Christianity: Why Authenticity is Important

I think every Christian has met someone who acts “holier than thou.” Someone who is more concerned with rules and rituals than a relationship. And if we’re honest, we’ve probably been that person at one time or another. I certainly have. But I think that form of Christianity misses the mark. I say that because Jesus was hated by the Pharisees and Sadducees because He didn’t subscribe to their idea of religion and piety. He didn’t follow their definition of perfect. But He WAS perfect. IS perfect. Best of all, He was authentic. But what does that mean? How can we practice authentic Christianity?

I think it all begins with honesty, honesty with ourselves and others. For one, we have to admit that we’re not an authority on the subject. We all fail at it. Second, we have to admit that what we view as authentic may be different from someone else. Most of all, I think we have to be open to the discussion, open to learning, and open to being wrong. We all have these preconceived notions and ideas of what a perfect Christian looks like, yet we don’t even follow that ideal ourselves. And if we look in the Bible, we’ll see tons of people who were wrong at one time or another. Their perfection wasn’t important; God’s grace was. Is still important today.

So to start, I think authentic Christianity has 3 basic elements:

1. Understanding that no one is perfect, not even ourselves.
2. Following the rules because we love God, not just to say we follow the rules. 
3. Realizing that God works despite us, not because of us.

Now let me explain.

1. Understanding that no one is perfect, not even ourselves

Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. That means you. Me. Your next door neighbor. My Sunday school teacher. EVERYONE. It’s easy to judge others based off our own ideals on what a Christian should be. I’m guilty of that, and you probably are, too. But God knew we’d never be perfect. No one could fully uphold the law. That’s why Jesus’ sacrifice is so important. Without Him, we’d never be able to get to Heaven.

We’ve put sins on a spectrum to make ourselves feel better when we fail. “Oh, I messed up, but at least I didn’t mess up as bad as Betty Sue. She’s a much bigger sinner than I am.” That’s not the way it works, folks. We all sin. We all mess up. And we all deserve to go to hell. But God, in His infinite love and mercy gave us a way to go to Heaven. He knows we’ll mess up. He has never been surprised by our sin. And while that never gives us an excuse to sin, it does give us hope.

2. Following the rules because we love God, not just to say we follow the rules

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He answered, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matt. 22:37). When we love the Lord this way, we follow His commandments simply out of love for Him. We honor the Lord’s day because we love Him. We honor our fathers and mothers because we love Him. Simply following the rules does us no good if we follow them just because. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns His disciples not to do good works or pray or fast just to be seen. In fact, in verse 4, He says to do alms in secret. He knows the intentions of our heart, so following rules just to label ourselves a good Christian won’t cut it. We have to actually desire to be closer to God and serve Him the best we can.

3. Realizing that God works despite us, not because of us

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. He doesn’t have to use us, but He chooses to, because our weaknesses reveal His strength. They remind us how much we need Him. Let’s never assume He needs us, because He doesn’t. Our willingness to allow God to use us the way He sees fit stems from our love for Him and our desire to serve Him. If we choose not to, God can use someone else. He won’t suffer because of it, but we will.

I think authentic Christianity has more to do with God than ourselves. Has more focus on God’s grace than our good deeds. And I think when we begin to focus on authenticity in our relationship with Him rather than trying to appear to be the perfect Christian, we can reach more people.

What do you think defines authentic Christianity? And do you think authentic Christianity is important?