Woe to you, Hypocrites!

Are Christians hypocrites? There was a time when I was not saved that I attended my family's church. Often times after service I would see some of the ladies gathered outside the door or in the parking lot talking to each other. In most cases they were dressed in their "Sunday best." However, what I remember the most about these ladies was not that they attended church, it wasn't that they praised the Lord, nor was it that they wore their best clothes. What I remember was that when they were standing around talking to each other I could hear them gossiping and putting down other Christians. This stuck with me so much that it played a role in me coming to faith in Jesus Christ because I didn't want to be like those women; hypocrites who dressed up for church in order to praise Jesus, but exhibited anything but His influence on their lives within seconds of worshiping Him. It reminds me of the words Jesus spoke to the Scribes and Pharisees. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27)." Jesus was describing people who claimed to believe in God by what they did, but inside they were spiritually dead to Him. In other words they were unbelievers. Now, I am not saying these women were unbelievers, nor am I saying that we never fail as Christians in our behavior. But, to the average person who doesn't know this or doesn't believe in the Lord, what are they to think? Then wouldn't you know it, when I did become a believer, I would experience another kind of hypocrisy from so-called Christians. This is something that is preached all throughout the Christian church. It is this idea that Christians are supposed to live these lives of obedience and repentance; always trying to live by what is good and avoid what is evil. Regarding obedience, you may hear Christians say things like they desire to focus on, "What does it mean to live a holy (set apart) life." Repentance may be defined as, "turning from the way of life that is contrary to God’s law, and turning to the way of life that is defined by God’s law, which consists chiefly of the Ten Commandments, but includes other commandments, statutes, and judgments, as well." This all sounds godly, but it is a recipe for disaster because it illustrates how to make hypocrites.

In Colossians 1:22, Paul writes, "But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation." This eliminates having to find ways to live a holy and set apart life because through your faith in Jesus Christ, you are holy, which means set apart. Again, we are told that, "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them (Galatians 3:10).”" Therefore, if we are to turn "to the way of life that is defined by God's law," that is saying that we must turn to the way of life that puts us under a curse because we must "abide by all things written in the Book of the Law." Nobody is doing that. Therefore, you begin to see how hypocrites are created. They are created by people trying to live a life they cannot live in order to obtain the holiness of God they already have received. Or they lie and tell people they have found a way to be obedient to God when they are not being obedient. Anybody who has truly come to know the grace of God, His love and their identity in Christ, not only desires to live a life pleasing to Him, but knows that what pleases God is allowing Him to live His life in and through them because they are already holy (set apart), obedient (to the truth He has revealed to them) and have repented (of their unbelief in Jesus Christ). Otherwise, all your hypocritical attempts to live a life you cannot are only telling Jesus that He died for nothing. "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21)." Hypocrites are those living a life that tells Jesus His death was for nothing! They would rather believe the lie of Satan told thousands of years ago in the Garden of Eden, when he said to Eve, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5).” Hypocrites are those eating from the wrong tree and are not living a holy life of obedience and repentance, but are living a life which is nullifying the grace of God.