Are You Spiritually Inauthentic: Five Warning Signs

The following was adapted from John Ortberg’s “Surprised by Change: The Goal of Spiritual Life”. It’s based on the idea that Christians can often look to superficial distinctions between themselves and non-believers instead of real transformation brought about by the Holy Spirit. The religious people did it in Jesus’ day so we would be wise to at least consider the possibility that we may have fallen into the same trap. Ortberg uses Jesus’ rebuke of these religious folk in Matthew 23 as the basis of his five warning signs.

Pseudo-Transformation Warning Signs

1.    Am I spiritually “inauthentic”?

Matthew 23:25-28

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Inauthenticity involves a preoccupation with appearing to be spiritual. We try to say the right things and do the right things in front of others. Yet we hide our sin and work harder at making people think we’re a loving person than we actually do at loving them.

 “The meaning of true authenticity is this: that my exterior truly reflects my interior.”

- David Augsburger

Question: What are some things that keep you from being truly authentic?

2.    Am I becoming judgmental or exclusive or proud?

Matthew 23:6

⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

Pride is a potential problem for anyone who takes spiritual growth seriously. As soon as we start to pursue virtue, we begin to wonder why others aren’t as virtuous as we are.

Question: Do you tend to rate people in comparison to yourself? When and where does this tend to happen most frequently for you?

3.    Am I becoming more approachable, or less?

Matthew 23:7

(They love) ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

Question: Do you ever feel that you’re too busy or too important for someone?

Question: Which of the three previous questions hits home with you the most?

4.    Am I growing weary of pursuing spiritual growth?

Matthew 23:4

For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

The pursuit of righteousness is always an exhausting pursuit when it seeks a distorted goal.

Question: Have you been weary and burdened by trying to live up to a certain standard? Who’s standard is it? There’s GOOD NEWS! Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

5.    Am I measuring my spiritual life in superficial ways?

Matthew 23:24

²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

“Suppose someone were to ask you, ‘How is your spiritual life going these days?’ Quick – what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? For many years I thought about this only in terms of a few special activities. If someone asked me how my spiritual life was going, my first thought would be how I was doing at having a quiet time – praying and reading the Bible each day. If I had prayed and read the Bible for several consecutive prior days, I was likely to say that my spiritual life was going well. If not, I was likely to feel guilty and downcast. So prayer and Bible study became the gauge of my spiritual condition. As long as I did those two things I could go through the day confident of God’s approval.”

Question: How do you tend to measure your spiritual life? What is your response to the questions discussing above?

“I suspect that if someone had asked the apostle Paul or the apostle John about his spiritual life, his first question would have been, ‘Am I growing in love for God and people?’ The real issue is what kind of people we are becoming.”

“Practices such as reading Scripture and praying are important – not because they prove how spiritual we are – but because God can use them to lead us into life.”