This one will be pretty short and sweet-what's been your experience with hypocrisy in the church? Is it a far-reaching problem that is running rampant, or is it small and only affects a few people?
Hypocrisy is everywhere. Those who judge others as hypocrites should first look in the mirror, and when they do they will be looking at a hypocrite, who will be rendered even more so by the very act of judging someone else. It may even be more hypocrital to stay away from church, purportedly because of the hypocrites who fill the pews, than to join the hypocrites at church. Why, you ask? Well, at least those who fill the pews have come to be face to face with God, possibly implying that they realize their need for help. Those who stay away and judge may be saying that they don't need help because they're good enough without it. Inferring that we don't need God's help while claiming that others do -- that may be the greatest hypocrisy of all. Every sin, even hypocrisy, has the same solution -- the blood of Jesus alone can rid us of sin. On the theory that church is a hospital for sinners, not a rest home for saints, I would suggest that the hypocrites within the church might have a better chance of realizing their need and invoking the blood of Jesus than do the hypocrites outside the church. Just my two bits worth.
There is way too much hypocrisy in the church. Yet I wonder if we have begun to define hypocrisy incorrectly at times. Walk into any church at any time and you'll find people who are not living up to the calling that God has placed on their life. In fact, I would suggest that 100% of people aren't living exactly as they know that they should.
We look at these people and we see inconsistency....saying one thing and living another. Too often, we define someone as a hypocrite the moment they display any kind of inconsistency. But sometimes we display inconsistency, not because of outright hypocrisy, but because of honest mistakes brought about by sin.
True hypocrisy occurs when someone outwardly professes a belief or a value that they do not legitimately hold in their own hearts.
Yes, hypocrisy exists in the church. It exists far more than it should.
But we must be careful not to label anyone as a hypocrite, simply because they espouse a value or a moral position which appears contrary to their actions. In such a case, they may be a hypocrite. Or they may be a sinner, striving before God to live up to the standard He has called them. In this case, they would actually hold the value that they espouse (thus they are not a hyprocrite by definition) but because of sin, they wouldn't always live up to that value completely.
As such, I'd be hard-pressed to call anyone a hypocrite unless I've had the opportunity to sit down with them and really understand where they are at in head and in heart.
2 comments:
Hypocrisy is everywhere. Those who judge others as hypocrites should first look in the mirror, and when they do they will be looking at a hypocrite, who will be rendered even more so by the very act of judging someone else. It may even be more hypocrital to stay away from church, purportedly because of the hypocrites who fill the pews, than to join the hypocrites at church. Why, you ask? Well, at least those who fill the pews have come to be face to face with God, possibly implying that they realize their need for help. Those who stay away and judge may be saying that they don't need help because they're good enough without it. Inferring that we don't need God's help while claiming that others do -- that may be the greatest hypocrisy of all. Every sin, even hypocrisy, has the same solution -- the blood of Jesus alone can rid us of sin. On the theory that church is a hospital for sinners, not a rest home for saints, I would suggest that the hypocrites within the church might have a better chance of realizing their need and invoking the blood of Jesus than do the hypocrites outside the church. Just my two bits worth.
There is way too much hypocrisy in the church. Yet I wonder if we have begun to define hypocrisy incorrectly at times. Walk into any church at any time and you'll find people who are not living up to the calling that God has placed on their life. In fact, I would suggest that 100% of people aren't living exactly as they know that they should.
We look at these people and we see inconsistency....saying one thing and living another. Too often, we define someone as a hypocrite the moment they display any kind of inconsistency. But sometimes we display inconsistency, not because of outright hypocrisy, but because of honest mistakes brought about by sin.
True hypocrisy occurs when someone outwardly professes a belief or a value that they do not legitimately hold in their own hearts.
Yes, hypocrisy exists in the church. It exists far more than it should.
But we must be careful not to label anyone as a hypocrite, simply because they espouse a value or a moral position which appears contrary to their actions. In such a case, they may be a hypocrite. Or they may be a sinner, striving before God to live up to the standard He has called them. In this case, they would actually hold the value that they espouse (thus they are not a hyprocrite by definition) but because of sin, they wouldn't always live up to that value completely.
As such, I'd be hard-pressed to call anyone a hypocrite unless I've had the opportunity to sit down with them and really understand where they are at in head and in heart.
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