Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves.

Ephesians 4:25 (TLB)

We’ve all heard the phrase “fake it till you make it”. Perhaps you have been encouraged to do just that. But while it may sound like a helpful motto to live by, the Bible has a thing or two to say about pretending to be someone you’re not. As Christians, we are called to be like Christ—not ACT like Him, but BE like Him! That is the work of the Holy Spirit, not our own efforts. There is a huge difference between becoming like Jesus and deceiving others into believing that we already are, when we’re not. 

In Acts 5, there is the story of Ananias and Sapphira, husband and wife. They lived communally with other believers because the persecution of believers at that time was extreme. Many had been forced out of their homes and lost their jobs and all of their belongings. So others made the decision, for the good of the church, to sell their properties and give the money to the church. So Ananias and Sapphira sold their property. But rather than giving all the money to the church, they kept some for themselves and lied about it. Oh yeah, and then God struck them dead. The issue wasn’t their greed, it was their dishonesty, their hypocrisy! We have all done that: pretended to be more holy, more generous, more righteous than we really are. And fortunately for us, God hasn’t seen fit to strike us dead! He uses Ananias and Sapphira’s hypocrisy, and ultimately their demise, to remind us that He takes sin very seriously. Especially sin that is hidden behind a mask of righteousness. Ananias and his wife were concerned with appearance; they wanted to look more devoted to God than they really were. 

Perhaps you can see a little of yourself in Ananias and Sapphira’s scheme. Do you crave recognition more than authenticity? Do you serve God because of how it looks to Him or how it looks to others? Do you give generously only when others can see? When your goal is to “fake it”, the only one who loses is you. The one who avoids being real is always the one who ends up with the least. A “fake it till you make it” life of faith will crumble as soon as things get tough. You can go through life pretending you have it all together, or with humility, you can lean into the only One who truly does. You can’t do both. Choose wisely! You are loved!