Hypocrisy and Christianity
It’s there, you know it. You can see it with your own eyes. People who say they are for the Lord, but look nothing like him. People who go to church on Sunday and act a fool every other day of the week. People who shout hallelujah to God in the pews, and curse people out in the church parking lot. Hypocrisy is alive and well in the church. But why and how? How can someone who says they’re a Christian not act like one? I’ll tell you. When you see hypocrisy among those who claim to be in Christ one of two things may be happening.
1. They are Christians who struggle with not being conformed of this world.
When you give your life to Christ you surrender yourself and your way of life to God. You come to realize that whatever it is you’re doing isn’t working. Maybe you feel empty, your life is lacking something, maybe you’re hurting. Whatever it is, you know that you can’t fix it; you’ve tried and failed time and time again. So you look to God for an answer, you look to Him and his Son for peace. And that’s a good thing.
What some Christians fail to realize is that when they give their life to Christ, they’re not done yet. There’s more to Christianity than believing in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and inviting them into your life. You’ve got to work honey! The bible says faith without works is dead. Often people say the sinner’s prayer and stop there. All the time you were in the world, doing as you pleased, sinning, that took a toll on your spirit and you’ve got to work hard to get your spirit in line with God. If you cursed people out, got drunk every night, and slept around for years before you got saved, you’re going to have the urge to do those same things. Giving your life to Christ is not some magical moment in which you become a sanctified, demon slaying, healing, and sinless child of God all at once. You’ve got to earn your stripes.
1 John 2:6 Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Often people new (and old) in Christ fail to grow spiritually and be the people God has called them to be. Yes you may have given your life to the Lord, but are you walking the way he walked? Are you talking the way he talked? When people see you do they see Jesus? This is the most powerful testimony to Christ but also potentially the most damaging. If you label yourself as a Christian but don’t act like one you are killing your testimony and defiling the image of God.
Hypocrisy is deadly
It hurts me when I hear unbelievers say they don’t believe in God because of how Christians behave. “The Church is full of hypocrites. If that’s what being a Christian means then count me out.” We’ve all heard that one before and it’s sad because they’re right. Why would any unbeliever want to serve a God whose followers look just as bad as them or worse? I can do bad all by myself right? Christians are Gods first line of defense, his soldiers on the battlefield. We are supposed to be the holy example for the world. Our lives should make others want to know the God we know, not turn away from him. I admit I could definitely use some work in this area. I look at who I want to be in Christ and who I am sometimes and the images do not match up. It’s hard being in the world but not being of it. Again, when you get saved you don’t magically turn into a sanctified and holy person; you’ve got to work at it for the rest of your life. But by no means is “It’s Hard” an acceptable excuse. That’s life child. Despite the difficulty, know that leading a holy life acceptable by God can be done. It was done. By who? Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:2 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am Christ.
Jesus wouldn’t tell you to do something that you didn’t have the power to do. You can be holy just as he is holy. But you have to WORK at it consistently. People are watching you. They are taking into account what you say and how you act. Let your tongue and your feet be in accord. If you say you walk in light, then you should walk in light and truth.
The bible speaks about how wicked the tongue can be and how men can’t seem to tame it.
James 3: 9-12 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
In short you cannot be of Christ and of this world at the same time. If you say you are for Christ, be for Christ wholeheartedly in all your ways, for your sake and the sake of the people in this world whom you are trying to save.
2. They’re not Christians
Another way that hypocrisy sneaks its way into the church is when people claim to be what they are not. There are some people in this world who say they are Christians but are just lying through their teeth. The devil isn’t just working outside the church, sometimes he’s in the front pew on Sunday as well. Like I said before, you cannot be of Christ and of the world. If you are a true Christian then you will walk as Jesus walked and if you sin you will be convicted by the Holy Spirit.
Here’s one way to know if you are truly a Christian. When Christians sin it bothers them, and they can’t shake the feeling until they repent to God. If you call yourself a Christian, but you commit sins all the time and you aren’t phased by it, you need to check your “spiritual” self.
Jesus says in John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
It’s really simple in theory but much harder in practice. However, if you are a Christian you will keep the commandments of God. There will be in you a desire to do what he told you to do. To be holy, to be kind, to be loving. If you do sin, and Christians do because they’re not perfect, you will feel convicted.
BUT
If you don’t keep God’s commandments and you don’t feel bad about it, then you are probably NOT a Christian.
1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
Some people claim to be for God but when it comes down to doing what He said should be done they are nowhere to be found. This is another source of hypocrisy that the church must battle. The devil is trying to give Christianity a bad reputation. But you should know that these people are not with God and were never with God from the start. They are deceivers.
Beyond the Law of God
I want to be clear that following the law of God and imitating Jesus is not what makes anyone a Christian. These are only markers of Christianity. If you're a Christian, then you'll do these things. Dogma and religion don't get you into heaven but a relationship with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit will. God wants more than for you to obey his commands, he wants to be an active part of your life. He wants your love and the only way to cultivate love is to cultivate real relationships. And it is by our love for him that we find the strength to carry out his plan for our lives. You can't will yourself to follow the word, but you can allow God to change your heart in a way that makes you more than able to do what he tells you.
So be careful.
Believer: People are watching you and looking for the God in you. Show less of yourself and more of him. You have to work at this everyday for the rest of your life. God is counting on you to do so. Seek out his transforming love to give you the power to shine as he shines. If you do your life will be a witness to the goodness of God. People will want to be like you and serve the God you serve.
Non Believer: Don’t let people fool you into believing God isn’t as awesome and loving as He says He is. Don’t base your faith on the actions of others, whether they are Christian or not. Get to know God for yourself. Seek out and develop a personal relationship with Him. If you take the time to do so I promise that it change your life for the better.
Go with God Crispy. (Cool points if you get the reference.)
