Nov 11
20
The Church is Full of Hypocrites!
It is a matter of Christian doctrine that there will be hypocrites within the walls of the Christian church. Jesus said so. He even devoted an entire parable to this matter (Matt 13:24ff).
But the root cause of hypocrisy does not lie in Christianity, but in something all people have, something the Bible calls the sinful nature. It goes all the way back to the garden of Eden, where Adam stood naked before the Lord, having disobeyed a direct command of God. Adam said, “I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid” (Genesis 3:10). Adam feared being seen as he really was. His strategy was to hide. And we’ve been hiding ever since.
The ancient Greeks used the word “hypocrite” to describe a stage actor, someone who hid his true identity behind a mask. The masks we now wear, our “false fronts,” are the words and actions we use to hide our true self, and to win approval or avoid rejection from others. When the mask comes off and hidden sins are exposed, it’s never pretty. Consider some of the disgraced public figures of the past few years – athletes, politicians, and yes, even church workers.
Our shared sinful nature causes us to become incredibly adept at hypocrisy. We are remarkably predictable at the one great talent of our fallen personalities – perpetually putting ourselves in the best possible light. We are so good at it that we even fool ourselves into thinking we are pretty good people.
Some people think the church’s message is: “If you keep these rules and follow these principles, you will be a good person and God will bless you.” If a church actually teaches that, it will become a type of hypocrite factory.
But the true church of Christ is not about following rules to become good people, it’s about forgiveness in Christ.
Yes, the Bible has some harsh words about sin. Those are designed to show us our true selves, to awaken us to see the disease of sin raging out of control within us. Then, naked and exposed we stand before the Almighty, expecting God’s rejection. Instead, he sends Jesus. His message is incredible: “I forgive you.” It’s not because he simply ignores our sin. No, he paid for it with his own perfect life and innocent death.
This is the love of Christ that changes us. It’s the only thing that does. And then all the masks we wear to hide our real self can be set aside. We don’t have to hide our sin anymore. We freely confess our sins and lay them all at Jesus’ feet. It’s a uniquely liberating experience to give up the game of hiding behind the masks.
It’s easy to complain, “The church is full of hypocrites.” Unfortunately, there are those who fake it. But most don’t. Most Christians I know are gracious, humble souls who don’t think they are better than you and who certainly don’t claim to be perfect – just forgiven.
People surely can disappoint us. But what I love most about the Christian church is Christ.
“For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them” (Matthew 18:20).
