An Honest Look at Hypocrisy

Departure from Faith

     Recently I discovered an alarming statistic uncovered by the Barna Group, who describe themselves as a visionary research and resource company focused on the intersection of faith and culture. [https://www.barna.com/about/] They share that nearly sixty percent of young adults raised in the church decide somewhere between late teens and late twenties to leave the church.  I came across this statistic while trying to understand the influences that are affecting our younger generation.  If you are like me, you may have a friend whose child or grandchild has decided to move away from the Christian faith.  When I receive prayer requests from a concerned relative or friend, I often hear that conversations become challenging, making it difficult for the faith-following relative to remain involved.  Or maybe you've noticed that many of the families in your neighborhood or community no longer make it a priority to attend church.  It may also become apparent that your church congregation no longer has a balance between younger and older adults.  In his book called unChristian, David Kinnaman reveals his findings after conducting a large-scale research project aimed at helping us gain an understanding of this exodus.  What is most troubling is not the exodus from the church, but the departure from the faith.

A Primary Cause

     One of the primary reasons for this mass exodus cited in this study was hypocrisy.  This word, hypocrisy, when speaking of Christians is not a new concept that we have never heard; however, rather than discount this common complaint, let's make a concerted effort to unravel what this means to us.   If you find this difficult to swallow because it is such an unflattering description of Christians when we know that we are not the only segment of society to struggle with saying one thing but doing something else.  Rather than have this be a finger pointing exercise, let us look in the mirror to see how we fit the mold.  Kinnaman explains, “In the most basic terms, hypocrisy occurs when you profess something that you do not really believe.” (p. 41) [1].  We as a church body function through beliefs in a risen Savior who came to rescue us from the sin that has enslaved us.  By accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior and confessing our sins, we are given access to the Father and have been promised eternal life.  Being a Christian does not make us sinless, but we should expect to see our lives transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us.  It is not unrealistic that others would hope to see Christ's likeness in us. 

Old Testament Examples

     Looking at the Bible topically, it is easy to discover countless examples of hypocrisy showing itself through the lives of those who follow spiritual practices.  The most notable seems to be the religious leaders called the Pharisees.  But before we look at commonly discussed hypocrisy, let's look at the Old Testament to see how this shows itself in the book of Genesis, in the very beginning.

     In the third chapter of Genesis, we see the deceptive exchange between Satan, posing as a serpent, when he asks Eve “Did God really say, ‘you must not eat of any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1 ESV) Does it seem too far-fetched with this example to ask ourselves, when do I say the Word of God is the truth, but then easily deceive myself by picking and choosing passages that I will or won't follow?

     In the fourth chapter of Genesis we see another form of deception when God asks Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” (Genesis 4:9 ESV).  His snarly response is “Am I my brother's keeper,” knowing full well that he had killed and buried his brother.   We can ask ourselves, are there areas in my life where I am less than honest with God?  Have I said or done anything that has injured the faith of another individual?  Do I grieve for the sixty percent of our youth that has the potential of leaving or have already left the church and the faith?  Do I honestly seek guidance on how to serve the needs of those whose faith journey does not include Jesus?  Or would your response be like Cain's, “Am I my brother's keeper?”

    Found in the sixth chapter of Genesis, we learn about the reason why God decided to send the flood.  In the Bible we read, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”  (Genesis 6:5-6 ESV) We know that Christians are no different than those who do not walk in our faith, we are sinners.  The truth in God's word says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23 ESV) We will continue to have a sin problem until the end of the age, but it doesn't justify our actions when we bury or deny our transgressions.  What makes us hypocrites is when we lack transparency and try to pose as Believers who have it all together.  Many Christians, including myself, find it difficult to expose our sins, reveal our hearts, and ask for support.  We want to confess our sins secretly to God.  God asks us to confess our sins one to another in this verse, “The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:15-16 ESV) How often are we willing as Believers in the healing powers of forgiveness through our Lord, Jesus Christ, to confess our sins to one another?

     In the twenty-seventh chapter of Genesis, we see that Jacob impersonated his brother Esau to gain his father’s blessing.  When Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau,” Jacob replied, “I am.” (Genesis 27:24 ESV) The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word hypokrites which means stage actor or pretender.   It might be relevant to ask our self, what roles do I play where I am acting out a part and am not truly being authentic.  Maybe I impersonate a spiritual mother but fail to lead my children in regular devotions, or I pose as a loving wife publicly, but at home, I challenge my husband's leadership role.  If we do not wish to be hypocritical, we must ask ourselves where we are an imposter.  Author Kinnaman interjects the idea that “Our culture considers having a good image to be one of the highest goals in life.” (p.43) [1] His comment becomes self-evident as we look at the intrigue with social media to display the best possible image for our lives.

