Allberry does a great job of showing that a poorly grounded identity and a skewed view of sin are likely contributing aspects. I would really like to propose just a few more the explanation why this spiritual imposter syndrome happens. If Lovelace is correct in his assessment of most Christians today (and even previously), why is that this the case?
For starters, the Bible itself doesn’t help us out. (Hold your tomatoes; I believe I can redeem that statement). Verses like Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, as I’m perfect,” if wrongly read, can create perfectionism. We rightly imagine that God’s standard is absolute perfection. But we wrongly forget that He has already met that standard of perfection in Christ. And even within the Old Testament, God made gracious provisions for human frailty and insurrection.
Scripture itself, when read through the flawed lens, will make us think that we’re never going to be adequate. And other believers, very similar to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, can further entrench those feelings. They clean the surface of the cup and let the within rot. Nobody gets to see the within. This means that you simply, knowing all of the brokenness and insurrection flooding your heart, won’t ever match as much as their pristine condition. You’ll fail that comparison trap each time. The more our churches follow the trail of legalistic pharisaism, the greater the likelihood of spiritual imposter syndrome.
The culture itself doesn’t help with this. As Christians, we likely know that there are things on social media that get likes, comments, and subscribers, but we care nothing about them. But that doesn’t mean we don’t fall into the identical social media comparison trap. What do you are feeling like whenever you see someone put together, sharing videos or photos of their quiet time, and you’re barely in a position to get away from bed this morning?
Lastly, our view of God is usually askew. We imagine that God’s love and acceptance are based on our personal performance or our behavior. We may even bring things like faith, grace, and the gospel into the equation. We all the time wish to hijack grace with our own personal performance. Even those that are obsessed with being centered within the gospel can struggle with ensuring they’re gospel-centered enough. It’s an enormous performance treadmill powered by Christian cliches. If you’re united to Christ, God’s view of you is already determined by the finished work of Jesus. He gets the last word over your life. Period.
But I’ve began preaching and slipped into my last point, haven’t I?
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/AaronAmat
