“Authenticity is more than speaking; Authenticity is also about doing. Every decision we make says something about who we are.” Simon Sinek
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for
2023 is authentic—the term for something we’re thinking about, writing
about, aspiring to, and judging more than ever. A high-volume lookup most
years, authentic saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories
and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media.
Authentic has a number of meanings including “not false or imitation,” a synonym of real and actual and also “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. While clearly a desirable quality, authenticity is hard to define and subject to debate—two reasons it sends people to the dictionary.
Authentic is often connected to identity, whether national or personal. Words frequently modified by authentic include cuisine and dish, but also self and voice. Celebrities like singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith, and especially Taylor Swift all made headlines in 2023 with statements about seeking their “authentic voice” and “authentic self.” With the rise of artificial intelligence—and its impact on deepfake videos, academic honesty, the line between “real” and “fake” is increasingly blurred.
If anyone should be authentic and live authentically, it should be Christ-followers. Notice that I didn’t say “perfectly.” We all blow it. We all sin. I’m continually astounded at the evil within my own heart. What we must have is a new heart. That only comes when someone commits their life to Christ. It’s impossible to work up. Instead by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, it’s worked out. It’s in Christ that we have an “undivided” heart. As Psalms 86:11 says, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”
Authentic has a number of meanings including “not false or imitation,” a synonym of real and actual and also “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. While clearly a desirable quality, authenticity is hard to define and subject to debate—two reasons it sends people to the dictionary.
Authentic is often connected to identity, whether national or personal. Words frequently modified by authentic include cuisine and dish, but also self and voice. Celebrities like singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith, and especially Taylor Swift all made headlines in 2023 with statements about seeking their “authentic voice” and “authentic self.” With the rise of artificial intelligence—and its impact on deepfake videos, academic honesty, the line between “real” and “fake” is increasingly blurred.
If anyone should be authentic and live authentically, it should be Christ-followers. Notice that I didn’t say “perfectly.” We all blow it. We all sin. I’m continually astounded at the evil within my own heart. What we must have is a new heart. That only comes when someone commits their life to Christ. It’s impossible to work up. Instead by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, it’s worked out. It’s in Christ that we have an “undivided” heart. As Psalms 86:11 says, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”
Living authentically is a command that
echoes throughout God’s Word. It’s woven into the very fabric of our faith. Obviously,
since “authentic” is the word of the year for 2023, it’s as relevant today as
it was two thousand years ago. To be authentic will challenge us, shape us and
free us.
When we think about living authentically, we usually think about honesty. We think about telling the truth, about not lying or deceiving. That's certainly part of it. But living authentically is about so much more than just honesty. It’s about integrity. It's about being true to who we are, to who God has created us to be and who Jesus has given us new life to be.
Living authentically first means living with integrity. Integrity is about being the same person in all situations. It's about being the same person on Sunday morning as you are on Saturday night. It's about being the same person in public as you are in private. It's about living in a way that's consistent with our beliefs, our values and our faith.
Living authentically first means living transparently. Transparency is about being open, being vulnerable, being real. It's about letting others see us as we really are, not as we wish we were. It's about sharing our struggles, our failures, our doubts, our questions, our joys, our victories.
Living authentically first means living faithfully. Faithfulness is about being true to our commitments, to our promises, to our word. It's about being reliable, trustworthy and being dependable.
Living authentically isn’t easy. It’s certainly not comfortable or convenient. But it’s worth it. It pleases God and it’s what He’s commanded us to be. It brings us closer to Him and ultimately is so freeing.
Most of us struggle with being authentic Christ-followers in three areas: our marriages and families, with money and business and in private.
When it comes to our marriage and family, it’s amazing that we’re often kinder, have our words and temper more under control with even a cashier at McDonald’s than we do with our own spouse or children. If our faith is authentic, our families should be able to testify to that.
The Bible never says that “money is the root of all evil.” It’s “the love of money that’s the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). It’s that love that tempts us to fudge our ethics, cut corners at work, cheat on our taxes, etc.
Character is who you are when no one is looking. It’s when we’re alone late at night or out of town without accountability that we’re tempted to act with a divided heart. Temptation whispers, “Who will know?” God will.
Perhaps as never before social media has increased the temptation to sanitize our lives so that we only ever share the highlights of our lives: the best pictures, the flattering news and happy family events. Our image is carefully managed and squeaky clean. But those who are far from God are looking for the real deal – neither worldly compromise nor phony religion. God has called us to be authentic in our faith and to be true representatives of Jesus Christ as we attempt to reach people with the gospel message.