Found in the thirty-seventh chapter of Genesis, we read about how Jacob’s sons deceived him regarding the demise of their brother Joseph.  “When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.  And they took him and threw him into a pit.  The pit was empty; there was no water in it.”  (Genesis 37:23-24 ESV) “They sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “‘This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.’  And he identified it and said ‘It is my son’s robe.  A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.’” (Genesis 37:32–33 ESV) None of the sons corrected their father’s analysis, and they let him believe a lie.  They held the secret transgression against their brother in their hearts.  We too are holders of secrets, things in our past that we hope no one will discover, secrets that we conceal to keep from tarnishing our image. 

     Take a moment to evaluate where you’ve covered something thinking it is much easier to live with lies because the truth is too hard to speak.  The ninth commandment is “You shall not lie to one another,” (Leviticus 19:11 ESV) yet this pattern of sin continues to pose a problem for humankind.  The other day I asked one of my children “how did you like the lunch I packed for you today.”  Yes, I was fishing for a compliment.  Her response was favorable, only to soon be discovered that she hadn’t eaten a bite but hid it in her room.  I later learned that a friend had ridiculed the appearance of her food.  She told what she considered a ‘harmless’ lie with good intentions of not hurting my feelings.  My daughter wanted to protect the identity of her friend who had insulted her lunch.  Even though she had good intentions, it was necessary to talk about how hiding the truth cost us our integrity. 

     God has provided many examples in His word to lead us to understand how hypocrisy looks.  It is worth evaluating how our lives resemble the same hypocrisy that plagued the generations before us.  The Bible is not full of saints; it is full of sinners just like ourselves.  As we approach the topic of hypocrisy with those who have chosen another path, which we know leads to death, it is crucial that we become transparent showing we understand our failures.  Jesus found it to be a rare trait to discover a person with no guile, or deceit.  This is what he said about Nathanael who became one of His twelve disciples, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (John 1:47 ESV) Nathanael hadn't said anything flattering about Jesus, but he honestly expressed his heart when he said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46 ESV) 

New Testament Examples

     When you hear the word hypocrite, does your mind often focus on the encounters Jesus had with the religious leaders of his day?  In Matthew 23 we see the phrase, “woes to you, teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you hypocrites” (Matthew 23:13,15,23,25,27, 29); it is repeated six times for emphasis.  Jesus accused them of many things, including:

●    Closing the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces,

●    Traveling great distances to win a single convert, but when they had succeeded, they made them twice the child of hell as themselves,

●    Giving a tenth (first fruits), but neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness,

●    Cleaning themselves up on the outside, but being full of greed and self-indulgence on the inside,

●    Trying to create outer beauty but being dead bones on the inside.

●    Building tombs for their forefathers, the prophets, and saying, “if we’d lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” (Matthew 23:30 ESV)

     Where have our hearts or actions made us more like the Pharisees than like Jesus?  The world is looking to us to be the example, the reflection, of the light of Jesus.  Are others observing us as ones who close the door on the kingdom of heaven?  Where have we sought to help someone come to an understanding of the gospel, only to abandon them once they’ve decided to follow?  What are we hiding on the inside while we make every effort to appear spotless on the outside?  Where have our bones become dead with an unwillingness to submit to the Holy Spirit's guidance?  Do you have an internal voice telling you of an un-confessed transgression, a need to change an unhealthy pattern, or an action that you should take, but haven’t moved on?  With these questions, I find it easier to evaluate my walk and where hypocrisy is likely to be seen.

Christian Priorities

     The author poses a fascinating question in the book mentioned above, “What would you say are the two or three most important priorities for Christians to pursue concerning their faith?” I pose this question to myself as well as you.  How do we honestly define our Christian walk?  Do we identify it by the mercy that has been shown to us that we did not deserve, the grace that was given that we did not earn, the joyful actions we take as a result of our gratitude, or the recognition that we need to submit our lives daily to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, dying to self?  If we set our minds to wonder about our faith priorities, we may uncover that we are trying harder to project a Christian image than we are trying to evaluate the spiritual beliefs we claim that we find challenging to live out. Do I strive to look like Jesus, even when I know that I will fail?  Do I easily become transparent when I do fail?  Is my Christians image put on display to please man or to please God?

     Let’s try to consider with open minds that our hypocrisy is at least part of the crisis responsible for separating young adults from their desire to discover God’s purpose in their lives.  Because of the Holy Spirit, as a believer, our lives are to be transformed by His work within us.  Paul writes in Romans; “We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service.” (Romans 12:1 ESV) How might we better look at ourselves through the lens of hypocrisy and ask ourselves what needs to change that would make following Jesus a relationship worth building? 

[1] Kinnaman, David. unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity and Why It Matters. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.