HYPOCRITE!
Many people leave a Christian faith or church body because they see that the other people that worship there have a life that is inconsistent with their spoken belief. In this post I’ll wrestle with the idea of “hypocrites” in the church and what effect that does (or should) have on the people in the church.
Before we begin I’d like to state that ANYONE who aspires to be something that they are not already, invites the label of “hypocrite”. If you state that you want to be one way, and set the bar there… ahead of where you are now, you are going to be a hypocrite somewhere along the line, religion or no. So, realize that the very accusation of “hypocrite” implies that you desire to be something more than you are, and desire for growth is good.
What is “Hypocrisy”?
Before we delve into what hypocrisy looks like from a Christian perspective, let’s examine the modern meaning of the word and the historical (root word) meaning.
Hypocrisy (or the state of being a hypocrite) is the act of preaching a certain belief or way of life, but not, in fact, holding these same virtues oneself.
The word hypocrisy derives from the Greek (hypokrisis), which means “play-acting”, “acting out”, “feigning, dissembling” or “an answer”. The word hypocrite is from the Greek word (hypokrites), the agentive noun associated with (hypokrinomai), i.e. “I play a part.” Both derive from the verb, “judge” ( “judgment” (kritiki), “critics”) presumably because the performance of a dramatic text by an actor was to involve a degree of interpretation, or assessment, of that text. (Wikipedia, and verified in Merriam Webster and Greek/English Lexicon of the New Testament)
Sunday Christians
Dressing up the kids and marching into church, avoiding the use of ‘bad’ words and using words that are in the current religious vernacular, as if you are that “wrapped up” and “proper” every other day of the week is a horrible approach to faith. This “Sunday Christian” approach makes you believe that your “weekly duty” is done, and you begin to believe that’s all that is required. Your spouse can see right through you, but they are trying to convince themselves that you’re both doing the right thing, so you don’t call each other on it. Your kids learn that “acting the part” is what’s important and that real heart change isn’t needed. This approach certainly has echoes of the “playacting” meaning of the word “hypocrite”.
Skeleton in the Closet Christians
Worse than the “Sunday Christian” is the Christian that possesses hidden sin (or sin they think is hidden) and live as people of faith more than each Sunday. In small ways, each of us fall into this category, but here I mean people who have something they know about, is consistent, and they have not turned from. Examples are spousal abuse, use of pornography, substance abuse, and temper issues. These Christians live the life verbally, and out in front of others, but they have a dark streak of sin that they are susceptible to. These Christians can seriously mar another’s ability to commit to Christ and the faith when their sin is found out. Many fall away when one of these are found out. This lifestyle implies not onlt playacting, but method acting. The person almost fools themselves into thinking that the play is the person, and the impact is deep – for everyone – when the mask finally comes off.
Selfish Humanist Christians
These are the Christians, of every stripe, that succumb to the modern belief that God’s main goal is that we are happy. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard believers tell me that they have done something completely out of line with God’s will because they, “have a right to be happy”. The simplest – and often most destructive – example is that of divorce and remarriage. These Christians instill a great amount of doubt in others, though they cannot see that their actions are inconsistent with their stated belief, everyone around can see this, and they are affected. When I was a child and saw couples in the church divorcing I could not understand it, no matter how hard I tried. I even asked people why they did it! Imagine that scene. A man has divorced his wife and has brought another women to church, and a ten year-old boy comes up and asks why he is bringing someone who isn’t his former wife to church! I don’t do this in public now, but if we know each other, and you leave your wife, be prepared for a visit, because I’ll be asking you some penetrating questions as your brother in Christ.
I know that I am diverging here for just a moment, but let me explain something to you, I hope incredibly clearly. You don’t have a “right” to ANYTHING anymore (happiness included)! Your rights have been surrendered to The One you gave your heart, life, and soul to. What you want, what you desire must be molded over time into His image, into His will, and will then become your joy. This is so counter-cultural, especially now, that people don’t want to say it, God forbid we PREACH it! The Person we have given our rights to is perfect, loving, and wants us to be in eternity with Him. What we “want” is SO FAR from important in that heavenly scheme that words fail me in my attempt to communicate it. Back on track now…
Pharisees
Finally I would call out the category of hypocrites that I believe Christ assigned to the Pharisees. These are church leaders that could fall into one of the categories above and thus have sway over many believers. Instead of one spouse and children, or a circle of personal friends, these men and women can cause faith to be shaken in entire church bodies when their hypocrisy is found out. Here, leaders can be guilty of the “critical” part well in advance of being found out. Some are never found out! Many church leaders interpret and “add to” the Good News. Some do this because they “believe”, some yet because it serves them, some further yet because they believe it strengthens the body to place additional requirements of “ascetism” on the believers. I would not be surprised if, in some Bible-teaching churches, the greatest part of their counseling efforts are to help members “unlearn” the legalism and weight added by leaders in the members former church.
What Then Shall We Do?
STOP IT! Don’t be a hypocrite. Here’s how we’ll start. For those of you who are lost and just want to “find yourself”, go to the mall. Yes, the pagan temple with all the stores. Go to a main entrance. Just inside those doors you will likely find an Information Center. View it. There is a red arrow on it stating “You Are Here”. Now that you’ve found yourself, let’s focus. Next, go to a mirror. Peer into it intently. The person in the mirror is who we’ll be working on for the next twenty, forty, sixty, or eighty years. Find those areas where your heart isn’t in line with an Almighty God, and pray that He guides you into a fuller understanding of His will. When you awaken each morning, give yourself FULLY over to Him. All your “rights”, your passions, your desires; ask Him to use these in His will and actively suppress your desire to exert your flesh in the face of pressure and opposition that day. Though there may be hypocrites in the church, pray that you aren’t one of them. When you see hypocrisy in others, realize that in – perhaps different – ways, it’s in you too and extend some grace to them. Don’t let it affect your walk with a perfect Lord.
The only way to stop being a hypocrite is to ACT the way you SAY that you should. Walk the walk and talk the talk. If you can only do one of these, I beg you as a brother in Christ to do the former. Don’t try to change the outside and make that “believable”. This is the root of hypocrisy. Allow your heart to be changed, and your life will change to match. Also, I would beg of you to live in a transparent manner. Let others see your struggles, failures, and victories. In this way the Christian life is shown for what it is, rather than a pasty, unreal caricature of itself that is displayed in so many Christian churches today. Paul didn’t describe the Christian life as a battle, with armor and sword for nothing!
Should we “call out” hypocrisy in others? While I believe that we should exhort and spur each other on to higher Christian growth, we should be very careful to call out sin in other people. Why? Because our relationship is with the Lord, and it is likely that He has given us enough work in ourselves to consume our time; but also because if we focus on others, this becomes much more “fun” than focusing on ourselves. Yes, we are to grow together as a church, and this requires accountability and exhortation, but our personal relationship with Christ comes first.
If you are not a Christian and have – somehow – made is this far through the post, first let me thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have my deepest respect, you are incredibly curious or dedicated! One thing I would ask; PLEASE do not judge a perfect and Almighty God by His followers. We are faint and frail as compared to him and while we endeavor to grow in His grace, we often fall short of the mark. Approach Him, and build a personal relationship with Him, and realize that we are all aspiring to a goal we’ve not yet reached.