Everyone loves someone authentic. Sadly, genuineness is an unusual trait. When how we live matches up with who we say we are in Christ, authenticity shines through. The walk matches the talk.
Authenticity is attractive, drawing people to Jesus. Our world is looking for those who are real. As God builds the distinguishing marks of authenticity into a believer, it increases God’s influence in our world.
Most of us cringe when we have to show others our driver’s license photograph. We look either washed out from too much light, or shadowy and suspicious from too little. Our eyes look either goofy and wide-eyed, or droopy and sleepy-eyed. Our hair is hopelessly out of place. And our smile? “Good grief,” we say to ourselves, “do I really smile like that?”
But then there’s the opposite extreme—the studio portrait. With the photographer’s magic, the right background highlights our colors. The most flattering angle emphasizes our strong points. The lighting softens our features. The air brush can blow away any wrinkles or imperfections.
As radically different as they are, the driver’s license photo and the studio portrait have one thing in common – neither is realistic. If we want to influence others for the Lord, it’s important that the portrait others see is real. In the end, only God sees our “real” selves. Yet it’s imperative that by His grace we strive to be authentic if we truly desire to bring glory to Him.
When we think about living authentically, we usually think about honesty. We think about telling the truth, about not lying or deceiving. That's certainly part of it. But living authentically is about so much more than just honesty. It’s about integrity. It's about being true to who we are, to who God has created us to be and who Jesus has given us new life to be.
Living authentically first means living with integrity. Integrity is about being the same person in all situations. It's about being the same person on Sunday morning as you are on Saturday night. It's about being the same person in public as you are in private. It's about living in a way that's consistent with our beliefs, our values and our faith.
Living authentically first means living transparently. Transparency is about being open, being vulnerable, being real. It's about letting others see us as we really are, not as we wish we were. It's about sharing our struggles, our failures, our doubts, our questions, our joys, our victories.
Living authentically first means living faithfully. Faithfulness is about being true to our commitments, to our promises, to our word. It's about being reliable, trustworthy and being dependable.
Living authentically isn’t easy. It’s certainly not comfortable or convenient. But it’s worth it. It pleases God and it’s what He’s commanded us to be. It brings us closer to Him and ultimately is so freeing.
Most of us struggle with being authentic Christ-followers in three areas: our marriages and families, with money and business and in private.
When it comes to our marriage and family, it’s amazing that we’re often kinder, have our words and temper more under control with even a cashier at McDonald’s than we do with our own spouse or children. If our faith is authentic, our families should be able to testify to that.
The Bible never says that “money is the root of all evil.” It’s “the love of money that’s the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). It’s that love that tempts us to fudge our ethics, cut corners at work, cheat on our taxes, etc.
Character is who you are when no one is looking. It’s when we’re alone late at night or out of town without accountability that we’re tempted to act with a divided heart. Temptation whispers, “Who will know?” God will.
Perhaps as never before social media has increased the temptation to sanitize our lives so that we only ever share the highlights of our lives: the best pictures, the flattering news and happy family events. Our image is carefully managed and squeaky clean. But those who are far from God are looking for the real deal – neither worldly compromise nor phony religion. God has called us to be authentic in our faith and to be true representatives of Jesus Christ as we attempt to reach people with the gospel message.
Everyone loves someone authentic. Sadly, genuineness is an unusual trait. When how we live matches up with who we say we are in Christ, authenticity shines through. The walk matches the talk.
Authenticity is attractive, drawing people to Jesus. Our world is looking for those who are real. As God builds the distinguishing marks of authenticity into a believer, it increases God’s influence in our world.
Most of us cringe when we have to show others our driver’s license photograph. We look either washed out from too much light, or shadowy and suspicious from too little. Our eyes look either goofy and wide-eyed, or droopy and sleepy-eyed. Our hair is hopelessly out of place. And our smile? “Good grief,” we say to ourselves, “do I really smile like that?”
But then there’s the opposite extreme—the studio portrait. With the photographer’s magic, the right background highlights our colors. The most flattering angle emphasizes our strong points. The lighting softens our features. The air brush can blow away any wrinkles or imperfections.
As radically different as they are, the driver’s license photo and the studio portrait have one thing in common – neither is realistic. If we want to influence others for the Lord, it’s important that the portrait others see is real. In the end, only God sees our “real” selves. Yet it’s imperative that by His grace we strive to be authentic if we truly desire to bring glory to Him.
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page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more
about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus
changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org
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