We’re all on a quest for answers, aren’t we? For starters, there are the small things. Like how to pair a new remote control with your tv and cable box (which I did last night). Or information to make a decision about the best dental insurance to get (which I also did yesterday). It’s easy to admit and accept that in these common life tasks we don’t have all the answers. Someone else has them – if we ask. But it involves a level of trust, doesn’t it? In my situation, I trusted two strangers I’ve never met to tell me the truth I needed, and they did.
We’re totally ok with that level, but something happens when the questions get bigger and the stakes get higher. We begin to question the answers and look for hypocrites! Let’s keep thinking…
Here’s another situation. Your car needs a $600 repair. Now there’s a good chunk of money involved. The trust factor is still in play, but suspicion enters the picture too. Since you aren’t an auto mechanic yourself, you wonder if the price is fair or you’re being taken advantage of. Some mechanics are dishonest, which makes it harder to trust any of them. Like a lot of things in life, a few can ruin it for the rest. It labels good-hearted and honest people with someone else’s – let’s call it what it is – sin.
The answers to the biggest questions with the highest stakes are met with the greatest suspicion of all.
Does God really exist?
Is the Bible true?
Are Heaven and Hell real?
Did Jesus actually die to pay for my sins? Is He the only One with authority to forgive them and give me eternal life – in Heaven?
Today, everyone has had some kind of exposure to a church and the Bible – but maybe it was a negative experience. A small sample, however, is only part of a bigger picture. Here come the labels again…
A popular “dodge the real question” technique used by people who don’t want to believe in God is to divert it by calling people in Christian churches hypocrites. When a “bad seed” pastor or other leader is exposed in the news for doing what they shouldn’t have, they’re thrilled because it’s more ammunition to fortify their position. More ammo is added when they meet members of the church who live like “heathens” during the week, then call themselves Christians and put on a “saint” mask on Sundays (by the way, God isn’t fooled by this for a second). It happens every time those in the church knowingly hurt others by doing the opposite of what the Bible teaches: child molestation, affairs, stealing, abuse of power, and the rest.
Many who despise these hypocrites have scars caused by them at the root of their aversion to anything Christian. But judgement is coming. James 3:1 (NIV) says this about corrupt leadership: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.“ As for those who harm children, Jesus says in Luke 17:2 “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.“
When the actions of some are used to inaccurately label the majority of Christians, there’s much more to the story. It’s another ancient tool used by the devil, who Jesus Himself tells us is the “father of lies” in John 8:44. By distracting us with “bad seeds”, his goal is to pull people away from the truth and keep them from learning what the Bible actually says. Sadly, many millions of people over time have believed his lies and written off their faith in God and it continues on today.
The fact is, Christians are people with the same temptations and tendencies to sin as anyone else. It’s a person’s response to it that’s the dividing point. Some break God’s true teachings and continue, only stopping when they are caught – or keep living in sin until they die and stand before God, the Righteous Judge. Others will sincerely ask God to forgive any sin in their life when it occurs and get right back to following the path of Jesus.
Even though we may not commit the worst of sins, we commit others. Let’s read directly from the Word of God to get answers about bashing hypocrites and what it says about “the rest of us”. Here’s Romans 2:1-4 (NIV):
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
Imperfect people will always disappoint us and some can even lead us away from God. But at times we are ALL imperfect hypocrites. Romans 3:23 (NIV) says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Each one of us needs God’s forgiveness for our sins. Then as believers, we can grow past them, continually examining our hearts, and demonstrate what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus instead.
RESET HIGHER: If we’re honest, all we need to do to see a hypocrite is look in the mirror! What needs to change in your life to live with consistent integrity?
Do you let someone else’s behavior influence your faith instead of looking to Jesus? Change your focus.
