Many Christians are taught to believe that if can’t really live like a Christian is supposed to live, then you are supposed to pretend so that no one will know the difference. At least we have a lot of Christian leaders whom we could easily identify as Great Pretenders.
What is remarkable is that Jesus was so opposed to pretense in any shape or size. He condemned:
1 Pretense of Practicing Righteousness (Matt 6:1-2)
2 Pretense of Prayer (Matt 6:5)
3 Pretense in Fasting (Matt 6:16)
4 Pretense of Speaking on God’s Behalf (Matt 7:15-16)
5 Pretense in Being a Disciple (Matt 7:21-23)
6 Pretense of Spiritual Leadership (Matt 7:13, 27-28; Lk 18:9-13)
Appalled with pretense himself, the Apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim 1:15); shared that his prayers were sometimes unanswered (2 Cor 12:7-8) and that he suffered from forms of personal weakness (2 Cor 12:8-10). He also believed that sometimes wordless groans were the best form of prayer (Rom 8:26-27).
Quick Conclusion: Our chances of breaking through to the Other Side are diminished with pretense and enhanced with transparency.