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The apostle Paul uses the word sincere four times: I Cor. 5:8; II Cor. 1:12; II Cor. 2:17 and Phil. 1:10.  The word is translated from the Greek word eilikrinia which means purity.  Paul uses it of the purity of the soul when communing with God (I Cor. 5:8); of the purity of daily life reflected in the conduct of the saint of God in the world; of the undefiled speech of the Christian teacher who imparts the truth of God’s word to others (II Cor. 2:17) and of the purity of heart which is the result of the beauty of spiritual wisdom which has been taught of love to discern the things that are of greatest importance over that which is  mundane.   Sincerity is the purity of heart that produces spiritual integrity.
The Basis of Sincerity
First, to be sincere, let a person bring his/her inner life into the illuminating rays of the Best-Jesus Christ.  The standard of the conscience is set by the perfect teacher who exhibits the perfect character and the perfect conduct–Jesus Christ.  If Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:20), we will exhibit Christlikeness to the world around us.  Our words and actions will reflect His glory.
Second, to be sincere, let a man live in perfect openness to God.  Sincerity is that clearness of the soul in which nothing interferes with its penetration by the divine light of truth and righteousness.  Insincerity loves secrecy and hates publicity.  It shrinks from the light of judgment.  “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:19-21).  Sincerity invites God’s scrutiny and fears nothing from God.
Third, to be sincere, let a man preserve an unbroken harmony between one’s words and deeds and one’s deepest inward convictions.  This is what we mean when we say “be true to yourself.”  Being true to yourself arises from being true to God!  Polinius said, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
The Bane of Hypocrisy
Jesus was stirred to indignation by those religious leaders who lacked harmony between the inner and outer life.  He condemned the Pharisees who “say but do not.”  Their own words were contradicted by their actions.  Jesus called them “whited sepulchers” which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27).  He warned his disciples not to follow after them.  Hypocrites wear a mask.  They live in pretense and deceive others thereby.  They pretend to be something that they are not.  The Christian life involves living a true life and can never be acting a part.  The hypocrite exhibits spiritual incompetence.  The double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways (James 1:8).  The person who attempts to serve two masters at the same time and in the same place attempts to do the impossible (Matthew 6:24).  Jesus emphatically states, “no man can serve two masters.”  Sincerity is the virtue of the heart that pursues divine purity and spiritual integrity.  Sincerity is the antidote to hypocrisy.
The Beauty of Sincerity
Sincerity is a Christian virtue.  Paul connects love to sincerity (Phil. 1:9-11).  Love is the basis of judgment or spiritual discernment.  Love for God and for neighbor is a guiding principle that helps us approve the things that are excellent.  This produces and preserves sincerity.  Purity of heart guards against profaning the sacred or ill-treatment of our neighbor.  Love rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth (I Cor. 13:6).  Love preserves a right relationship with God and with others.  Jesus said that the pure in heart shall see God (Matthew 5:8).  The ultimate reward of the true follower of Jesus Christ is the blessing of being with God forever.  Sincerity is one of those excellent virtues of the Christian life that is essential to obtaining the crown of life.

Have you ever heard someone say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere?”  This expression affirms self-righteousness.  It rejects God’s righteousness (Rom. 1:16-17).  God’s righteousness is the way God makes men righteous through the gospel of Christ.  If we reject God’s way of making men righteous, then, we are left with some form of self-righteousness.  Self-righteousness cannot save.
Self-Righteousness Fails to Obtain the Goal of Salvation
Consider Romans 10:1-3.  Paul addresses the brethren at Rome.  New Testament Christians constitute the true spiritual Israel.  Paul addresses, “Israel” which refers to physical Israel or Paul’s own countrymen (Paul was a Jew, but He had become a Christian (Acts 9).  Paul’s desire or his heartfelt longing was for them to be saved.  Paul’s prayer was also for their salvation.  The greatest expression of love for another person is to desire, work and pray for his/her salvation.  This indicates that Paul did not believe that many of his own countrymen were saved.  They were “under the Law of Moses” but, they were not saved.  The law (covenant) had changed when Jesus died on the cross (Col. 2:14, Rom. 7:1-4).  Salvation is in Christ and results when one follows Jesus not Moses.
They were zealous and sincere, but, they were not saved.  When Paul persecuted the Lord’s church, he was zealous for the Law of Moses and sincere (lived in all good conscience, Acts 23:1).  Later, he admits that he was in ignorance and unbelief when he persecuted the Lord’s church and was injurious and blasphemed (I Tim. 1:13-14).  Ignorance, unbelief, and disobedience to God adds up to being eternally lost rather than saved.  Paul was acting self-righteously when he rejected God’s righteousness.  The phrase, “it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere” is a false concept and must be rejected.
The Righteousness of God
Jesus Christ is the end (aim) of the law of Moses.  Jesus fulfills the law (Matt. 5:17).  When the law changed from the Mosaical law to the Law of Christ, the details of how God makes men righteous also changed.  Under the Law of Moses, thousands upon thousands of animal sacrifices were made and none of them provided for absolute atonement for sin (Heb. 10:4).  The blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin.  Under the law of Christ, we have absolute atonement (forgiveness of sin) through the power of the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18-19).  Through the blood of Jesus was have justification.  To be justified is to be pronounced not guilty and so we stand before God as if we have never sinned.  We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:1) when we obey the commands the Lord has given to us in the gospel (Rom. 10:16).  God’s word was nigh unto Paul’s countrymen.  It was in their ears and hearts through the preaching of the gospel.  But, it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it (Rom. 10:6-8; 16-17).  If they would confess the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God had raised Him from the dead, they could be saved (Rom. 10:9-10).  This confession is a verbal statement of the faith that is in the heart.  When faith is absent, no confession is made and the result is a lost condition.  Faith, confession and baptism (Rom. 6:3-4) are involved in the salvation of the human soul under the law of Christ.  The gospel was and is a universal message that all people must hear and obey (Rom. 10:13).  Calling on the name of the Lord is illustrated in Paul’s own obedience.  Paul’s sins were washed away in baptism (Acts 22:16).  “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”  Paul’s desire for his countrymen was that they would obey the gospel just as he had done and be saved from past sins.  This is God’s righteousness as it is revealed in the law of Christ.
All people are saved in the same way.  They are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  They are saved by loving God supremely (Mark 12:29-31).  They are saved by repenting of all sin and making the great confession that Jesus is God’s Son.  Finally, they are saved by being baptized into Christ.  When they undergo the New Birth (John 3:3-5), they become the children of God.  The New Testament redefines what constitutes a child of God (Gal. 3:26-29).  The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel of Christ.  By following Jesus and His teaching, we can be saved.  If we reject God’s righteousness, we are left with some form of self-righteousness which cannot save.