Pretense is the purposeful deception of others by myself, usually for the sake of my own interest, safety or pride. Scripture condemns such pretense and demands honesty from me at every point.
Pretense is similar to hypocrisy but takes it one step further as it is purposeful deception. A hypocrite is trying to make themselves into something they aren’t by acting. Pretension is not acting but deception. It is known as duplicity, double-dealing, fraud, cheating, trickery, chicanery, deviousness, slyness, wiliness, guile, bluff, lying, pretense, or treachery.
The good news is that Jesus frees me having to be pretentious and having to pretend. In Jesus, I can be transparent. That is stunning. What a amazing beautiful Master I serve.
God’s people must rid themselves of pretense. It is essential to me as a follower of Jesus. There was no deceit found in Jesus at all. NONE! Jesus challenges me to be authentic.
- 1 Peter 2:1 — Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
- Psalm 119:29 — Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law.
- Luke 12:1 — Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
- 1 Peter 2:21–22 — For you have been called for this purpose, since the Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.
- Isaiah 53:9 — His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts 