I frequently urge people to go to church and too often I hear the reply that they don’t attend because churches are full of hypocrites. I’ve tried using logic on them like, “I wouldn’t worry about a few hypocrites being there, sick people belong in hospitals, hypocrites are sick too and belong in church whereby they can receive the help that they need”.
The lone problem with using that logic is that it does not seem to work!
If we logically peruse it, we soon realize that not many people have a desire to be around a bunch of sick people. If you have a choice of being around the sick or the healthy, which would you prefer?
So what is a hypocrite? The dictionary defines it as: “somebody who pretends to have admirable principles, beliefs, or feelings but behaves otherwise”. Jesus referred to the Pharisees as hypocrites and reserved some of His harshest criticism for them. Consider what he called them in Matthew 23:33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”
Have you ever wondered why He spoke out so virulently against them? I think the answer is easy to understand by simply re-reading the first sentence of this post. Hypocrites prevent others from receiving Christ. Their attitudes turn people off to Christ and His church.
It is unfortunate that Jesus Christ receives the bad press for the actions of those of us who claim to be Christians and at times behave poorly. I would be the first to admit that it is difficult for us as Christians to emulate Jesus Christ at all times. We live in a fallen imperfect world, we are fallen and imperfect, and yet we serve a perfect God. Matthew Henry stated: “We are really, what we are inwardly. Christ gives men their true characters.”
Isn’t that what free will is all about? Christ allowing us our true characters? God is not going to force us to accept His free gift of forgiveness and salvation that leads to everlasting life in paradise. Jesus Christ did His part on the cross, bearing punishment for the sins of the world. We must make the decision to follow Him, or obstinately persist in gratifying the lusts of the world.
As a young man I was diagnosed as being a sociopath by a team of military psychiatrists and was told that I was incapable of love and did not have a conscience and might be well on my way to becoming a serial killer. I was also told it was an incurable condition. I later accepted Christ as my Savior. The Bible states that when we accept Christ as our Savior that the Holy Spirit enters our bodies and resides within us; it is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. My conscience was born at that moment and so was my capacity to love. Those military shrinks were wrong. God can cure the incurable if we are willing.
Since that day and even through today I have not always followed Christ as I should. I suppose if someone saw me lose my temper or use profanity in the heat of the moment, or do something else stupid, they would undoubtedly say that I’m a hypocrite because I profess to be a Christian but exhibited unchristian behavior. I hate that and it becomes incumbent upon me as a true follower of Christ to try my utmost not to sin, but invariably I catch myself in the frustrating situation of sinning anyway.
I think the key to not acting like a hypocrite is not to act like I’m “holier than thou” just because Christ forgave and saved me and now I call myself a Christian. Yes I’m a Christian, but I’m also a fallen human being sinner with temptation and lust for the world just like every other poor slob on the planet. The main difference in me and someone who is lost is that I’m forgiven and I’m trying to do the right thing, and I feel VERY bad when I fail.
I suppose misery loves company because I’m encouraged when I read what Paul said in Romans 7:51: “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate”. Even the great Apostle Paul experienced frustration and remorse for his occasional bouts with sinful thoughts and actions.
I go back to Matthew Henry’s statement that “We are what we are inwardly. Christ gives men their true characters”.
Hmmm….If the Holy Spirit resides within our hearts and souls “We are sons and daughters of God inwardly and Christ gives us our TRUE character”, but the Bible plainly tells us that we are also sinful flesh inwardly.
Huh?
Just like dueling banjos, we are in spiritual warfare daily and we must live with the sinful nature that resides in our fallen bodies and the Holy Spirit that resides there too. Our victory comes from Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, (lest anyone should brag), and not the good works that we might do on occasion in the flesh as led by the Holy Spirit.
We may be comforted in knowing and acting as though we as Christians are not perfect, but we are forgiven.
Think about this today, on occasion we will grieve Him greatly, but the Holy Spirit will never abandon us or leave. And one day the spiritual warfare will cease and sin and satan will be defeated forever. Selah…
Gal. 5:17
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.