"That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ" (Phil. 1:10).

One of Paul's desires for the Christians in Philippi was that they be sincere. To be sincere is to be without deceit, pretense, or hypocrisy; it is to be truthful, straightforward, and honest.

The English word "sincere" comes from the Latin word sincerus, which is actually a compound word: sine ("without") and caries ("decay"). Hence, the term literally means "without decay" or "without defilement."

In Philippians 1:10, the word "sincere" is translated from the Greek word eilikrines which means "judged by sunlight, tested as genuine." W.E. Vine says this Greek word means "unalloyed," which corresponds perfectly with the Latin term meaning "without defilement."

Christians are to be genuine and honest people; we are to be transparent and real. Specifically, our love for one another is to be sincere. "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart" (1 Pet. 1:22). "Let love be without hypocrisy..." (Rom. 12:9).

Our faith is to be sincere. "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5). Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God (Heb. 11:6). The word of God has been designed by God to develop a real and genuine faith in good and honest hearts (Rom. 10:17).

Our service is to be sincere. Twice, Paul told slaves to serve their masters "in sincerity of heart" (Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22). While we are not slaves, many of us are employees. As the old saying goes, we are to put in an "honest (sincere) day's work for an honest day's pay." The service we render to one another is to be sincere; it must be without ulterior motives and without complaining.