Hypocrisy

Dear Victorious,

So many of the Christians I see look like such hypocrites. I realize nobody is perfect and that Christians are still sinners. But it disgusts me and makes me want to stay away from them - and the churches they go to. What should I do?

Earl T. - Santa Fe, N.M.

Dear Earl,

You sound frustrated. That's pretty normal. It would put you on par with Jesus, the Apostle Paul and others who found hypocrisy among the religious. To be sure, hypocrisy is disgusting. But rather than turn away from it, I think you should become a student of it. Examine it, study it and understand its dynamics. When you do, I suspect you will then know what to do with it. (It is difficult to respond effectively to anything with which we are not familiar.)

What is hypocrisy? It is knowing the truth, but not obeying it. People can say that they believe in Jesus, but then not obey Him. Jesus said if we love Him we will obey Him. (Perhaps the hypocrites miss that point!) Hypocrisy is living a self-serving life. Even those who serve or give generously can be doing so for self-serving reasons - instead of out of genuine love for God and others. Hypocrisy reduces faith to rigid rules. People can end up worshipping their church or their religion (denomination) more than they worship God. Hypocrisy is outward conformity without inner reality. Said another way, hypocrisy can often only be seen if we could see the whole person.

To be sure, hypocrisy in any form is sin. What are we to do with such sin in ourselves and others? Confess it to God. Confess it to one another. Pray for each other to be healed of it. And of course forgive it. But beyond that, we are not to be deceived by it. Many people look at the hypocrisy of so-called Christians and then use that as an excuse to stay away from God and the church. The irony in that is when they do this, they themselves are revealing their own hypocrisy!

So in answer to your question, my advice to you about hypocrisy is to understand it and resolve to respond to it in God-honoring ways. Then pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you as you work to respond to it that way. Finally, expect God to provide that leading and expect yourself to be more successful at confessing your own hypocrisy to God and someone else, forgiving the hypocrisy of others, and to help you - in community - to turn from hypocrisy toward righteousness and obedience.

As you engage this way, hypocrisy will still be ugly and disgusting, but I doubt very much that it will continue to have such power over you as to control your behaviors towards God and others.