Looking through some bulletins this past week, I read about an incident that happened in Pennsylvania in 1991. A family named Nixon, who were members of a sect known as Faith Tabernacle, had a child who died from an ear infection. They sincerely believed that they should not seek medical help, because that would have indicated a lack of faith in the power of prayer.

About six years later, they had another daughter who died from a lack of insulin for her diabetes. When she became ill, they called for her grandfather, who anointed her with oil and prayed over her. Even after she went into a coma, no medical treatment was sought. We ask how could these children have died so senselessly? The answer is that a person’s belief has consequences. Sincerely believing error does not change it into truth. Sincerity alone has never determined truth. We should sincerely believe the truth, but sincerely believing something does not make it true.

Saul of Tarsus was sincere when he was persecuting Christians (Acts 23:1; 26:9-11). He learned that he could be sincere and wrong!