I am a Hypocrite

Maybe it’s just me, but, as a Christian, one of my biggest fears is being called a hypocrite. At times, I try so hard to protect myself from this moniker that it all but consumes me. At other times, knowing that I have sinned has caused me to keep my mouth shut when given opportunities to exhort others to turn from their sins. I think to myself, “if I point them to God’s Word here, I will be a hypocrite for doing the same things!” There is a fine line between motives of helping our brother with the speck in his eye and pridefully failing to see the plank in our own.

I have felt burdened to write this since I sat down with a good friend who told me that he has stopped going to church because he got tired of the hypocrisy. The tragedy is that he is just one of countless people who have left churches because Christians don’t seem to measure up to what they are preaching and professing to believe. As a Christian, I have a major problem with this! And you should too!

Now, just so you don’t think the title was just some hokey way to get you to read to this point, I want to make an effort to explain. I am a hypocrite. I claim to follow Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who denied His power and stepped down into creation to atone for our sins and give us eternal life through our faith in Him and through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is clear that, as a Christian, I have been given everything I need for life and for godliness. That is what the Spirit of God has enabled me to do when He regenerated my spirit and quickened me to life! It’s pretty amazing to think about!

Now, one of the misconceptions about this is that Christians are somehow above sin. Since I claim the power of the Holy Spirit and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I should never break any rules or do anything bad. Yes and no. I am called to be holy as God is holy. I am called to live a self-controlled, obedient life out of the pure heart that God has given me. And at the same time, I have this flesh which will continually reap to its own destruction. Sure, it may reap to temporary pleasures that satisfy my longings of lust, greed, impatience, self-righteousness, laziness, gluttony, and the list goes on. However, it will never bring joy, contentment, peace, rest, or any good thing. Only Jesus Christ offers those things.

Anyone who is alive understands that we cannot be perfect. Humans fail. It is what we do best. Sure there are times of success and there are brilliant minds that have stretched what we thought humans were capable of, but in the end, we fail to live the way that we ought, the way that our hearts tell us is right.

I guess I wish I would have had a defense when my friend made the comment about leaving church. I didn’t at the time, but I have since developed what I feel is a gentle and honest attempt to encourage and exhort those who have left churches along with an admonishment to Christians who are failing to be sanctified in the Word of God.

To those who have left churches:

You will never experience the joys of Jesus Christ by looking upon those who claim to be His people as they walk around sinning. You will only experience His peace when you abandon yourself and follow Him. The Bible tells us that many who call out “Lord, Lord” will be turned away on Judgement Day because they never really knew what it meant to follow Jesus Christ. What if the ones that caused you to leave church were planted there by the Enemy to serve to further his cause to destroy as many people as possible? Simply calling oneself a Christian does not make one a Christian. Only God can make Christians and only God will conform Christians into His image. I would encourage you to give church another try. Not so you can be thrown into the collection of hypocrites and jerks that have turned you off to the idea, but so you can meet with your Creator and the only One who can save your soul, Jesus Christ! Maybe He’ll change your heart and you’ll become one to take a stand against the hypocrisy of the masses! Or maybe He’ll call you to surrender your life and you just aren’t ready for that. Don’t be like the rich man who went away sad when Christ gave him an opportunity to inherit Heaven because he had too many earthly possessions. Don’t spend all of your time investing in this life when it is hardly able to be measured against the eternity that you were created for. It is worth tolerating hypocrites and unregenerates who disgrace church pews across this country when the opportunity to meet and know Jesus Christ awaits those, who by the Holy Spirit, are able to hear the Word of God and respond to it!

Are you one who is going to respond to the Word of God or are you going to reject it? The only response is the same one of the disciples whom Jesus called. They dropped everything and followed Him. What will you do?

To Christians:

It is impossible to think that as God’s people we should ever be seen in such a negative light because of our disobedient, sinful attitudes and actions. But, that’s where so many of us are, isn’t it? I think the gravest sin is that of our arrogance that resembles the Pharisees who were too proud to admit that they needed the Great Physician to heal their hearts. They chose to attempt to be good of their own merit and now they are awaiting the Day when they will stand before Christ with absolutely nothing to show for their efforts except condemnation. The world doesn’t need perfect Christians. The world needs Christians striving for holiness who are transparent enough to admit their short comings and determined enough to rise again and again and fix their eyes back on Christ for help! Do we point fingers and condemn others? Or do we spend more time grieving over our own sins that sent Christ to the Cross? We will never be sanctified by pointing out others flaws. And we will never experience the joys of meeting God in His sanctuary by ignoring ours.

God, Help us! For it is so so easy to respond to the world instead of the Cross. Help us to get our eyes up from ourselves and onto You. Only then will there be a people with whom you are pleased. Only then will you take delight in our attitudes and actions. Holy Spirit, help us to be obedient to the call of Jesus Christ. Jesus, thank you for making it possible to live by faith. To God be the glory.