GodReflection:
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:17).
There is a wonderful story that to the best of my knowledge is untrue. Like a parable of Jesus, it is a fabricated story that teaches a true lesson.
The parable tells of an artisan in Roman times who followed the common practice used to hide an inadvertent mistake that may happen as the craftsman artist chisels away on the slab of stone in the creation of a sculpture. Should the hammer or chisel slip, with a piece of wax-fill, followed with a coat of paint to further conceal the error, it was possible to hide the defect.
I first heard it told in the Portuguese Language. Part of the reason the story works so well in Portuguese, is the root Latin word for sincere come from sin (translated: without) and cere (“ceras” translated: wax). In Portuguese, the two words translate “sem” (without) and “ceira” (wax). To be sincere is to live without wax. Thus, the story gives these two Latin words “without wax” as the origin of the English word sincere.
A perfect sculpture was a sincere (sem ceira) work of art without hypocrisy—without the wax. The folktale creates a wonderful image of how we all live. In contrast, although, I fall short of the ideal demonstrated in the life of Jesus, I want my actions to be sincere. It is wrong to deceive others by the camouflage of a wax filled life.
Jesus wants me to live a life free from pretense or deceit—a life without wax. His standard is to be genuine. His standard is a life of integrity that trusts the Holy. When we make mistakes, we are to confess them to God and refrain from the temptation to live a wax-filled life by our tendency to patch and cover up as if nothing happened.
The writer Luke describes the hearts of those first believers who made up the new body of Jesus. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people (Acts 2:46-47).
Jesus freed their hearts from pretense and deceit. Their lives were sincere, free of wax. Their love and trust in Jesus were authentic.
Authors of New Testament letters shared the sincere standard of Jesus with the churches. Love was to be sincere. Faith was to be sincere. Servants in the church were sincere. Life was to be lived without wax.
Jesus’ brother James taught that to be sincere is to participate in the wisdom of God as doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves. Those who hear but don’t do the word are like those who look at their faces in a mirror. They look at themselves, walk away, and immediately forget what they were like. . .
(But those without wax are different). They don’t listen and then forget, but they put (Jesus’s words) into practice in their lives. They will be blessed in whatever they do (James 1:22-25). James tells us that Jesus wants us to live without wax.
Sincere is not a word that needs definition. Intuitively, we know it when we see it. Sincerity is a salvation issue. Without sincerity, there is no relationship with Jesus. God and pretense don’t mix.
If my walk with Jesus is not sincere—I have no walk with him at all. If my life with others is not sincere—I have no walk with Jesus at all. Without sincerity there is no relationship. Without sincerity, there can be no worship. Without sincerity, I can only masquerade as a worshiper of God.
When I fail, sincerity brings me to repentance. Sincerity covers a multitude of sin for it is only in sincerity that I live under the cool refreshing cover of God’s grace. Each day I need the Holy Spirit to remind me of the standard God set to guide my walk—it is his word sincere. Each day I need the Holy Spirit to empower me to live without wax.
May He make it appear in my dreams. May He whisper it in my ear. May He cause it to appear before my eyes. May He plant it in the depth of my soul and place it on my tongue and in my heart. I want to live in worship to The Holy under the authenticity of the word sincere. I want to live without wax.
Stay tuned.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection on Let’s Live Without Wax.
WWW.GodReflectionblog.wordpress.com
God Reflection 
Sim, sem ceira. Bom artigo. Grata sempre. Abraços prá veçê e Claudelina
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Gary, Cathy and I Sincerely! enjoy reading your Reflections. You are a gifted writer and we hope you will continue with your articles for a long time!
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