Hypocrisy in the Church
February 23, 2023 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
Are you a hypocrite?
I have never heard of someone openly admitting that he or she was a hypocrite. In some brutally honest moments, I have heard someone say they acted hypocritically in the past. But never have I ever heard someone openly state, “I am a hypocrite.” I imagine that you would not make that statement today.
Have you ever called someone a hypocrite?
Let’s admit it: we are far more likely to accuse someone of hypocrisy before we would ever admit to being a hypocrite. It is the easy way out from associating with a person or group of people we don’t like. People avoid the church because they believe it is full of hypocrites.
What is the truth about hypocrisy?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hypocrisy as “a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not: behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel.” There is an incongruity between what one believes and how one behaves. Often times, there is deception (“feigning”) involved, because we do not want people to discover that incongruity. By this definition the apostle Paul confesses hypocrisy when he says, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Rom. 7:15).
Mark Jones, in his book Knowing Sin, writes, “All are by nature born hypocrites… There are three types of hypocrites: (1) natural hypocrisy, which affects every human heart, and is on display in every natural person; (2) soul-destroying religious hypocrisy, which speaks to those who put on a good show outwardly but inwardly hate all forms of true holiness; and (3) occasional hypocrisy, which applies to Christians who are not unsaved hypocrites like the Pharisees but can act inconsistently to their confession from time to time” (p. 98).
I appreciate Jones’ humble honesty. Everyone is a hypocrite at some level. We all have incongruities in our lives between what we believe and how we behave. But it is important to affirm the three types of hypocrisy. Typically when we accuse someone of hypocrisy we are thinking of that second type, the “soul-destroying religious hypocrisy, which speaks to those who put on a good show outwardly but inwardly hate all forms of true holiness.” Unfortunately, though, what we call out as hypocrisy is more likely either the first or third type of hypocrisy. We tend to exaggerate the inconsistencies of others while downplaying or overlooking our own inconsistencies.
What are we to do about hypocrisy in the church? Three things:
- Be slower to accuse others of hypocrisy. Yes, this “other” may be acting inconsistently to their confession, but the accusation of hypocrisy is a relationship destroyer. People hear it only as that second type and become defensive. What is gained by calling someone a hypocrite?
- With humility, admit your own hypocrisy. We all act inconsistently from time to time. If we were more humble in acknowledging this openly, like Paul in Romans 7, we would be less inclined to make the accusation against others. In fact, if we do not readily confess our sin, unconfessed sin becomes a poison in our souls, corrupting all areas of our lives. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
- Let’s live consistently with the truth of the Gospel. In the gospel we freely admit we are sinners, saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For gospel believing people, there should be no surprise when someone sins. It’s what we do. Yes, the power of the gospel is sanctifying us, making us more holy. But until Christ returns, or we die, we will never be free from the corruption of sin. The problems with hypocrisy come in when we operate in ways contrary to the truth of the gospel: we either claim to be holier than others because of our own abilities or we try to hide our sin. Both tendencies are fertilizer for hypocrisy and are inconsistent with the gospel. In the gospel we are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe, and we are more accepted and loved than we ever dared hope.
