SINCERITY - North Americans are suckers for it.  Even though someone may be dead wrong, it's okay as long as they're sincere.

We approach religion the same way.  We don't want to appear intolerant or judgmental.  So we privatize our faith.  I choose to believe what I feel is right.  But I don't try to change anyone else's mind about their religion - as long as they're sincere.

"Who am I to tell someone else what is right or true?  After all, what kind of God would send a person to hell if they mean well (and who doesn't)?"

I agree that we are in no position to impose our judgments on others.  I have no right to define the truth for someone else.  It is not my role to act as a jury regarding someone else's beliefs.  Agreed?

HOWEVER, what if our opinion about the way God operates doesn't really matter, no matter how sincere we are?  I have this sneaking suspicion that we humans are prone to overestimate the power of our sincerity - particularly in the eyes of God.

Maybe, just maybe we ought to check it out with the One whose opinion makes a real difference when push comes to shove, and all is said and done.  Because when we face our Maker, our sincerity will pale into insignificance, despite the intensity of our beliefs.

It comes down to the question of who we are going to believe and trust ultimately.  Do we go with our sometimes misguided, albeit sincere, ideas about the way God "should" operate?  Or do we rely on the way things are according to God as communicated through the Divine Word (as seen in Jesus, the Bible and the interaction with the Holy Spirit)?

I don't know about you, and this is no reflection on your sincerity, but I would rather throw myself on the mercy of God than on some human measure of sincerity for my eternal destiny.  You are entitled to your opinion (even if I think you're sincerely wrong).  But I would rather trust God's opinion for my life.

No offense, but faced with death, frankly, your opinion doesn't count for a "hill of beans" in comparison with the opinion of the One who does really call the shots.  Your sincerity, or mine, is irrelevant if it does not line up with the way God says things are, whether I like it or not.

"Therefore, brothers . . . let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith . . . let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." [Hebrews 10:19-24]

• Describe a situation when you observed misguided sincerity.  What happened? 
• How can you interact with someone holding a sincere but wrong belief without judging?  How do you communicate God's revealed truth in a loving, persuasive way?