Christianity – a religion of hypocrisy?
Posted by Mathew | June 21, 2008 | No Comments
Hypocrite [hip-oh-krit]: n. a person who pretends to be what he or she is not.
Linking back to my previous post (Moral standards and hypocrisy), I thought I would expand a little on the theme of the cartoon in a kind of broad Christian context.
In Christianity, there are two types of hypocrites.
1). There are those who know that they will always stumble to achieve God’s standard if they rely on their own efforts – even sheer will-power cannot make them immune from their own depravity and sin. These are the types who, when they acknowledge that they have sinned against God, genuinely repent and seek forgiveness – firstly, from God and secondly, from those whom they have offended/hurt by their actions. Having sought forgiveness, they turn to Jesus (who has already paid the penalty for our sin!) to be their strength and guide and support, and they also look to others they can trust to keep them accountable. They pick themselves up and, hopefully, move on.
To this class of people we give the name Christians. And these Christians are made up of reformed fornicators, homosexuals, drug addicts, alcoholics, murderers, prostitutes, gossipers, liars, idolators, thieves and the greedy. (Just so you know, yes, a couple of these categories did/can apply to me! Where do you fit?)
2). Then there are those who say they are Christians but go against the very words of scripture. When scripture says that homosexual practices or sexual promiscuity are outlawed by scripture, they themselves partake in such lifestyles. When scripture teaches the golden rule – do unto others as you would have them to unto you – they treat their neighbour badly while taking advantage of his generosity. When scripture instructs to give of yourself, they give instead of their wealth with a showy-pretense and grandeur.
To this class of people we, rightly I feel, give the name hypocrites. We have them in our churches. We even have them in positions of church leadership! But no matter the officious title or the upturned nose, their name does not change. Unless they follow the model of the above class of people noted in #1, forever hypocrites they will remain.
The Apostle Paul spoke these strong and sobering words for those of us who dare call themselves Christians:
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)
Given the direction our society is heading today (or in some sense, already reached!) the passage I quoted from Paul is a very high bar indeed. Instead of aspiring to the glorious heights noted in the Bible (borne by the wings of the Holy Spirit), the preferance for society is to lower the bar to a standard that it does not need to break out a sweat in order to leap over. They discard the Bible. But then are quick to use the Bible as a ruler to belt Christians over the head with when they stumble (which in one sense is correct … but incredibly hypocritical!).
Being a Christian is not an easy road. Christians were never promised an easy road. We are tempted in every which way that the Prince of this world can devise – and he knows us all intimately. He loves the lowered hurdled that society has made for itself – it makes his work far, far easier.
So with reference to the cartoon, to someone outside the Christian church, Christians do appear as hypocritical. Yet the non-Christian, or specifically the anti-theist, in reality just doesn’t recognise the authority of God or His Word and its transformative power. They can lower the bar according to whatever stream of philosophical, relativist morals they so desire. Because at the end of the day, if their rule of thumb is tolerance of everything (except, more or more so, a tolerance of Christianity and it’s moral systems!) – an ‘anything goes’ attitude – you can place the bar as high or as low as your mood takes you.
For Christians, Jesus is our benchmark. Jesus is the ruler by which Christians measure themselves. And He is not a measure that anyone, let alone Christians, can move an inch either up or down to suit our criteria. Jesus is the perfect example of what life in total obedience to God is like … and Christians fall short of that example every time. But that’s ok. The Gospel is such that Jesus’ work is complete and our salvation in Him is secure.
You know, it’s kind of funny … Jesus might be called a whole variety of names by a greater variety of people, but I’d bet my bottom dollar no one today would label him as a hypocrite.
And neither should His faithful and humble followers likewise be falsely labelled.
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