Are you authentic?
According to Jesus, it is what we do in secret that matters most. Jesus is not suggesting that the outward is unimportant—far from it. "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?" (James 2:14). The answer is emphatical no. Still, it is also possible to have outward works but no inner reality. In this instance, religion is a pretence. Six times in the Sermon on the Mount, alluding to three distinct exercises, Jesus employs the term secret: Give "in secret…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matt. 6:4). Pray "in secret…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (v. 6). Fast "in secret…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (v. 18). The Sermon on the Mount is addressing the issue of authenticity. Just how genuine is our relationship with the Lord Jesus? It is altogether possible to practice an outward display of piety—to "talk the tal...