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“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10).
The word “sincere” is an interesting word, and probably originates from two Latin words, “sine,” and “cera.” “Sine” means “without,” and “cera” is the Latin word for “wax.” So the word sincere literally means “without wax.” In the days when potters made ceramic vessels out of clay, the clay would sometimes crack when it was fired in a kiln. Instead of throwing it out, an unscrupulous potter would simply fill the crack with hot wax, let it firm up, and then cover it with a little more clay. The pot would work well as long as it held only cold liquids, but as soon as hot liquids were put into it, the wax would melt and the vessel would leak.
The Lord does not want us to be like that kind of pot, that pretends to be a good one, but has a crack in it that is filled with wax. He wants us to be real, first of all before Him, and then before others too.
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