Jesus directly addresses the sensitive issue of hypocrisy during His ministry. He commented multiple times on the hypocritical and religious rituals lead by the Pharisees. Hypocrisy in the church ignited the fire to Jesus’ righteous anger:
“In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!” Matthew 21:12
But, Jesus addressed only the sinful, hypocritical Pharisees in the Bible….so where do we fit in?
Sadly, the world sees the modern-day, faith-professing Christian as living hypocritical lives possibly more than any other religion.
Of course, it is no accident that Christianity is the recipient of direct attack; we face a very talented enemy out to “kill, steal and destroy.” However, as Christians we hold a responsibility to shine our lights as holy and pleasing sacrifices to the Lord. Are we doing our job?
After some research, some common beliefs about Christians are as followed:
1. Jesus said to love their enemy, yet they gossip and cheat against one another in their own church communities.
2. Christians only help those who are Christians or converts to their faith.
3. Despite God loving everyone and Jesus eating with the poor, Christians seem to avoid or neglect the unsaved because their uncomfortable with sharing their faith in a loving, humble way.
4. Jesus forgave everyone, while many Christians live in bitterness.
5. They say their faith provides unspeakable joy and unwavering faith; yet, they stress and worry about finances and other daily issues.
Though this list seems dogmatic and maybe even stereotypical, we must recognize we are ambassadors of our faith. Christianity does not exempt us from mistakes, but it does place us in a position to avoid stagnation. We must continually seek spiritual growth. Through the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to live out our faith on a daily basis. As believers, we should seek to implement our faith in every aspect of ours lives. The more we see Christianity as a faith-based, selfless relationship, the more our hypocrisy label will begin to fade. We need to be believers that truly own our faith, representing Christ in a way that is worthy of His sacrifice.
Has hypocrisy ever turned you from the Christian faith? In what ways can believers step in and change how the world views Christianity?